Sous Vide Boneless Chicken Breasts

GlennM · November 2012

Ok, I keep hearing that boneless breasts are unbelievable done sous vide. I have a Demi and use it for chops, steaks, etc but haven't tried the chicken yet. Can someone give me a start to finish recipie that will be the bomb? Do you finish on the egg, in a cast iron pot, any advice will be appreciated!

The Cen-Tex Smoker · November 2012

1 hour at 140. season and finish however you like. it's all about the texture. We make 6-8 every monday and use them in many ways throughout the week. Grilled, pan seared, diced up on salads etc

GlennM · November 2012

Do you season them before the bath?

The Cen-Tex Smoker · November 2012

GlennM said:

Do you season them before the bath?

I don't. That way we can season them however we want. Fajitas one night, Greek grilled chicken the next, egged bbq another. It's great. Super easy and they stay very moist and tender no matter how you do them.

nolaegghead · November 2012

I'm new to it. Curious to hear any experience from the experts.

Just got my PolyScience unit yesterday. Cooked some eggs to test it out (de-lish-ous).

Had a 13 pound turkey brining (test turkey for eventual thanksgiving dinner), decided to go sous vide. So I packed it up last night. Red eye on one half, traditional sage, thyme, pepper on the other. Organs/neck (for gravy) used herbs de provance.

I'm going to sous vide them tonight, then throw them on the egg for a bit.

The Cen-Tex Smoker · November 2012

I'm interested to see how they turn out. I have found that while the SV really brings out the natural flavor of food, added flavors seem to come off weak. I have stopped seasoning anything in the bag and always season right before the finish.

I may not be using it until it's full potential but for me, the SV is all about texture. The flavor all comes from the finish.

There is something magic about a chicken breast cooked to 140. Juice just pours out all over the board when you cut it. Also, the thin part is exactly the same ass the thickest part. Every bite perfect.

Something great about a steak that is literally the same temp from tip to tail. Every bite is perfect

nolaegghead · November 2012

CT - I'll let you know how they turn out. This is a big experiment. I did some reading on doing Turkey, and most people cut it up into legs, breasts, thighs, wings, etc, then sous vide them, then fry the pieces. I want to incorporate the nice flavor from the egg, so I elected to do that rather than fry.

I was thinking about doing the turkey whole, but pulling the air out of the cavity was an engineering problem that I didn't feel like tackling, so I split them in half.

I'm hoping most of the seasoning I added in the brine will come through in the final product, but I'm also sure most of the seasoning I added to the bags will be lost in the juice, so I'll probably put a rub on the outside before the egg step.

The Cen-Tex Smoker · November 2012

nolaegghead said:

CT - I'll let you know how they turn out. This is a big experiment. I did some reading on doing Turkey, and most people cut it up into legs, breasts, thighs, wings, etc, then sous vide them, then fry the pieces. I want to incorporate the nice flavor from the egg, so I elected to do that rather than fry.

I was thinking about doing the turkey whole, but pulling the air out of the cavity was an engineering problem that I didn't feel like tackling, so I split them in half.

I'm hoping most of the seasoning I added in the brine will come through in the final product, but I'm also sure most of the seasoning I added to the bags will be lost in the juice, so I'll probably put a rub on the outside before the egg step.

I've never brined before a SV cook but I bet that works well.

nolaegghead · November 2012

I wasn't originally expecting to do the turkey sous vide. I already had it brining when the unit I ordered came in two weeks early. Hope the process works.

The Cen-Tex Smoker · November 2012

nolaegghead said:

I wasn't originally expecting to do the turkey sous vide. I already had it brining when the unit I ordered came in two weeks early. Hope the process works.

it should. i bet it's awesome. can't wait to hear

GlennM · November 2012

I have 3 chicken breasts in the Demi at 140. Should be done in half an hour. I think I will just brown them in the lodge frying pan with a little bacon grease (yes, I made the bacon on the egg!)

The Cen-Tex Smoker · November 2012

I have 3 chicken breasts in the Demi at 140. Should be done in half an hour. I think I will just brown them in the lodge frying pan with a little bacon grease (yes, I made the bacon on the egg!)

they wil be perfect. let me know what you think

GlennM · November 2012

Yup. Perfekt. I will do this again. Have you tried stuffing them before the hot tub? Maybe goat cheese and sun dried tomatoes?

The Cen-Tex Smoker · November 2012

GlennM said:

Yup. Perfekt. I will do this again. Have you tried stuffing them before the hot tub? Maybe goat cheese and sun dried tomatoes?

I have not but there is not reason it wouldn't be great. Just add some time to make sure it cooks all the way through. Double the thickness = 4X the time in most cases.

henapple · November 2012

In 10 words can you explain sv?

The Cen-Tex Smoker · November 2012

henapple said:

In 10 words can you explain sv?

I can do it in 8: cooking in precise temp waterbath in foodsaver bags

henapple · November 2012

Are we playing "name that cooking method"? Why is it better and do you have to "finish"on a separate system? Don't make me want something new...tell me it's not worth it.

