Learn how to make the PERFECT Sous Vide Chicken Breasts. This fail proof recipe results in perfectly tender & juicy chicken every time. Plus, it provides tips on flavoring your chicken breasts in several different ways. You can even sous vide frozen chicken breasts.
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 is amazing because it makes it virtually impossible to overcook your food. Making it perfect for cooking tender & juicy chicken breasts.
I’ve used my sous vide in the past to make a delicious filet mignon and ribeye, but today I’m taking on chicken.
I’ve developed what I consider to be the BEST sous vide chicken recipe. Not only because it’s perfectly cooked, but because you can switch up the seasonings in so many different ways.
How to season sous vide chicken breasts:
I prefer using a dry rub or thick sauce to season my chicken. The reason being that you need to vacuum seal the bag before the sous vide cooking process. Marinades with excess liquid tend to make that sealing process difficult. If seasoning from the onset, here are some of the flavor combinations that I like to use. But keep reading, I have another method that seasons the chicken breasts after they come out of the sous vide.
Dry rub options:
- Lemon Zest + Oregano
- Orange Zest + Rosemary
- Taco Seasoning
- Cajun Seasoning
- Seasoning Salt
- BBQ Sauce
- Honey Mustard
- Pesto
- Sun Dried Tomato Pesto
- Mojo Sauce
- Chimichurri Sauce
But my favorite method for seasoning Sous Vide Chicken Breasts is a simple one. I like to sprinkle them with salt and pepper, add a couple sprigs of fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, parsley) and a few lemon slices. Then, once they’re done cooking, I sear them in a hot skillet with some compound butter.
You can season your butter in so many different ways. My favorite add-ins are garlic, lemon zest and fresh herbs. You can also add a bit of heat by adding in a pinch of cayenne, or some horseradish.
How to make compound butter:
- Combine softened butter with garlic and fresh herbs.
- Place on a piece of parchment or plastic wrap and roll into a log.
- Refrigerator for 1 hour, or place in the freezer for 15 minutes to firm up.
- Slice into rounds and enjoy on chicken, steaks, bread or vegetables.
How to sous vide chicken breasts:
Season your chicken and place in a plastic bag. Remove the air from the bag and seal using a vacuum sealer or the water displacement method.
Place the sous vide in a vessel that’s large enough to hold enough water for your bag to be fully submerged and deep enough to ensure that the water level falls between the minimum and maximum level indicators on your sous vide circulator. Heat it to 145-degrees and place your bag in the water.
How long does it take to sous vide chicken breasts?
- Sous vide chicken for at least 1 hour. Once an hour is up, it will keep in the sous vide bath for up to four hours without losing its texture.
Sous vide chicken breast from frozen:
- If you’d like to sous vide frozen chicken breasts, simply add 30 minutes to the cook time. So, sous vide the chicken for at least 1 ½ hours.
Can you overcook in sous vide?
- It’s OK to your chicken breasts in the water bath for up to 4 hours. After that, the meat may break down too much and become mushy. Your chicken will never actually “overcook” as the meat will be held at the correct temperature.
Can you reheat chicken sous vide?
- One of my favorite parts about sous vide is that you can reheat leftovers with it. It’s the perfect way to reheat a chicken breast or other cut of meat because it will never overcook it.
How do you reheat chicken sous vide?
- Heat your water to 140-degrees. Reheat for 1 hour (up to 4 hours).
What to serve with chicken:
- Instant Pot Baked Potatoes
- Easy Mashed Potatoes with Sour Cream
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Reduction & Cranberries
- The Best Glazed Carrots
- Roasted Miso Cauliflower
- Arugula Salad
- German Potato Salad
- Cherry Tomato Salad
Wine Pairings for Chicken:
- A Viognier or unoaked Chardonnay would pair nicely with this dish.
- If you would like to go the red route, I’d suggest a Pinot Noir, or other light bodied red. Avoid hard, oaky tannic reds and they can overwhelm the delicate flavors of the chicken.
If you loved this Sous Vide Chicken recipe I would appreciate it so much if you would give it a star review! Also, be sure to snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #platingsandpairings and tagging me @platingsandpairings.
For more great Platings and Pairings recipes, be sure to follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
More Sous Vide Recipes:
- Sous Vide Pork Chops
- Sous Vide Homemade Limoncello
- Sous Vide Filet Mignon
- Sous Vide Infused Vodka
- Sous Vide Ribeye with Compound Butter
- Sous Vide Carrot Ginger Soup
- Sous Vide Vanilla Extract
Sous Vide Chicken Breasts Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts
- Salt and pepper
- 2-4 sprigs fresh herbs
- 2 thin slices lemon
For Finishing:
- 2 Tablespoons butter (or compound butter – see recipe below)
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- Kosher salt & pepper
Compound Butter:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 3 cloves garlic grated or minced
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 3 teaspoons fresh chopped herbs (rosemary, tarragon, basil, thyme)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Set the sous vide to 145-degrees.
- Vacuum seal the chicken breasts using your preferred method. 2 breasts per bag, along with salt and pepper, fresh herbs and lemon slices.
- Cook for 1 hour, up to four hours.
- Remove chicken breasts and pat dry with paper towels. Season with additional salt and pepper.
- Preheat a cast iron skillet over high heat. Add oil and butter. Sear chicken breasts 1-minute per side, tilting skillet and spooning butter over them as they cook. Serve immediately.
Equipment
Thanks for sharing! This looks really good. Going to try it out with the Voignier recommended!
Wow! This looks amazing. I really need to try it. You can tell the chicken is super tender. I didn’t know about this way of cooking but can’t wait to try it myself. Thank you!
Can I use bone-in chicken breasts? How long would I cook them?
You can use bone in! Cook time should be the same.
Made this tonight for our Sunday night family dinner, and it was great! It was our first time making chicken in the sous vide. Now that we’ve done it, I don’t know why we would ever make it another way! Knowing the exact temperature, not having to have it done exactly on time to match all the sides, and how flavorful – and beautiful this chicken was… It will now be our go-to way to make chicken! So good! Thanks a lot for the great recipe!
I’m so happy it was helpful Kristin! It’s my favorite way to make chicken breasts now too!
Just saw this and pretty new to the Sous Vide world. I am going to try this and thank you for such a thorough and detailed recipe.
Juicy tender chicken EVERY time!! We have tried 8-10 different rubs and love them all! Thanks for great instructions!
You’re welcome Carol! Isn’t sous vide chicken such a game changer?!
I’m new to sous vide, and am really excited to use this method of cooking. I’ve tried making sous vide chicken a couple of times. I use my Anova to get the water to 140 degrees and then cook for 2 hours. But I notice that when I check the temperature of the chicken with a meat thermometer, it never gets above 140 or 145 degrees, even if I leave it in the water for longer. Is the chicken supposed to reach 160/165 degrees while it’s in the water, or do you take it out of the water at the end of the cooking time and then sear it in the skillet until it reaches 160/165 degrees?
I thought 160 is a rule of thumb for regular cook methods because 5 seconds at 165 kills all bacteria. You can kill all bacteria at 145 but you have to keep it there for much longer. Without a sous vide machine this is nearly impossible with regular cook methods hence overcooked dry chicken.