Sous Vide: Getting Started Class

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ChefSteps

Joule® Turbo Sous Vide

1-gallon Ziplock-style freezer bag(s)

10-inch Nonstick skillet

Chicken breast(s)

Kosher salt

Black pepper

Neutral oil

This method works for both boneless, skinless breasts as well as bone-in split breasts. The sous vide cook times will differ in Step 3; follow the timing instructions provided.

Before we begin

Heat sous vide water bath to desired temperature according to our doneness guide.[f 140]: Soft and vibrant
[f 149]: Tender and juicy (our favorite)
[f 158]: Chewy and springy
[f 167]: Set and fibrous
[f 176]: Firm and tacky

Heat sous vide bath

Season chicken breasts on all sides with salt and pepper. Place chicken and 30 g oil in a 1-gallon ziplock-style freezer bag or vacuum-seal bag, and turn chicken in bag to evenly coat with oil.

Seal bag using water displacement method or vacuum sealer.

Season and bag chicken

Lower bag into sous vide bath until chicken breasts are fully submerged, and clip to side of water bath container.

Cook, following our timing guide for chicken breast thickness.

Boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 inch / 2.5 cm: 1 hour
1 1/2 inches / 3.8 cm: 1 hour 30 minutes

Bone-in, skin-on split chicken breast
1 1/2 inches / 3.8 cm: 1 hour 30 minutes

Once cooked, chicken breasts can be held in sous vide bath for 2 hours without any loss in quality.

Cook chicken sous vide

Remove chicken breasts from bag and transfer to a paper towel–lined plate or tray. Gently pat dry. In a 10-inch skillet, heat 15 g oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chicken, skin side down (smooth side on a boneless, skinless breast), and cook until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes.

Sear chicken breasts

Serve chicken breasts whole or transfer to cutting board and slice against grain into 1/2-inch-thick slices.

Alternatively, you can forego the searing step and serve as a poached chicken breast. Serve.

Slice and serve

How do you cook chicken breasts that are juicy, well-seasoned, and have a perfectly browned and crisped cap of skin? Easy: Cook them sous vide.Chicken breasts have a bad reputation: They’re dry; they’re bland; they’re the protein of choice for the elderly, the infirm, and people who meal prep on Sundays. They’re protein as medicine, for those with sensitive stomachs or insensate tongues. They’re very bad; no gourmand would want them.None of this is true. The truth is chicken breasts are delicious, but they’re just hard to cook well using conventional methods. They’re shaped weird, and they&#39;re very lean: If you don’t nail the cooking technique, then yes, they’re gonna be dry (although they never really have to be bland!). Sous vide makes cooking chicken breasts easy. Pick a temperature—[f 149] is our favorite—and bag the breasts up with some seasoning and let them gently cook. When you pull them out, they’ll be incredibly juicy and perfectly cooked from edge to edge. They’re so good you’ll wonder if you’ve ever really tasted a chicken breast before! Sear them up and serve them with a <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/bright-and-bold-carrot-puree">carrot purée</a> and a <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/crispy-crunchy-apple-fennel-salad-with-walnuts-and-honeybright">shaved apple-fennel salad</a>, and you’ve got a meal straight out of a beloved neighborhood bistro. (Only the chicken is 10 times better!)

Sous Vide Chicken Breast