This easy sous vide chicken breast recipe is quick and versatile with the help of a sous vide precision cooker like Anova. Using easy-to-find boneless skinless chicken breasts, this recipe produces the juiciest, most tender chicken breasts of your life!
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Do you have a new sous vide precision cooker? Or are you just hearing about the sous vide method of cooking?
I’ve been experimenting with sous vide recipes for years now, starting with a hack using a beer cooler and meat thermometer back in my twenties, followed by a contraption that hooked up to a manual slow cooker and took ages to warm up. Finally, finally I have a stick-style sous vide precision cooker, and all my culinary dreams have absolutely come true.
What is sous vide in the first place?
“Sous vide” means “under vacuum” in French; it’s precision cooking foods in vacuum-sealed pouches at exact temperatures for longer periods of time than you normally cook that ingredient. Here’s how and why it works:
Let’s say you want to cook a boneless skinless chicken breast (Hi. Hello.), which is optimal at about 165º and no more. To cook the very center of a chicken breast to that temperature, you need to cook it from the outside in, in contact with very high heat. This cooks the edge first, followed by the middle, then the very center. Once you get the center up to the right temperature, it makes sense that the edges and middle will be overcooked, right? Because the heat you’re using is quite high.
Cooking sous vide circumvents all of that.
Sous vide precision cookers keep a water bath at a very specific temperature (Like 146.5, as you see here). You vacuum seal up your ingredient so it’s not affected by the water or air and is given the perfect opportunity for some infusion from spices, herbs, or other seasonings. You submerge the sealed ingredient into the water bath and cook it long enough for the heated water to cook your chicken at that exact temperature all the way through to the center.
The edge is as cooked as the very center; the center is as cooked as the very edge. No more, and no less.
Finally, since the Maillard reaction (The browning or caramelization process that occurs when an ingredients has contact with high heat) has not happened, we typically finish off sous vide recipes on a skillet with a bit of fat. The result is the absolutely most tender, perfect chicken breast you’ve ever had. Ever. Period. The end. Because I said so. Sous vide chicken breast recipe = ultimate.
What’s the best sous vide chicken breast temp?
There are variations in what temp you should cook chicken breasts sous vide, but I wanted to develop a sous vide chicken breast recipe that was an easy go-to for boneless and skinless cutlets, no matter what the ultimate usage. I like to cook my boneless skinless chicken breasts at 146.5º Fahrenheit (63.6º Celsius); this produces, after searing in a little butter afterwards, a super tender and juicy chicken that’s firm but not at all dry.
Can you overcook chicken in sous vide?
The only way to overcook chicken in your sous vide cooker is to set your temp too high! Set your precision cooker at 146.5º F, finish off both sides of the chicken breast in a hot skillet with a little butter after, and you’re set.
How long do you cook chicken in a sous vide?
This recipe is all about keeping things easy, simple, and quick! I recommend cooking your boneless skinless chicken breasts sous vide for 1 hour. Some prefer to cook their chicken breasts for 75 minutes, but I find 1 hour is absolutely enough time for this sous vide chicken breast recipe, it gets those perfectly tender chicken breasts to my plate even sooner!
What if I don’t have a vacuum sealer?
No stress! You can still make this sous vide chicken breast recipe. While I have a vacuum sealer, I rarely use it, because the water displacement method is so easy and effective. How this works is:
- You place your ingredients in an appropriately-sized food storage bag, like a 1 gallon Ziploc bag, and seal halfway across the top.
- Heat your water with your precision cooker.
- Slowly lower the bag with the ingredients into the water. You will see the bag seal up around or cling to the food, since the pressure of the water has forced the air out.
- Once the food is entirely submerged, seal the rest of the bag. It should sink, not float.
That’s it!
How can I use sous vide chicken breast?
I love eating this sous vide chicken breast recipe on salads or with sauces like my chimichurri for a simple meal. Also try them in recipes calling for cooked chicken like my
- Healthy Mexican Chicken Meal Prep (Simply sprinkle the seasoning on the chicken breasts before cooking.)
