Sous Vide Chicken Tenderloins with Ancho-Cherry BBQ Sauce Test

dlk7 · December 2012

I did a test today using SWMBO as my test subject. I used Chicken Tenderloins for this test but I think next time I will use chicken breasts.

First the Ancho-Cherry BBQ sauce ingredients:

1 1/4 cups apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup ketchup
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup dried tart cherries
1/3 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons mild-flavored (light) molasses
2 large dried ancho chilies (about 1 ounce), stemmed, seeded
2 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon ground coriander
Pinch of ground cloves

Combine all ingredients except chicken in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover; simmer until chilies and cherries are tender, about 20 minutes. Working in batches, purée mixture in blender. Return sauce to pan. If necessary, simmer uncovered until sauce is reduced to 3 cups and thickens. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill.)

This is an Epicurious recipe.

Now the 3 techiques:

1st marinated chicken tenderloins in the sauce for about an hour, grilled to internal temp of 165, slathered with sauce and served..

2nd slathered sauce on chicken tenderloins, salt and peppered a little, vacuum sealed, put in sous vide at 145 for 90 minutes, pulled, dried off with paper towel, slathered in sauce, and served.

3rd salt and peppered a little, vacuum sealed, put in sous vide at 145 for 90 minutes, pulled, dried off with paper towels, slathered with sauce, grilled at 350 for about 45 seconds per side, slathered with more warm sauce, and served.

SWMBO liked number 2 best - I liked 2 and 3 equally but if using chicken breasts, I think number 3 would be much better because you could leave them on the grill a little longer to get a little more smoke.

Sorry no pictures this time - trying to get all three tests done at the same time.

nolaegghead · December 2012

That sounds like fun - great way of exploring all the new techniques that open up to your with sous vide. Awesome. Take some pics next time!

The Cen-Tex Smoker · December 2012

I had the most ridiculous SV chicken this week at Drago Centro in Los Angeles. This was their take on Chicken Marsala and I have never had a better bite of chicken in my life. I love that I know how to cook becuase I nailed it right away. 1st, they brined the chicken breasts- so flavorful in every bite. Then they meat glued 2 breasts together and rolled them into a shpere. Then they meat glued the skin around the breasts. They SV'd them and then pretty sure they used a torch to crisp up the skin.. Perfect medallions of chicken breast with skin all the way around. Pretty cool. The sauce was amazing too but I would have eaten that yard bird all by itself. I gotta try this

nolaegghead · December 2012

C-T - that's Schmokin Alamo Dragway ridiculously good sounding. Bringing together meat glue, brining, sous vide and looftlighter (well, torch) searing all in one dish. Hell yeah.

The Cen-Tex Smoker · December 2012

Was crazy good and layered with awesome flavor. need to order some more meat glue and try this like right now. So good.

tulocay · December 2012

I have to ask, what is meat glue?

The Cen-Tex Smoker · December 2012

tulocay said:

I have to ask, what is meat glue?

It is an enzyme that bonds protiens. If you have ever eaten deli meat, you have eaten meat glue. Have you ever seen a perfectly football shaped 7lb Turkey breast like you see at the deli? Those are 2-3 breasts bonded together with transglutiminase (meat glue) It's tasteless and harmless and widely used commercially. It also allows you to make some cool food at home (glue bacon to chicken, filets, or scallops etc)

Sous Vide Chicken Tenderloins with Ancho-Cherry BBQ Sauce Test

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