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Sous Vide Chicken Breasts with Chimichurri Sauce

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  • Prep 35 min
  • Total 2 hr 40 min
  • Servings 4
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One bite of these foolproof sous vide chicken breasts and you’ll never want to go back to traditional methods of cooking meat ever again. Smothered in a bright and refreshing chimichurri sauce, say hello to the dinner centerpiece that’s been missing all your life.
by: Tablespoon Kitchens
Updated Sep 21, 2019
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Ingredients

Chicken Breasts

  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (6 to 8 oz each)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, if desired

Chimichurri Sauce

  • 1 cup fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley leaves
  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Special Equipment

  • Stockpot or deep polycarbonate food-safe container (minimum 12-quart capacity)
  • Sous vide machine
  • 4 heat-safe quart-sized plastic vacuum storage bags for sous vide
  • Vacuum sealer

Steps

  • 1
    Fill stockpot or deep polycarbonate food-safe container with hot tap water according to sous vide machine’s manufacturer’s instructions. Set sous vide machine temperature to 165°F.
  • 2
    Rub chicken with salt. Place 1 chicken breast in each bag. Seal each bag with vacuum sealer according to manufacturer’s instructions. Refrigerate chicken until ready to use. Once water reaches sous vide machine’s set temperature (165°F), lower prepared bags into water bath, and continue to cook at least 1 1/2 hours and up to 2 1/2 hours. Carefully remove bags from water bath. Cut open bags, and transfer chicken to plate; discard remaining liquid in bags, and pat chicken dry.
  • 3
    While chicken cooks, prepare Chimichurri Sauce. In blender or food processor, place all Chimichurri Sauce ingredients. Cover; blend on high speed until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
  • 4
    If desired, to sear chicken after sous vide cooking: Rub chicken with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Heat 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add chicken; cook 1 minute 30 seconds to 2 minutes on each side, until just browned. Serve with sauce.
  • 5
    To cook chicken from frozen: Label bags with contents, date and add the uncooked chicken to the bag. Freeze up to 3 months. Cook frozen chicken according to recipe, increasing cook time to at least 2 hours 15 minutes and up to 3 hours 15 minutes.

Expert Tips

  • tip 1
    To vacuum-seal the chicken breasts, we used a FoodSaver™ countertop vacuum sealer with a moist-seal setting.
  • tip 2
    We used an Anova™ Precision Cooker that clips onto the side of the container with an adjustable clamp when testing this recipe. This is an immersion, stick-type of sous vide machine. Follow manufacturer’s directions for your device.
  • tip 3
    To achieve the best possible sear, the skillet should be very hot before adding chicken breasts.

Nutrition Information

460 Calories, 33g Total Fat, 39g Protein, 3g Total Carbohydrate, 0g Sugars

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 Chicken Breast and about 2 Tablespoons Chimichurri Sauce
Calories
460
Calories from Fat
290
Total Fat
33g
50%
Saturated Fat
5g
27%
Trans Fat
0g
Cholesterol
105mg
35%
Sodium
550mg
23%
Potassium
420mg
12%
Total Carbohydrate
3g
1%
Dietary Fiber
0g
0%
Sugars
0g
Protein
39g
% Daily Value*:
Vitamin A
30%
30%
Vitamin C
20%
20%
Calcium
4%
4%
Iron
15%
15%
Exchanges:
0 Starch; 0 Fruit; 0 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Skim Milk; 0 Low-Fat Milk; 0 Milk; 1/2 Vegetable; 5 1/2 Very Lean Meat; 0 Lean Meat; 0 High-Fat Meat; 6 Fat;
Carbohydrate Choice
0
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

More About This Recipe

  • New to the world of sous vide cooking? You’ve ended up in the right place. This recipe serves as a basic method for preparing chicken breasts using an immersion circulator. Simply seasoned in salt, cooked slowly then quickly seared, you can’t go wrong with a dollop of sauce on top. The easy blender chimichurri sauce is not only great on chicken breasts, but plays well with steaks, fish and grilled vegetables as well. Going sans sauce? Sous vide chicken breast makes for excellent chicken salad because of how tender and juicy it turns out. Need to chill your chicken after it’s been cooked? Keep the chicken in the vacuum-sealed bags, then transfer to an ice water bath until they have completely cooled. After that, you can refrigerate the bags until you’re ready to use the chicken.
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