Cooking Time and Temp for Spus Vide Chicken

sous vide chicken breast

This easy recipe for Sous Vide Chicken Breast is hands down one of the best ways to get a perfectly tender chicken breast without overcooking. It can be stored in the fridge for meal prep or made into chicken salad, chicken sandwiches or can be eaten as the main dish. You can even cook sous vide frozen chicken!

Ever since I purchased my Sous Vide cooker, I've been on a roll making so much protein and perfecting it. This couldn't have come at a more perfect time since I have been on a Keto Carnivore Experiment that is having me eat meat almost exclusively.

For a while all I cooked were steaks upon steaks and even the occasional sous vide chicken thighs, but I decided to try cooking a chicken breast.

Jump to:

🤔Why Should You Sous Vide Chicken Breast?
🍗Ingredients & Equipment
⏲How Long To Sous Vide Chicken Breast?
📖How To Sous Vide Chicken Breast
🧊Sous Vide Frozen Chicken
🍽What To Do With Sous Vide Chicken Breast
❔FAQ
🥗Side Dish Suggestions
Sous Vide Chicken Breast

🤔Why Should You Sous Vide Chicken Breast?

You can fully cook the perfect chicken breast in one hour without babysitting it.
Cook a large batch of chicken breast all at once for meal prep.
It can be seared off from the fridge so you can make a healthy meal fast.
It's make your favorite chicken salads easily using sous vide chicken.
It can be flavored with any seasoning or spices that you like!
You cannot overcook chicken breast in the sous vide so long as it's set to the right temperature. This means perfect chicken breast that isn't dry EVERY TIME
Forgot to thaw your chicken? Sous vide frozen chicken breast easily using additional cooking time for the same result.

🍗 Ingredients & Equipment

This method makes a good chicken breast, but feel free to use your favorite cuts of chicken using the sous vide.

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
Bone In Chicken breast
Chicken Thighs
Chicken Drumsticks
Chicken Wings

Equipment

Sous Vide Cooker - I purchased the Anova Culinary . cooker, but you can get a good one for $60 .

Vacuum Sealer *optional - I use t his one from Nutrichef

Vacuum Sealer Bags - I purchased a giant roll of bags that are inexpensive and great quality!

Ziploc Freezer Bags - don't have a vacuum sealer? You can use a freezer safe ziploc bag and use the water displacement method (instructions in the notes below)

Large Stock Pot - I either use a large stock pot or my beloved Ninja Foodi instant pot insert.

⏲ How Long To Sous Vide Chicken Breast?

For the most part, you can fully cook and pasteurize a chicken breast in one hour. The texture of the chicken depends on the temperature it's cooked at. Here is what I've found to be the best cooking time temperature for chicken breast.

Soft, Juicy and Slightly Rubbery - 140 degrees Fahrenheit for 90 minutes
Tender and Juicy To Be Served Cold or In Chicken Salads - 150 degrees Fahrenheit 1 hour
Juicy and Tender but Slightly Stringy - 160 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour

📝 NOTE: These times and temperatures are based on a 1-2 inch thick chicken breast. They could stay in the water bath at a controlled temperature for up to 4 hours.

📖 How To Sous Vide Chicken Breast

1️⃣ Preheat your water bath to 145 degrees (or select temperature for desired texture).

2️⃣ Trim excess fat off chicken breast, pat dry and season with salt, pepper or whatever seasoning you'd like.

3️⃣ Place in a bag to vacuum seal or use a freezer safe ziploc and use the water displacement method (in notes below).

4️⃣ Add chicken to the water bath and cook for at least 1 hour or 1-2 hours if it is a bone in chicken breast or frozen chicken breast.

5️⃣ Once fully cooked, remove from the water bath. If using cold or saving in the fridge, place in an ice bath for 10 minutes and refrigerate. If you are cooking them right away, remove from the bag, drain excess liquid and pat dry. Add desired herbs and seasonings and pan sear, broil or air fry (see notes) and serve hot.

🧊Sous Vide Frozen Chicken

You can cook frozen chicken in your sous vide without needing to defrost or thaw using these simple steps.

1️⃣ Place frozen chicken in a vacuum sealed bag or freezer safe plastic bag.

2️⃣ Vacuum seal it or use the water displacement method to remove as much air as possible. This is important because the heated water needs to circulate around the entire surface of the frozen chicken in order to cook safe and even.

3️⃣ Set the sous vide for 165 degrees and place it in a water bath making sure that the chicken is fully submerged.

4️⃣ Cook the chicken for 2-3 hours or until the chicken is fully thawed and cooked through.

5️⃣ There may be a bit more water in the bag at the end than usual to account for defrosting.

6️⃣ You can use frozen chicken that is boneless or has the bone in.

