Go Back
+ servings
Overhead view of two sliced sous vide chicken breasts arranged on a white plate.

Sous Vide Chicken Breast

An easy and versatile sous vide recipe for perfectly cooked chicken breast that's juicy, tender, and super moist, every time you make it.
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 1 hour
Total: 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield:2 servings

Equipment

  • Large pot or other large, heat-resistant container
  • Sous vide immersion circulator
  • Cutting board or large plate
  • Basting Brush optional
  • large food-safe vacuum sealing bag or large sealable food-safe plastic bag
  • vacuum sealer optional, see Notes for alternative
  • Large skillet
  • Tongs
  • Large plate
  • Paper towels

Ingredients

  • 2 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts approximately 6 ounces each
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • salt to taste
  • freshly cracked black pepper to taste
  • 2-4 sprigs fresh herb(s) of choice thyme, rosemary, dill, etc.
  • 1-2 cloves garlic peeled, smashed
  • 2 tablespoons butter or ghee, avocado oil, or refined coconut oil

Instructions

  • Fill large pot or other large, heat-resistant container with water. Insert sous vide immersion circulator and set temperature to 146.5° Fahrenheit. Note: pot must be deep enough that water level falls between minimum and maximum indicators on circulator.
  • Place 2 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts on cutting board. Brush or rub 2 teaspoons olive oil evenly over all sides of chicken breasts, then liberally season chicken with salt and freshly cracked black pepper on all sides.
  • Place chicken in large sealable food-safe bag. Add 2-4 sprigs fresh herb(s) of choice and 1-2 cloves garlic, then remove as much air as possible from bag using vacuum sealer or water displacement method (see Notes). Seal bag completely.
  • Once water bath is preheated to 146.5° Fahrenheit, place sealed bag in water bath. Make sure chicken breasts are fully submerged in water. If needed, use sous vide weights, silverware, or pie weights to keep chicken completely submerged.
  • Cook chicken breasts 1 hour. Toward end of 1-hour cook time, heat skillet over medium-high heat. When pan is warm, add 2 tablespoons butter. Swirl and tilt pan to distribute butter across surface, letting butter melt completely.
  • While butter melts, remove bag from water bath. Transfer chicken breasts to large plate and pat chicken completely dry on all sides with paper towels.
  • Once butter begins to foam, place chicken breasts in skillet. Sear chicken 1 minute, then flip chicken over and sear 1 additional minute or until chicken is browned on both sides.
  • Plate seared chicken with desired sides and serve warm.

Notes

  • The chicken absolutely MUST be fully submerged in order to cook properly. Weigh the bag down as needed to keep the chicken underwater the entire hour.
  • Vacuum Sealer Alternative: If you don't have a vacuum sealer, you can use the water displacement method to push the air out of the bag instead. Place the chicken breasts in an appropriately-sized sealable food-safe bag and seal the bag halfway across the top. Slowly lower the half-sealed bag into the heated water. The temperature difference outside the bag will force the air out of the bag – you should see the plastic cling to the meat. Once the food is entirely submerged and the air is all out, seal the bag completely and continue with the recipe.
  • Make it Whole30/Paleo: Use ghee, avocado oil, or refined coconut oil instead of butter.
 

Alternate Seasoning Suggestions

  • Instead of fresh herbs, use the chimichurri sauce from our sous vide flank steak recipe.
  • Before adding it to the bag, rub the chicken with generous amounts of this simple lemon pepper butter or this incredible garlic herb butter.
  • Try a store-bought Cajun seasoning, or make your own with a blend of paprika, salt, cayenne pepper, cumin, dried thyme, pepper, and onion powder. For exact measurements, see our blackened shrimp recipe.
  • Give the chicken a little BBQ flair with your favorite store-bought dry rub. For a homemade version, use a mix of brown sugar, garlic powder, salt, smoked paprika, onion powder, chili powder, and black pepper. See our smoked chicken legs recipe for exact measurements.
  • Start with this easy taco seasoning, then turn your sous vide chicken into shredded chicken tacos.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1serving (1 chicken breast) | Calories: 333kcal | Protein: 36g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 139mg | Sodium: 288mg | Potassium: 641mg | Total Carbs: 1g | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 0.03g | Net Carbs: 1g | Vitamin A: 407IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg
Recipe By:Cheryl Malik