Orange Balsamic Chicken Breast (Sous Vide)
December 8, 2014 • Meat & Poultry, Technique
I’ve been on a bit os a sous vide kick ever I got my Sous Vide Supreme machine. When I was given the machine in return for developing four original recipes for the company, I knew that making a tough cut of meat tender yet still medium rare would be a no brainer and probably my best use of the machine. Check out this medium rare bison rump roast if you have any doubts about how well a sous vide machine works for that task. But I also knew I was going to learn more about the sous vide technique from experimenting with other foods – like poaching eggs or how to cook a perfectly moist boneless chicken breast.
The problem with a boneless chicken breast is twofold: it lacks much flavor at all, and it’s so lean that it can easily dry out. This recipe addresses both of these challenges.
By cooking the chicken in a rich marinade of balsamic vinegar and orange juice and packing it in a sous vide pouch, you add depths of flavor and lock in all of the moisture. You cook chicken breast at a lower temperature than you would think – which could explain why roasting a chicken and waiting for an instant read thermometer to reach 165 results in slightly dry breast meat. You can eat this chicken breast warm (strain the juices and reduce them a bit in a saucepan for a nice glaze), or at room temperature, or chilled in a salad. The meat is flavorful, interesting, and juicy – just the way chicken should be.
- 1 large whole boneless chicken breast
- Salt and pepper
- 1 orange
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 small sprig fresh oregano or rosemary
- Preheat the sous vide machine to 150-155 degrees. Lightly season the chicken with salt and pepper and place it inside a sous vide cooking pouch. Slice 2 quarter-inch slices of orange from the center of the orange and place them over each chicken breast half. Place the herb sprig in the pouch.
- Juice the remaining orange halves and combine with the balsamic vinegar, and then carefully pour the marinade into the pouch, remove the air, and seal the pouch. Cook in the sous vide machine for 1½ hours. Serve hot, or let cool in the pouch if using in a salad. If desired, you may thicken the marinade by simmering it in a small saucepan until it reduces and thickens slightly.
Comments
7 Comments • Comments Feed
Alan says:
Do you think adding orange zest would be a good idea?
February 18, 2015 at 11:29 am
Michele says:
Alan, orange zest is ALWAYS a good idea!
February 26, 2015 at 6:10 am
Martin says:
Thank you – nice recipe with a very tasty sauce full of flavour.
I will reduce the temperature and length of cooking time a little a little given the size of the chicken breasts in the local supermarkets.
But, I’ll cook this again for sure.
August 29, 2015 at 12:13 pm
William says:
Awesome recipe… I just picked a sous vide after reading some reviews off this site http://www.thebestsousvide.com and i can wait to try some more.. keep them a posting!
March 25, 2016 at 7:39 pm
Shelley says:
Found this on Pinterest and made this last night. It was Really delicious! I have leftovers for a gorgeous salad. Thanks for posting to Pinterest!
November 9, 2017 at 5:14 pm
Shelley says:
Very very good….perfect for my bulgur balsamic salad! I am Making more for different kinds of salads because this is so delicious. The meat is so beautifully flavored with orange and balsamic and oh so tender. Better than most restaurants! Thank you for sharing!
November 19, 2017 at 6:28 pm
Chris says:
Great! Absolutely the most tender and moist chicken breast ive ever made. And so so easy!
January 30, 2018 at 1:20 am