Sous Vide Chicken Breast (Garlic Butter)

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Never worry about overcooked and dry chicken again with this Sous Vide Chicken Breast recipe! You just need a few simple seasonings to make the most juicy, tender and flavorful garlic butter chicken.

The sous vide makes it so easy and it goes perfectly with garlic mashed potatoes and spicy braised green beans!

Chicken breasts are usually a staple for weeknight dinners, but they're so easy to overcook and dry out. If this is your struggle, you will love boneless, skinless chicken breast prepared using the sous vide!

The sous vide method takes about 2 hours, but it’s mostly hands off and the controlled temperature of the water bath ensures the chicken stays moist, tender and juicy.

The sous vide is actually perfect for cooking all cuts of chicken. We love these sous vide chicken wings for game day, these sous vide chicken thighs for weeknights, and this sous vide whole chicken is great for Sunday dinner!

And, if fried chicken is your fave, this crispy sous vide fried chicken is easier than frying chicken the traditional way!

Check out the sous vide chicken breast story!

Why this recipe works

1. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are readily available. You can find fresh or frozen chicken breasts at most local grocery stores. So, it's easy to have them on hand to make this recipe for busy weeknight dinners or for Sunday meal prep! 
2. It’s almost impossible to dry out chicken breast using the sous vide method. The water bath keeps the chicken at a set temperature, so while it will get softer the longer you leave it in the bath, it will never dry out.
3. The chicken breasts are ultra flavorful! They’re sealed in a bag with butter, garlic and other seasonings so they absorb all the flavor as they slowly cook in the water bath.

What is Sous Vide?

Sous vide is basically a method of cooking using what is called an immersion circulator. This immersion circulator circulates water in a temperature controlled water bath at a certain temperature to perfectly cook your food every time.

Because the temperature doesn't change, and it keeps your meat (or dessert, veggies, etc.) at the same temperature, your risk of overcooking becomes very minimal.

To learn even more about sous vide cooking, head over and read "what is sous vide cooking."

What is the Water Displacement Method?

The displacement method is where you slowly submerge a ziplock bag in water pushing the air out of the top of the bag (the bag should be slightly open at the top to allow air to escape).

Use a clip (I use binder clips) to clip the bag to the side to keep it from floating and getting air and/or water inside.

Tools Used

• Anova Precision Sous Vide Cooker
• 12 quart container for water bath
• Vacuum sealer
• Cast iron skillet (for searing)

Other sous vide recipes

• Sous Vide Rack of Lamb
• Sous Vide Lobster Tail
• Sous Vide Turkey Breast
• Sous Vide Whole Duck

Ingredients

For the full list of ingredients and quantities, please see the recipe card below.

You’ll need 1 ½ - 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast. This recipe is only for boneless chicken breast. If you use bone-in, you will need to adjust the temperature and cooking time. 

The seasonings sealed in the bag with the chicken include fresh thyme, minced garlic, salt and pepper.

If you can’t find fresh thyme, you can use dried thyme. Just reduce the amount to one-third as dried herbs are usually more potent than fresh. You can also use another type of fresh herb like oregano.

You’ll need 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter to cook the chicken. Half of the butter is added to the sealed bag with the chicken and the other half is used to brown the chicken at the end. 

The butter becomes infused with garlic as the chicken cooks and coats the chicken with flavor. If you only have salted butter, just reduce the amount of salt you add to the chicken when seasoning it.

Step by step instructions

Heat a sous vide water bath to 140F degrees.

Combine the chicken with 2 tablespoons of butter, thyme, garlic, salt and pepper in a vacuum seal bag.

Vacuum seal, trying to keep a little space between each breast so they cook properly.

Cook the chicken in the water bath for 2 hours.

Remove from the water bath and take the chicken out of the bag (set it on a plate), reserving the juice for serving.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium high heat.

Add the breasts and brown for 30 seconds on each side, spooning butter over the top while browning.

Remove, slice and serve.

Expert tips

1. To ensure the chicken breasts cook evenly and properly, make sure they’re not overlapping when you seal the bag. For this reason, I prefer to use vacuum seal bags instead of ziplock.
2. To keep bacteria out of the sealed bag, make sure you seal the vacuum seal bag or ziplock bag properly.
3. For safe and even cooking of the chicken, make sure the bag doesn’t start floating in the water bath. If it floats, just open the vacuum seal or ziplock bag, let the excess air out and reseal it. 
4. You can also use something heavy to weigh down the bag to ensure it doesn’t float. I like to use this sous vide sinker weight.
5. When browning the chicken breasts, make sure you only do so for 30 seconds per side. If you leave them for longer, they may overcook and dry out.
6. For extra juicy and flavorful chicken breasts, be sure to baste with butter as you’re browning them.

Common questions

Make ahead instructions

Using the sous vide method, you can cook the chicken breasts in advance and store them in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Once cooked in the water bath, quickly bring down the temperature of the chicken breasts by placing them in an ice bath. Once cooled, keep stored in the sealed bag in the fridge.

When you’re ready to eat, place the bag of chicken breasts in a water bath set to 140F degrees and keep them there until warmed through (about 30 minutes). Then, brown the chicken in a skillet with butter and serve.

Serving options

There are so many delicious side dish options for chicken breast! Here are a few of our go-tos:

• Truffle Mashed Potatoes
• Instant Pot Carrots
• Sweet and Spicy Brussels Sprouts
• Instant Pot Cauliflower
• Air Fryer Broccoli

Did you make this recipe? Leave a comment below and let me know how it turned out!