First, pickle the veg:
The pickling juice is rice vinegar, sugar and salt. I eyeball all of it, seriously. It’s hard to mess up. Just be sure to have enough liquid to submerge the veg.
Cut into sticks: 1 peeled carrot, 1 Persian cucumber, 1 (3-inch piece) of Daikon radish.
It’s a quick pickle, maybe 20 minutes. Remove and pat dry.
Then cook the chicken: In a stainless steel or cast iron pan, heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade. Pat dry any excess marinade and then cook according to package instructions. Remove and set aside to rest. In the meantime…
The roll: French baguette. Or, any roll that is crusty-on-the-outside and soft on the inside. Dig out some of the innards of the top half — just spread some butter on it and eat it.
The mayo: I love Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise. You can find it in Asian markets. It’s creamy, a bit sweeter (it uses rice vinegar instead of white distilled) and has an umami quality that’s just plain different than regular mayo. But feel free to resume your loyalty to whatever mayo you choose.
Garnish: cilantro springs and sliced jalapeno pepper.
To assemble: spread mayo on the top and bottom halves of bread. Place a whole chicken thigh on the bottom half. Top with the pickled veg, sliced jalapeño and cilantro sprigs. You can squeeze some sriracha on top or even add some Hoisin sauce for added flavor.