- Healthy Chicken Alfredo with Spaghetti Squash
- Paleo Buffalo Chicken Casserole with Ranch and Cauliflower Rice
How to make this sous vide chicken breast recipe:
Fill a pot or other container of water about 1/3 or halfway full, depending on how high you need the water level for your own precision cooker. Attach the precision cooker and preheat the device to 146.5º Fahrenheit, 63.6 Celsius.
Brush your boneless skinless chicken breasts with a little olive oil.
Season them liberally with salt…
and pepper.
Along with fresh herbs, smashed garlic, or whatever other seasoning you like, place the chicken breasts in a gallon plastic food storage bag and seal it halfway or vacuum seal.
If you’re using the water displacement method to seal your bag, slowly lower the half-sealed food storage bag into the heated water, until the bag clings to the entire chicken breast and the bag sinks. Seal the rest of the bag.
Step away for an hour!
Remove the bags from the water bath and, if serving soon, carefully remove the chicken breasts. Discard fresh herbs, garlic, etc. Pat the chicken breasts very dry. If not serving now, chill the bags in an ice bath (Fill a medium bowl full of ice water and drop the bags in for about 15-20 minutes.), then keep in fridge until ready to sear.
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add butter and, when foaming, add chicken breasts. Cook 1 minute per side, or until nicely browned. Transfer to your serving plate and enjoy!
Other Recipes You’ll Love
- Egg Roll in a Bowl
- Sous Vide Eggs
- Dreamy Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
- Crockpot Wings
- Instant Pot Carnitas
- Matcha Green Tea Latte
- Golden Milk Recipe
- How to Cook Acorn Squash
- How to Make Harissa Paste
- Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Sausage
- Shredded Chicken Tacos
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Easy Sous Vide Chicken Breast Recipe
Equipment
- Sous vide precision cooker
- Vacuum seal bags, or one-gallon locking plastic food storage bags
Ingredients
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- 2-4 sprigs fresh herbs like thyme, if desired
- garlic see note 1
- 2 tablespoons butter ghee, or other oil, see note 3
Instructions
- Fill a pot or other heat-resistant container 1/3-1/2 full of hot or warm water. Preheat sous vide precision cooker to 146.5º Fahrenheit (63.6º Celsius).
- Brush or rub olive oil evenly over both sides of chicken breasts. Season with plenty of salt; crack fresh black pepper over.
- Place chicken breasts in a one-gallon Ziploc bag along with fresh herbs. Vacuum seal or use water displacement method to seal (See note 1). Place in water bath.
- Cook for 1 hour. After 1 hour, remove bags and discard any herbs or garlic used. Remove chicken breasts and pat very dry with paper towels. Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat until hot.
- Add butter; when foaming, carefully add chicken breasts. Cook 1 minute per side or until nicely browned. Serve right away; there is no need to rest after cooking poultry sous vide.
Notes
- Note 1: Include 1-2 cloves peeled and smashed garlic in your bag with the chicken and fresh herbs for even more flavor.
- Note 2: To seal bags with water displacement method: Place all ingredients in a one-gallon Ziploc bag and seal halfway across the top. Slowly lower the bag into the water bath, making sure the water pressure pushes the air out as you go. The bag will cling to the chicken breasts when this happens. Once ingredients are entirely submerged (They will almost always sink, not float), seal the rest of the bag. Proceed with the recipe.
- Note 3: I prefer to use butter here, as it will brown much faster than regular oil. However, you can absolutely use ghee, avocado oil, or refined coconut oil; it will simply not brown the chicken breasts as well. I avoid using olive oil at such a high heat.
- Whole30 Note: If you’re on a Whole30, you must use ghee or oil when finishing this sous vide chicken breast recipe instead of butter. Ghee is fantastic here!
Nutrition
Chicken breast takes about any hour with a sous vide precision cooker.
The ideal temperature for this recipe is 146.5º F (or 63.6º C).
Yes! We love how tender and juicy the chicken is.
Only if you set the temperature too high!
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Cheryl Malik is the recipe developer, writer, and photographer behind the healthy, flavorful, family friendly recipes at 40 Aprons. She’s been a blogger for 10+ years and is known for her delicious recipes and detailed recipe instructions. Cheryl is a mom of three who lives in Memphis, TN.
