These Banh Mi style subs are so good that even though I had mine just yesterday, I am wishing I had leftovers and so does my husband. In fact, he just said that now as he stands with his head in the fridge looking for snacks.
The meatballs alone are full of flavour and have the absolute best texture due to a few key ingredients. Then I glaze them with my favourite red pepper jelly from A La Table, which is both sweet and a little spicy. And a Banh mi style sub wouldn’t be complete without fresh crunchy veggies like cucumbers, fresh chili peppers and herbs!
To ensure the most flavour in every bite, I like to lightly dress my veggies with a simple rice wine and sesame oil vinaigrette. The vinegar adds a nice acidity which cuts through the sweetness and adds balance.
For my sub rolls, I bought two types when developing this recipe. I got regular white, soft submarine rolls and slightly sweet egg bread submarine rolls from Snowdon Deli, both found at my local Provigo grocery store. The egg bread won. I really love the brioche-like texture and the sweetness creates harmony with the filling. A regular roll tastes great as well so use what you can find.
As shown in the video, you can make variations of this recipe. I made mini sliders using Hawaiian dinner rolls, with the same ingredients as the subs. You can also make smaller meatballs, glaze them and skewer with cucumber ribbons, jalapeño slices and sprinkle with fresh herbs like cilantro, mint and finely chopped chives.
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The Best Red Pepper Jelly Glazed Chicken Meatball Subs
Equipment
- 1 Baking sheet
- 1 Wire rack Optional
Ingredients
Ingredients:
Meatballs:
- 1 lb Ground Chicken
- 1/2 Avocado
- 2 Tbsp Mayo (optional)
- 2 Green onions, finely chopped
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tsp Chili Flakes
- 1/2 tsp Soy Sauce
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- 1 Tbsp sesame seed oil
- 1 Tsp Kosher salt
- 1/2 Cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 Jar A La Table Red Pepper Jelly (approx 3 tbsp) + 1 tsp water (for glazing)
Sub Rolls
- 4 6” submarine rolls I used egg bread submarine rolls. They’re a little sweet and have a nice texture.
- 2 Persian cucumbers, sliced lengthwise with a mandolin or vegetable peeler
- Fresh Cilantro
- Fresh Mint
- 2 Red radishes, sliced paper thin
- 1/2 Jalapeño, seeded and sliced thin
Vinaigrette
- 1/4 Cup RIce wine vinegar
- 2 Tbsp Sesame oil
- 1 Tsp Maple syrup (or sugar)
- 1 Pinch Kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F
- In a large mixing bowl, mash the avocado, add mayo and the rest of the ingredients (Except Red Pepper Jelly) Roll mixture into golf ball sized meatballs, Approx 12 meatballs
- On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper space the meatballs evenly and roast for about 22-24 minutes (depending on size or until an internal temp of 170F is reached)
- Set your broiler to Hi and broil to brown the tops for 3 minutes or so. Keep your eye on them.
- Wrap your sub rolls in foil and warm them in the oven so they soften a little.
- Meanwhile, combine 1/2 of the jar of red pepper jelly with a teaspoon of water and microwave for about 10 seconds until the mixture loosens.
- Once the meatballs are cooked transfer meatballs to a wire rack and place it over your baking sheet and generously brush the glaze over every meatball. Alternately, you can glaze the meatballs on the baking sheet. Set aside
Prep your sub:
- Add your sliced veggies to a bowl and lightly dress with a couple of splashes of the salad dressing, including the herbs and set aside. (Reserve the rest of the dressing for another use)
- Cut your sub roll but not all the way through.
- Place 3 meatballs in the bun and add your sliced cucumbers, jalapeño and radish slices, then tuck in some of the mint and cilantro. Spoon some extra red pepper jelly over the top of each meatball and enjoy!
