Sous vide chicken breast

The grill gives me flavour. The sous vide gives me consistency. A water bath at 64 °C, then a short trip through the air fryer for colour. For a batch, I freeze the portions that won't be eaten within 3 days.

Method

1. Set the circulator to 64 °C and let the water reach that temperature. Start with thawed chicken from the fridge at 4 °C or colder; thaw frozen chicken in the fridge, never on the counter.
2. Season the breasts with paprika, garlic powder and pepper. Seal in bags suitable for sous vide, with the air removed. Bag in a single layer, with no overlapping pieces. Keep the bags submerged with room for water to circulate.
3. Allow 120–240 minutes total bath time for breasts up to 4 cm thick. The centre must reach 64 °C, then stay at 64 °C for at least 30 minutes. The hold starts when the centre reads 63.5 °C or higher (in a 64 °C bath the probe creeps up slowly and may never show a full 64), not when the bag enters the water. Verify the centre with a suitable probe through sous-vide sealing tape; allow more time if needed to complete the hold. Don't use this schedule for thicker or frozen breasts.
4. Eating now: remove the chicken, pat dry and air-fry at 200 °C for about 4–6 minutes, just for colour. Divide the batch into four equal portions.
5. Saving portions: immediately put the sealed bags into an ice-water bath, adding ice as needed, until chilled to 4 °C or colder. Refrigerate within 120 minutes of leaving the cooking bath. Keep only what you'll eat within 3 days; freeze the rest in individual portions.
6. For a chilled portion, air-fry at 160 °C until the centre reaches 74 °C, checking after 10 minutes. If it needs more colour, finish at 200 °C for 2–3 minutes. Timing varies with thickness; use a thermometer.

Notes

• Health Canada's general advice is 74 °C; 64 °C is only safe with the full hold time, so don't cut it short.
• Keep the fridge at 4 °C or colder and eat cooked chicken within 3 days. At −18 °C, frozen cooked chicken is best within 3 months for quality; it stays safe while kept frozen.
• Thaw frozen portions in the fridge before reheating. Never part-cook chicken to finish later; complete the full hold before chilling.
• Nutrition uses raw chicken at about 45 mg sodium per 100 g and counts all seasoning. No finishing oil or sides are included.
• Batch three or more portions, provided the bath has room for water to circulate around every bag.