Theresa says
Loved this! My Sous-vide is in celsius, so I set to 64C rather than 63C to err on the side of caution. I found them a little dry. Ihad 3 breasts and put them in separate bags – this might have impacted it as well. would you suggest putting them all in one bag? or cooking at 63c instead of 64C? or both?
Delicious! will definitely do this again!
Anna Claire | 40 Aprons Team says
We would definitely recommend cooking at 63C rather than 64C and bagging all of them together so their juices can marinate all of the chicken breasts. Hope this helps!
James Chung says
Hi Cheryl! Can’t wait to try this recipe tonight.
When cooking sous vide, is it best practice to bring the meat to room temperature before cooking (i.e. thaw in the refrigerator, then bring it out to sit in room temp.)?
What about pre-heating the water? Some says “nah…just set it and forget it.”
Thanks!
Savannah | 40 Aprons Team says
I have tried both ways! Either way works.
We recommend preheating the sous vide cooker to 146.5°F.
Laura says
Are you using your Sous Vide often on your cooking? and if yes, what are the most common ways or food that you use it for? I am trying to understand if Sous Vide cooking is something that can make the daily routine cooking much faster and easier or if is something correlated only to professional chef or kitchen. I have found this article of a professional Chef about sous vide pork tenderloin https://www.thefoodwonder.com/sous-vide-pork-tenderloin/ and i started to be very interested about this style of coooking. By the way.. i love your writing style, very engaging, would love to learn your skills. Do you sell any course or book?
Savannah | 40 Aprons Team says
We actually have a food blogging bootcamp about to start up! One more spot left!
Rachelle W. says
Thanks for the recipe! Question, I thought chicken has to be cooked to 165 degrees F to be safe. How come I only set the temperature to 146.5?
Savannah | 40 Aprons Team says
Yes, we always recommend cooking chicken to 165° F. The water temperature actually cooks the chicken while it is submerged in the water. 🙂
Jesse Ganzer says
The long bath actually pasteurizes the chicken, so even though it hasn’t reached 165, if kept at 146 for long enough, it will achieve the same effect of killing any microorganisms or bacteria.
Mikayla Schaub says
This recipe looks delightful – but I should forewarn you… when it comes up as a recipe result on Google it lists dog in the ingredients. I’m thinking the wine pairing? But for real, do a search for “Easy Sous Vide Chicken Breast Recipe” and it lists sous vide, pinot noir, dog, skinless chicken breasts, butter. I’m glad to find out it’s not really dog, phew! ha ha!
Norbert says
Thank you! I just got the sous vide and this was amazing, never knew I could make chicken this tasty at home!
For the other breasts I chilled in the fridge- should I leave it out to warm up to room temperature and then sear them? If so, for how long?
Savannah | 40 Aprons Team says
They’re okay to be seared right out of the fridge!
Caroline Hayes Balter says
I’ve used several recipes for this and this is the best one.
Cheryl Malik says
That is so great to hear! Glad you liked it
Joy says
Thanks for a boneless skinless recipe. I couldn’t find the bone-in, skin on breasts I was looking for, so I tried this for a weeknight meal. With a little pan sauce after the searing, it was two thumbs up from the family.
Cheryl Malik says
I’m so glad you liked it! Pan sauce makes everything better
Matt says
Our first sous vide. Turned out good! Weight of chicken breasts would help as “2” very in weight and time heating seems critical.
Cheryl Malik says
That’s a great suggestion. Luckily, the method is super versatile with weight. Glad you liked it!
