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Ginger Chicken Thigh Sandwiches with Ponzu Mayo

Ginger Chicken Thigh Sandwiches with Ponzu Mayo

These Ginger Chicken Thigh Sandwiches features chicken thighs marinated with a whole whack of ginger snuggled into a potato bun slathered with ponzu mayo and topped with gochugaru spiked pickled onions and cucumbers.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Marinating/Pickling Time 3 hours
Course Main Course
Servings 4

Equipment

  • 1 cast-iron griddle or charcoal grill
  • 1 mandoline optional

Ingredients
  

Ginger Chicken Thighs

  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp mirin
  • 1½ tbsp honey
  • 3 tbsp fresh ginger minced
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 4 chicken thighs boneless, skinless

Gochugaru Pickled Cucumbers

  • ⅓ English cucumber sliced thin on a mandoline **
  • ¼ red onion thinly sliced
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 cup white vinegar
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp gochugaru
  • 1 tsp kosher salt

Ponzu Mayo

  • ½ cup mayo
  • 1 ½ tbsp ponzu sauce

To Assemble

  • 4 potato buns toasted
  • 1 avocado sliced
  • 8-12 leaves green leaf lettuce washed

Instructions
 

For the Ginger Chicken

  • Place the soy sauce, mirin, honey, garlic, and ginger in a bowl and whisk to combine. Pour the mixture over the chicken thighs and toss to coat. Cover and transfer to the fridge. Let marinate for 3 hours or overnight.
    ¼ cup soy sauce, 3 tbsp mirin, 1½ tbsp honey, 3 tbsp fresh ginger, 1 clove garlic, 4 chicken thighs
  • Once the chicken is ready, take it out of the marinade. Pour the marinade into a small skillet and bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer until the marinade is reduced by half.
  • While the marinade is simmer, heat your cast-iron griddle or charcoal grill until smoking. Sear the chicken thighs on both sides until grill marks appear. Either reduce the heat or move your chicken to indirect heat and cook until the it registers an internal temperature of 165°F. Brush the chicken all over with the reduced marinade and transfer to a plate and keep warm until ready to serve.

For the Pickles

  • Place the cucumber, red onion, and garlic in a bowl and set them aside.
    ⅓ English cucumber, ¼ red onion, 1 clove garlic
  • In a small bowl, whisk to combine the vinegar, water, salt, sugar, and gochugaru. Pour the mixture over the cucumber and onions. Cover and let pickle for 3 hours at room temperature or overnight in the fridge.
    1 cup white vinegar, ½ cup water, 1 tbsp granulated sugar, 2 tsp gochugaru, 1 tsp kosher salt

For the Mayo

  • Place the mayo and ponzu in a bowl and stir to combine. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
    ½ cup mayo, 1 ½ tbsp ponzu sauce

To Assemble

  • Slather both sides of the toasted potato buns with the ponzu mayo. Place the lettuce on the bottom bun and top with avocado, and the Gochugaru Pickled Cucumbers. Place a chicken thigh and another bit of lettuce on top and place the top bun, well, on top. Repeat with the remaining buns.
    4 potato buns, 1 avocado, 8-12 leaves green leaf lettuce

Notes

** If you don't have a mandoline, a sharp chef's knife will do the trick. 
Keyword chicken thighs, cucumber, pickles, sandwiches