Sous Vide Chicken Breasts

Want to know how to get the perfect chicken breasts every time? Sous vide them! Sous vide, which means “under vacuum” in French, refers to the process of vacuum-sealing food in a bag, then cooking it to a very precise temperature in a water bath. This technique produces results that are impossible to achieve through any other cooking method.

Sous Vide Method for Cooking Chicken Breasts

Once limited to the pros, sous vide (pronounced sue-veed) is a cooking technique that utilizes precise temperature control to deliver consistent, restaurant-quality results. High-end restaurants have been using sous vide cooking for years to cook food to the exact level of doneness desired, every time.

The technique recently became popular for home cooks with the availability of affordable and easy-to-use sous vide precision cooking equipment like the Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker Nano with Bluetooth, Anova App for home chefs included.

It’s actually very affordable and easy to get started with sous vide cooking thanks to the recent availability of sous vide devices built for the home cook. You’ll need a few things:

• A sous vide precision cooking device
• Vacuum sealer for packaging your food
• A container to hold the water (a big pasta pot will do)

Steps for Sous Vide Chicken Breasts

Fill a large container or pot with water and attach the sous vide circulator to the side. Set the temperature to 145°F and the cook time to 1 hour and 15 minutes.

While the water bath heats up, sprinkle the chicken breasts on both sides with the Italian seasoning and season with salt and black pepper, to taste.

Place chicken breasts in an airtight plastic bag and remove as much air as possible before sealing.

Once the water bath reaches the set temperature, add the sealed bag. (The bag will sink if enough air has been removed). Adjust the sous vide timer back to one hour and fifteen minutes, if necessary.

When the chicken is almost done, prep the salad by dividing the mixed salad greens, heirloom tomato slices, and fresh Mozzarella between individual serving plates.

When cooking time is complete, remove the chicken breasts from the water bath and discard any liquid in the plastic bag. Transfer the chicken breasts to a plate and pat dry with a paper towel.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and sear the chicken breasts on each side until they develop a bit of color, approximately 3-4 minutes per side.

Remove from heat and rest for 5 minutes before slicing and placing one sliced breast on top of each salad. Garnish each salad with some fresh basil sprigs and season with salt and black pepper, to taste.

Serve immediately with some high-quality extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Enjoy!

Note: Actual cook time will depend on several factors, including the thickness of the chicken breasts and desired texture.