Ken Schuster says
I get a head start on heating the sous vide water to my cooking temperature by putting the pot of water on the stove with the cooker attached, plug-in the cooker and turn on the stove burner. (Be careful to keep the cord away from the burner.) When the cooker displays about 5 degrees below the the target temperature, I turn off the stove burner and let the cooker finish the job. If you don’t have an electrical outlet nearby you can do the same thing but check the temperature with a thermometer.
ken says
heat transfer in a pot on a stove is higher than the water being heated, the heat transfer will go up the side and into the plastic parts of you sous vide, as long as you are careful you should not have an issue, but starting at high heat and then turning it down will create and issue for sure, undue heat stress into the sous vide
CarzyCatLady says
I find it easier and safer to fill my Sous Vide tub, as I call it because it’s plastic but would definitely work with a metal/Aluminum/ etc. I heat the water in a large pan on my stove or use hot water from the tap, them remove it from the heat when the water gets to 145 degrees. I use a thermometer that I use for bread or candy making or a laser thermometer, just to make sure the water doesn’t come to a boil, that would be to high of a temp. When the water reaches the temp necessary, I just pour it in the plastic/heat safe tub or whatever metal type pot that I may need.
I’m just to afraid that putting the Sous Vide heating unit over the flames of my gas stove, maybe electric would be OK, I just don’t want to take any chances of burning the cord.
My husband and I are changing our diets for our New Years Resolution and we were given a Sous Vide for Christmas! A lucky coincidence! We’re eating much better with this type of cooking! Hope your enjoying yours as much as we are enjoying ours!
Happy New Year!
pk53 says
Read (somewhere else) that raw garlic in a sous vide cooking bag leaves a funny taste. The remedy is to “bloom” or saute the garlic a few minutes (or use garlic granules/powder instead) before cooking in the sous vide bag with your food.
Cheryl Malik says
That’s a great idea!!
Christine says
Hi,
I’m curious as to the high fat content if using boneless skinless chicken breast?
Tiffany Bell says
We LOVE our sous vide and are always looking for more recipes. This looks yummy and delicious! Can’t wait to try this weekend. Keep the sous vide recipes coming, please! Cheers.
Cheryl Malik says
I am obsessed with sous vide!
Dana says
What are the concerns of cooking with plastic? I am dying to try this but nervous about the plastic’s chemicals leaching into the food…
Charlie B. says
Use of cheap no name zip lock bags are a concern for me.
I always use glad my self.
But for temperatures above 140F I don use zip lock bags I always use vacuum seal bags.
Or you can get single use vacuum seal bags that that have a ziplock.
I use my emersion cooker in hotels and a small vacuum sealer with rolled bags I can cut to size.
I cant tell you how much I save on making my own meals with my portable kitchen.
of a emersion cooker , rice/vegetable steamer.
And a 18 quart polycarbonate rubbermaid container with silicone lid and a neoprene sleeve on the container.
Yes the total cost of everything from amazon was about $250.00 but it has paid for its self many times over for the last 4 months I have used it.
CrazyCatLady says
It’s safe to use plastic bags that do not contain, phthalates and BPA. I use Ziploc brand “Freezer Bags”, when I run out of the vacuum bags. They work great and the SC Johnson Company is great because the put the ingredients of the bags on the box they come in! That’s a great plus for me! Glad also publishes the bags ingredients but I really just don’t care for them, don’t know why but I just don’t like them! I really prefer the vacuum seal bags that are the same brand as my Sous Vide. I know they are more expensive but I just feel they are of the best quality. That’s just me!
I would suggest if you are the least bit concerned that you research plastic food storage bags and familiarize yourself with the bad ingredients like BPA’s and then you can check out the bags before you buy them! I don’t buy any thing that I’m going to put food in that doesn’t have its ingredients on the box or container. I’ve even looked up ingredients on-line at the manufactures web site and if the ingredients aren’t there, I stay away from them all together! I never use a generic brand, either! I’m picky!
Bryan says
hi Charlie, Would you be so kind to share how you manage your food in a hotel?
Do you bring it but good while traveling. A cooler or rooms with a fridge? Maybe daily shopping, but 1 serving of meat purchased?
This is fantastic as I too would bring my instant p t or hairdryer but it seems I always needed a cooler or most hotels have refridgerators .
Thanks so much Charlie!
Cheryl Malik says
I personally use BPA-free reusable bags I got from Amazon. Highly recommend
Anne Lawton says
I have a new sous vide cooker and am looking for recipes, I can’t wait to try this one out!
Cheryl Malik says
You’ll love this recipe! It’s a classic <3