Sous Vide Chicken Breast

By Linley Hanson

6/6/2023

Sous vide chicken breast means perfectly cooked chicken every time. Follow our step-by-step tutorial on how to make juicy sous vide chicken.

We love the cooking method of sous vide. Our sous vide steak is seriously a Fit Foodie all-time favorite dinner and our 24-hour sous vide ribs are a 5-star no-brainer. So, enjoy one of our favorite sous vide chicken breast recipes.

One of Our Favorite Sous Vide Chicken Breast Recipes

Perfect chicken every time. We love cooking sous vide because it’s really hard to mess up. Set your water bath to an exact temperature and let your meat cook until the entire thing is one temperature.

Sous vide chicken is cooked in a water bath set to 145ºF for 1 to 2 hours. The result is a super juicy chicken breast infused with flavor.

In this post, we’ll run down the basics of what kitchen gadgets you need for sous vide chicken along with a tutorial on how to get perfect, juicy chicken every time.

raw chicken breast on a place with lemons and rosemary. - 6

What You Need for Sous Vide Chicken Breast

Cooking sous vide might look intimidating, but if you have the right kitchen tools on hand, it’s easy breezy!

Kitchen Tools

Sous Vide : first and foremost, get yourself a reliable sous vide. Our favorite brand is Anova and one will run you around $99.
Vacuum Sealer Machine : the most successful cuts of chicken come out when they are vacuumed sealed in a plastic bag to remove as much air as possible.
Vacuum Seal Bags : there are special plastic bags sold with vacuum sealers and we recommend buying a variety of sizes. If you don’t have a vacuum sealer, you can also use Ziploc bags or Stasher Bags .
Sous Vide Container : they make amazing plastic sous vide containers now which is fool-proof and convenient. If you don’t want to buy one of those, you can use a stock pot too.

Ingredients

Chicken breast: we recommend boneless, skinless chicken breast.
Lemon wedges : this adds the perfect amount of freshness and brightness.
Olive oil : any kind of oil works.
Salt and pepper : we’re keeping spices basic with just salt and pepper.
Fresh rosemary : feel free to use any fresh herb.

Vacuum sealed chicken breast in a food saver bag. - 7

Tips for Perfect Sous Vide Chicken

Sous Vide Temperature for chicken breast

The sous vide water bath temperature can vary from 140ºF to 165ºF depending on how you like your chicken breasts.

140ºF:f or juicier chicken
165ºF: for firm chicken breast

Try it!

Thermoworks Thermapen

I never cook pork chops , or really any meat grilling recipes , without a good meat thermometer . It takes the guesswork out of grilling and ensures perfectly cooked chops every time. My favorite is the Thermapen from ThermoWorks . It’s fast and accurate for checking internal temperatures .

How to Flavor the Chicken

You can keep your chicken breast flavors super simple like we did in this recipe with salt, pepper, lemon, and rosemary, or you can get fancy. Here are some ideas on how to flavor your sous vide chicken:

Chicken seasoning
Chicken marinade
Chicken brine

The sweet spot for sous vide chicken is between 1.5-2 hours. The beauty is that you can cook the chicken even longer than this (if you forget) and it won’t overcook your chicken breast.

Yes! Anywhere between 145º-165ºF is safe for chicken. Your chicken breast will be juicy and tender if you sous vide your chicken breast at 145ºF and a bit firmer if you cook it at 150ºF. It is all about personal preference!

Yes, you can use Ziploc bags for sous vide. You just have to make sure you squeeze out all of the air from the Ziploc bag. You also want to make sure that the chicken is always submerged in the water. It helps to use clips to keep the bag in place!

More Flavor Ideas

The sky is the limit when you are flavoring your sous vide chicken breast. Play around and get creative! Personally, we love a basic lemon herb chicken or a smoky dry rub when we make our sous vide chicken breast. Here are some tasty flavor combinations to try:

Lemon Rosemary
Cilantro Lime
Herb Butter
Hoy Honey
Fajita Seasoning
Italian Chicken
Teriyaki
Moroccan Seasoning

sliced chicken breast on a cutting board. - 12

Ingredients1x2x3x

▢ 2 4-oz. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
▢ 4 slices lemon
▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
▢ 1/8 teaspoon cracked pepper
▢ 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
▢ 1 sprig rosemary

Instructions

Fill a large stock pot (or larger) with water, attach your sous vide to the pot and set your sous vide to 145ºF. You want to make sure you can fully submerge your chicken breast in the water.
Then, season chicken breast with salt and pepper and place into a vacuum seal bag. A Ziplock will work fine too!
Add lemon slices, olive oil, and rosemary to the bag and make sure chicken breast is covered in oil and spices.
Remove as much air as possible from vacuum seal bag or Ziplock. We do this so that the chicken will sink to the bottom of the pot. Then fully submerge in water.
Cook chicken breast at 145ºF for 1.5 – 2 hours.
Once the timer goes off, remove the bag from the water bath and the remove chicken breast from the vacuum bag.
Eat chicken breast as-is or sear it for a crispy bite. To sear, heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium-sized pan. When olive oil is fragrant, place chicken breast into the pan. Sear for 1-2 minutes on each side. Enjoy!

Watch It

Nutrition

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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