🍽 What To Do With Sous Vide Chicken Breast

There are many ways to finish your chicken which makes this recipe even more versatile:

Shred it up - with meat claws or a kitchen stand mixer for cold chicken salads.
Broiler - pat the chicken dry, brush on some oil and broil for a few minutes until a crust is formed
Pan Sear - pat chicken breast dry, heat up a cast iron skillet to high heat with oil and sear for 1-2 minutes on each side until crust is formed
Air Fryer - pat chicken breast dry, brush with oil and cook at 400-450 degrees for 5 minutes or desired crust is formed

❔ FAQ

What If I Don't Use Them Right Away?

Once chicken is cooked through, put them in an ice bath for 5-10 minutes to cool down and then place them in your fridge. They will stay fresh for up to 1 week and can be seared off at any time. I like leaving mine at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before cooking to ensure the inside isn't cold.

What If I Don't Have A Vacuum Sealer?

You don't need a vacuum sealer to use a sous vide. Simply purchase freezer safe ziploc bags, place your marinated protein in the bag and leave a small opening in top of the ziploc about 1 inch. Submerge the bag slowly into the heated water bath allowing all of the air to filter out. Once air is taken out, seal the bag closed and cook.

Is 145 degrees F safe for chicken?

While 165 degrees cooked is a guarantee to kill bacteria, you can kill bacteria at 145 degrees as long as it's held for at least 8 minutes at that temperature.

Why Is My Sous Vide Chicken Rubbery?

Usually chicken becomes rubbery if it is pre-seasoned. This means it was likely injected with seasoning or fluid to enhance the flavor. For best results use plain chicken breast and read your labels!

Is slightly pink chicken ok?

As long as the chicken is cooked to a safe temperature, the chicken is ok. The color of the chicken doesn't always determine if it is safe to eat as some contain injections of seasonings or solutions that can change the color variations.

🥗 Side Dish Suggestions

Air Fryer Asparagus
Horseradish Mashed Potatoes
Buffalo Roasted Potatoes
Cucumber Dill Salad
Green Chile Yellow Squash Casserole

Easy Sous Vide Recipes You'll Love

Sous Vide Baby Carrots
Sous Vide Mashed Potatoes
Sous Vide Pulled Pork
Sous Vide Sweet Potatoes
Sous Vide Pot Roast
Sous Vide Pork Chops

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sous vide chicken breast

Sous Vide Chicken Breast

Sous Vide Chicken Breast is hands down one of the best ways to get a perfectly tender chicken breast without overcooking. It can be stored in the fridge for meal prep or made into chicken salad, chicken sandwiches or can be eaten as the main dish.

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Servings: 1 Chicken Breast

Calories: 102 kcal

1 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
Salt
Pepper

Preheat your water bath to 145 degrees (or select temperature for desired texture).
Trim excess fat off chicken breast, pat dry and season with salt, pepper or whatever seasoning you'd like.
Place in a bag to vacuum seal or use a freezer safe plastic bags and use the water displacement method (in notes below).
Add chicken to the water bath and cook for at least 1 hour or 1-2 hours if it is a bone in chicken breast or frozen chicken breast.
Once fully cooked, remove from the water bath. If using cold or saving in fridge, place in ice bath for 10 minutes and refrigerate. If you are cooking them right away, remove from bag, drain excess liquid and pat dry. Add desired herbs and seasonings and pan sear, broil or air fry (see notes) and serve hot.

How Long Does It Take To Sous Vide A Chicken Breast?

Soft, Juicy and Slightly Rubbery - 140 degrees Fahrenheit for 90 minutes
Tender and Juicy To Be Served Cold or In Chicken Salads - 150 degrees Fahrenheit 1 hour
Juicy and Tender but Slightly Stringy - 160 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour

Can You Sous Vide Frozen Chicken Breasts?

Yes! They can be cooked right from frozen. Make sure you add one hour to your cooking time in order to make sure it fully thaws and cooks all the way through to the center.

Cooking Sous Vide Bone In Skin On Chicken Breasts:

These can be cooked at the same temperature, but I would add 30 minutes to your cooking time.

How Do You Finish Sous Vide Chicken?

There are many ways to finish your chicken which makes this recipe even more versatile:

Shred it up - with meat claws or a kitchen stand mixer for cold chicken salads.
Broiler - pat the chicken dry, brush on some oil and broil for a few minutes until a crust is formed
Pan Sear - pat chicken breast dry, heat up a cast iron skillet to high heat with oil and sear for 1-2 minutes on each side until crust is formed
Air Fryer - pat chicken breast dry, brush with oil and cook at 400-450 degrees for 5 minutes or desired crust is formed

What If I Don't Use Them Right Away?

What If I Don't Have A Vacuum Sealer?

Cooking Time and Temp for Spus Vide Chicken

Source: https://thymeandjoy.com/sous-vide-chicken-breast/