Sous Vide Chicken Breasts

Prep 20 min
Total 2 hr 30 min
Ingredients 8
Servings 4

For a no-fail way to cook chicken breasts, look no further than this Sous Vide Chicken Breasts recipe. Easy and effective, you can ensure moist and tender chicken every time when you cook it sous vide-style. Bonus: See our tips for simple sauces to serve with your chicken for even more flavor! MORE+ LESS-

By Pillsbury Kitchens

Updated November 26, 2019

Ingredients

Chicken

bone-in skin-on chicken breasts (10 to 12 oz each) or boneless skinless chicken breasts (6 to 8 oz each)

1/2

teaspoon salt

1/4

teaspoon pepper

tablespoon vegetable oil

Special Equipment

Stockpot or deep polycarbonate food-safe container (minimum 12-quart capacity)

Sous vide machine

heat-safe quart-sized plastic vacuum storage bags for sous vide

Vacuum sealer

Steps

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1

Fill stockpot or deep polycarbonate food-safe container with hot tap water according to sous vide machine’s manufacturer’s instructions. Set sous vide machine temperature to 165°F.
2

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Place 1 chicken breast in each bag. Seal each bag with vacuum sealer according to manufacturer’s instructions. Refrigerate chicken until ready to use. Once water reaches sous vide machine’s set temperature (165°F), lower prepared bags into water bath, and continue to cook at least 1 1/2 hours and up to 2 1/2 hours or until chicken breasts reach 165°F. Carefully remove bags from water bath. Cut open bags, and transfer chicken breasts to plate; discard remaining liquid in bags, and pat chicken breasts dry.
3

If desired, to sear breasts after sous vide cooking: Rub chicken with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Heat 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add chicken; cook 1 minute 30 seconds to 2 minutes on each side, until just browned.

Expert Tips

When testing boneless skinless chicken breasts, results were best when each breast weighed at least 6 oz. Be sure to follow recipe ingredient guidelines for best results.
We used an Anova Precision® Cooker that clips onto the side of the container with an adjustable clamp, when testing this recipe. This is an immersion, stick-type sous vide machine. Follow manufacturer's directions for your device.
To vacuum-seal the chicken breasts, we used a FoodSaver® countertop vacuum sealer system on the moist-seal setting.
For the best sear, the skillet should be very hot before you add the chicken. Tip: Sprinkle a few droplets of water into hot skillet to test the temperature; if it's hot enough, droplets will sizzle and scatter across the surface.
These chicken breasts taste delicious on their own, but if you'd like to add an easy sauce, we have a few 2- and 3-ingredient ideas for you! Creamy Honey Mustard Sauce: In small bowl, stir together 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard and 2 tablespoons honey. Pesto Aioli: In small bowl, stir together 1/4 cup mayonnaise and 2 tablespoons refrigerated basil pesto. Creamy Salsa Sauce: In small bowl, stir together 1/3 cup Old El Paso™ Thick 'n Chunky medium salsa, 1/4 cup sour cream and 1 tablespoon mayonnaise.
We tested this recipe with both bone-in skin-on chicken breasts and boneless skinless chicken breasts. It works beautifully with either one. The nutritional information given with the recipe reflects the use of bone-in skin-on breasts. If you’re using boneless skinless chicken breasts for this recipe, you’ll save 65 calories and 6 grams of fat per serving.