Chicken Teriyaki Sesame-Focaccia Sandwich (Meal Prep Recipe)

Looking for a meal prep recipe? Look no further. This chicken teriyaki sesame-focaccia sandwich utilizes all of my favourite asian flavours and creates the most balanced and delicious sandwich! We’ve got a homemade, no-knead, sesame focaccia as our bread. The bottom layer is covered in a spicy gochujang green onion sauce, followed by a piece of teriyaki chicken breast and a fried egg. On top, there’s a layer of kinpira carrots and a layer of asian pickled cucumbers. And finally, we have the lettuce and the top slice of focaccia to complete the perfect sandwich.

Click here to watch pt 1 of the video recipe!

Click here to watch pt 2 of the video recipe!

HOW TO USE THIS MEAL PREP RECIPE:

Yield: 6 sandwiches

The following recipe includes 7 components that make up this sandwich:

1. Easy (No-Knead) Sesame Focaccia
2. Lettuce
3. Ginger & Garlic Pickled Cucumbers
4. Japanese Kinpira Carrots
5. Fried Egg (Optional)
6. Chicken Teriyaki
7. Green Onion Gochujang Sauce

Some of these components are also delicious as standalone recipes, so I’ve written them separately, and linked them to this clickable list, for when you want to make them independent of this sandwich meal prep.

The ingredient list is divided into the “veggies & proteins”, the “sauces & oils”, and “other”. You can also use this list as your shopping list!

The steps are divided across 2 days and written in the order that I think is most efficient. Some components need the time to sit in the fridge and others don’t. But overall this is quite straightforward to prepare and takes 5mins to put each sandwich together!

INGREDIENTS/ SHOPPING LIST:

VEGETABLE & PROTEIN

• 2 Cucumbers
• 2 Carrots
• 1 Handful of Green Onions
• 3 Chicken Breasts
• 1 Head of Lettuce
• 1 Egg (Optional)
• 1 Clove of Garlic
• 1 Chunk of Ginger
• 2 Thai Bird’s Eye Chillis

SAUCES & OILS

• ~7tbsp Light Soy Sauce
• 2tbsp Sake
• 3tbsp Mirin
• ~13tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar (and more for pickling)
• 1tbsp Gochujang Paste
• 1tbsp Maple Syrup
• Lots of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (for the focaccia)
• 3tbsp Sesame Oil + Lots EXTRA for the focaccia
• Vegetable Oil (for the pan)

OTHER

• 600g Bread Flour
• ~5tsp Salt
• 3tsp Caster/Granulated Sugar
• 7g Instant Dry Yeast
• 550ml Water
• Lots of Toasted Sesame Seeds (for the focaccia and other dishes)
• 2tsp Cornstarch/cornflour

STEPS:

DAY 1:

Vegetable and Protein Prep-

1. Wash all the veggies and pat dry.
2. 2 CUCUMBERS: Slice them thinly and add to a large bowl. Add 2tsps of salt and mix well. Leave it to rest for 20min.
3. 2 CARROTS: Gently peel and julienne both carrots. Store it in a food container and leave it in the fridge for tomorrow.
4. HANDFUL OF GREEN ONIONS: Slice them on a diagonal into thin oblong slices. Set them aside.
5. 2 THAI BIRD’S EYE CHILLI: Rough chop/slice and set aside.
6. LETTUCE: Remove the individual leaves, wash, pat dry, and store in the fridge. I like to use a small knife and cut around the stem, then wash it under a running tap so that the weight of the water can help release each leaf without tearing it.
7. 3 CHICKEN BREASTS: Slice them in half, horizontally, to get 6 thinner pieces. Aim to get them all the same thickness. Set them aside.
8. CUCUMBERS: Rinse the salty cucumbers under cold water to remove the excess salt. Give it a taste to see if it’s well-salted. If it’s not too salty, drain the water and squeeze to remove as much of the water as possible. If it’s too salty, let it sit in cold water for 5min until it reaches a more palatable salt level. Then drain, squeeze dry, and set aside.

Sauces, pickling, and cooking.