The Cen-Tex Smoker · November 2012

henapple said:

Are we playing "name that cooking method"? Why is it better and do you have to "finish"on a separate system? Don't make me want something new...tell me it's not worth it.

you said 10 words. I could have been a wanker and done it in 2: "Google it" :))

Seriously though, by cooking under vacuum in a temp controlled bath, it is essentially a poach but all the flavor stays in the bag. It also cooks the food perfectly throughout. The thin part of a chicken breast is exactly the same temp as the thickest part. it's impossible to overcook food because the bath is constant where you set it. You can leave a steak in the for an hour or a day and it's still perfect from tip to tail.

So when you pull it from the bag, it's essentially poached so no flavor has been added. It's perfectly cooked, but needs seasoning and searing to activate the caramelization that is the Maillard effect. So once you sear it, it's perfectly done inside and out.

You can also cook food like chicken at lower temps because it actually pasteurizes the food. Chicken breast is perfectly healthy at 140 degrees...after an hour. it's safe at 165 immediately which is why you have to overcook it using normal cooking methods to make it safe. Chicken breast at 140 is WAY better than chicken breast at 165. And to get it 165 in the thick part, half the breast is way overcooked.

Here are some short ribs I did for 5 days and a prime ribeye I did for 4 hours or so. Notice the short ribs are medium rare throughout. There is essentially no flavor on either of them. You'll see once finished that even at med rare, the short ribs are falling apart fork tender. You'll see the steak is perfect from top to bottom with no overcooked gray area to get the center to optimal temp.

The Cen-Tex Smoker · November 2012

Here is the ribeye after the sear:

The Cen-Tex Smoker · November 2012

not sure why the finished short rib pic didn't embed but click on it and check that out. Med rare fork tender after 5 days in the bath. Pretty cool.

nolaegghead · November 2012

That looks friggin' incredible!

The Cen-Tex Smoker · November 2012

nolaegghead said:

That looks friggin' incredible!

and it's so easy it's almost not fair. You cannot overcook your food and you can create ethereal textures that you cannot get with traditional hot cooking methods.

henapple · November 2012

Start up cost? What's google?

nolaegghead · November 2012

henapple said:

Start up cost? What's google?

You can buy kits to make your own for around $100. You can buy components and make your own for less than that.

Turn key systems are $300 -$1300. PolyScience makes a nice power head for $499. The one I have is a little more - it's their "Pro" model. You can hang it on any pot or cooler or whatever filled with water. You can buy the baths with the heater for around $300.

Little Steven · November 2012

Nola are you saying you still need a heater with the poly science pro?

The Cen-Tex Smoker · November 2012

henapple said:

Start up cost? What's google?

I have the Sous vide Supreme Demi which I think now is like $349. It works fine for everything I've needed it for.

You can also go Nola's route and get a lab quality circulator/heater for $700 or so. With that, you can use any size water bath you want like a cooler, or a pot on the stove, or a big plastic bin.It's much more flexible but even though mine is pretty much self contained and small, it works for everything I need. Nola could do a whole turkey if he wanted because he can choose the size of the bath. I could do the same turkey quartered up, but not whole because of the size limitations of a self contained unit.

There are plenty of guys on here who use crock pots, rice cookers, pot on the stove, hot tap water as serviceable alternatives. try it out using what you have before spending on equip.

The main thing is to try to keep the water temp as stable as possible. Too high, overcooked food. Too low, risk of contamination....no bueno

nolaegghead · November 2012

Little Steven said:

Nola are you saying you still need a heater with the poly science pro?

Nope. The power head includes pump and heater. Everything you need. Just add water. Oh, and a container for that water.

I need to convince SWMBO that they work better on Yeti coolers..... :D

nolaegghead · November 2012

This is the maiden run - day I got it, cooked a couple of eggs - poached at 145 for 60 minutes.

The cool thing about the eggs - normally when you poach in boiling water the white sticks to the shell. No sticking cooked at 145. Crack the egg like a raw egg, open and it drops right onto the plate - nothing sticking to the shell.

You can also pasteurize eggs - 134 F for 2 hours. Put them back in the fridge. They look and act just like raw egg except they're safe to eat raw - so if you like eating raw cookie dough or making raw egg dishes, or you have very young, old or immune compromised eaters, you've just made them safe.

gdenby · November 2012

henapple said:

Start up cost? What's google?

My set-up is pretty cheap. An Auber Instruments controller, about $140, and an old Presto slow cooker, circa 1978, cost $25. Only accurate to +/- 2F. No automatic circulation, so most recipes take longer. Hope to buy something bigger and more accurate. But it has done well during the past year.

Last cook was a turkey leg at 140F for 24 hours. Was good, but would have been better at 36 hours. Trying for pulled turkey. What I made was hand pullable, but not fall apart shreds. Finished w. a quick pan fry and a bit of wooster.

nolaegghead · November 2012

Try the turkey leg at 178 for 20 hours. I think that's what in my sous vide cookbook. I'll correct this if it's wrong.

The Cen-Tex Smoker · November 2012

dark meat is 178, breast is 140. That was safe but not the fall apart tender you get at 178.

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