Ingredients

1. Bone-In & Skin-On Chicken Breasts: 2 breasts. (Main ingredients. Bone acts as an insulator that prevents heat from entering the meat, and skin is used to fry after cooking to give it golden color and crunchy texture.)
2. Kosher salt: 1 teaspoon (approx. 5-6 grams). (Ingredients for giving flavor. Salt with its coarse texture can easily spread over the chicken.)
3. Black pepper, freshly ground: ½ teaspoon (or to taste). (Ingredients for giving fresh peppery flavor to the chicken.)
4. Fresh Thyme / Rosemary: 4 stems (2 for each bag). (Ingredients for adding extra flavor to the chicken during sous vide cooking procedure.)
5. Cooking Oil with high smoke point: 1 tablespoon. (Ingredients for searing purposes. Any type of oil with a high smoke point will do the trick.)

Instructions

Step 1: Prepare and Vacuum Seal the Chicken(10 Mins) 

1. Dry and season the chicken: Using paper towels, dry the chicken breasts thoroughly. Season both sides with kosher salt and ground black pepper.
2. Place chicken in vacuum-sealer bag: Place the chicken breasts in a flat vacuum-sealer bag without overlapping. Put 2 sprigs of thyme or rosemary on each chicken breast.
3. Vacuum seal the bag: Insert the opening of the bag into your vacuum sealer and seal.

Step 2: Sous Vide (2 Hours)

1. Preheat your water: Heat the sous vide water bath to 150°F (66°C).
2. Sous vide the chicken: When the water is at the right temperature, put the chicken in the water. Cook for 2 hours.

Step 3: Crisp the Skin (5 Mins) 

1. Drain and pat the chicken dry: Drain the chicken of its marinade. Discard any remaining herb sprigs from the bag. Pat the chicken dry using paper towels; the drier the skin is, the more crisp it will be.
2. Fry the skin side first: Place the skillet over a medium-high to high flame. Add 1 tablespoon of high smoke point oil and cook the skin side down of the chicken for 2-3 minutes, or until the skin is golden brown and crisp.
3. Flip briefly and finish off the cooking: Turn the chicken and sear the bone side for another 30 seconds to 1 minute. Serve immediately.

Sous Vide Temperature & Time Guide

Nutrition Information

Vacuum Sealing Hints

When vacuum sealing chicken with bones, ensure that the bone doesn’t perforate or cause any damage to the vacuum seal bag. If there is an extra sharp part on the bone, you might want to put in a protective lining or go for a sous vide cooking bag.