1. CHICKEN: In an air-tight container add 4tbsp light soy sauce, 2tbsp of Sake, 2tbsp mirin, 2tsp caster/granulated sugar, 2tsp cornstarch/cornflour. Add the chicken and give it a mix so they are all covered by the sauce. Leave it in the fridge overnight to marinate.
2. CUCUMBERS & CHILLIS: Using a microplane, grate in 1 clove of garlic and a chunk of ginger into a large pickling jar. Add the sliced chillis, 1tsp caster/granulated sugar, 1/2tsp salt, 1/2tbsp light soy sauce, 1tbsp sesame oil, and ~12tbsp apple cider vinegar. Stir everything together. Add the salted cucumbers. Top up with vinegar until it’s mostly submerged. Leave it in the fridge to pickle.
3. GREEN ONIONS: In a small container, combine 1tbsp gochujang paste, 1tbsp light soy sauce, 1/2tbsp vinegar (rice wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or distilled), and 1tbsp sesame oil. Mix everything to make a savoury spicy sauce. Add the sliced green onions and 1tbsp toasted sesame seeds. Cover and leave in the fridge overnight.
4. FOCACCIA: Combine 550ml lukewarm water with 1tbsp maple syrup. Sprinkle over 7g of instant yeast and whisk to combine. Add 600g bread flour and 2tsp salt. Mix everything until it’s homogenous and forms a very jiggly and wet dough. Cover it with a piece of clingfilm and leave it in the fridge overnight.

DAY 2:

1. FOCACCIA: Take the dough out of the fridge. It should’ve risen and doubled in size. Line a 33x23x6cm rectangular baking tin with parchment paper and pour a generous amount of olive oil onto the bottom. Pour the dough into the tin and stretch it into the corners so that it’s evenly distributed. Cover and let it rest for 2hrs.
2. CARROTS: Heat a pan with some vegetable oil, add the julienned carrots and saute for 2min. Add 1tbsp light soy sauce, 1tbsp mirin, and toasted sesame seeds. Saute for another 1-2min to allow the excess liquid to cook off. Turn the heat off then add an optional drizzle of sesame oil. Transfer it to a container and leave it in the fridge.
3. FOCACCIA: Pre-heat the oven to 175°C. Drizzle both sesame oil and olive oil over the top of the focaccia dough. Sprinkle an even layer of toasted sesame seeds over the top (be generous with it). Oil your fingers then dimple the dough. “Dimple the dough” just means to press your fingers into the dough to create an uneven surface at the top and different pockets of oil across the loaf. Pop this into the oven to bake at 175°C for 25-30min, or until the top is golden and crispy.
4. CHICKEN: Heat a pan with some oil and add the marinated chicken. Allow each side to sear on medium heat. The teriyaki sauce will burn easily so move the chicken around often to avoid that. When it is fully cooked through (internal temp at +75°C) transfer it into a food container. If you want extra sauce, pour the marinating liquid into the pan after the chicken has been seared and allow it to reduce into a glaze (it will be very salty so give your chicken a taste before deciding if it needs extra sauce).
5. When the FOCACCIA comes out of the oven, transfer it onto a wire rack to cool completely. Then cut it into 6 equal rectangles then slice them in half. Wrap it in clingfilm, or baking paper, or store it in a container in the fridge throughout the week.

ASSEMBLE:

1. If the focaccia is fresh you don’t have to toast it, but if it’s been in the fridge, give it a quick toast in the toaster or oven.
2. OPTIONAL: Fry up an egg for some more protein.
3. Grab a slice of chicken. If it’s been in the fridge, heat it up in the microwave.
4. Start with the bottom slice, then the green onion sauce, then the teriyaki chicken breast, then the optional fried egg, the carrots, the pickles, a large piece of lettuce, and the top slice of focaccia.
5. Wrap it up and enjoy!

TIPS:

• WHAT NEEDS TO BE HEATED? Only the focaccia and chicken need to be heated up. The fried egg should be made on the day of making the sandwich but it is optional. All other components can be added cold!
• DO I HAVE TO MAKE IT IN THIS ORDER? No. This is the order that I find to be the most efficient but it can be made in any order!