Chicken Breast, Michelin-Style (Sous Vide + Brown Butter)
A simple chicken breast turned into a restaurant-level dish: low-temperature sous vide cooking for a juicy inside, a quick sear in browned butter for a crisp outside, and a creamy herb sauce made from the same cooking juices. You'll need a kitchen thermometer for this to come out right.
- 1 chicken breast (skin-on if you want it crispy)
- 1/2 tsp fine salt For the bag
- 15 g butter
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1/2 tsp truffle oil (optional)
- 50 ml chicken stock For searing and the sauce
- 15 g butter (for searing)
- 10 g cold butter (for the sauce)
- 1/2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/2 tbsp chives, chopped
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1
Salt and rest
Pat the chicken breast dry with paper towels and season generously on both sides with the fine salt. Let it rest 10 minutes at room temperature. This replaces a traditional brine: it helps keep the meat juicy without planning hours ahead.
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2
What is "sous vide" cooking?
It means cooking meat sealed in a bag, submerged in water held at an exact, low temperature (much lower than boiling), for a longer time. Since the water never goes above that temperature, it's basically impossible to overcook the meat: it comes out juicy and evenly cooked edge to edge, something that's much harder to control in a pan.
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3
Fill the bag
Put the salted chicken breast into a sturdy ziplock bag along with the butter, thyme, crushed garlic, truffle oil (if using), and chicken stock.
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4
Remove the air from the bag
Seal the bag leaving the last 3-4 cm (1.5 in) open. Using a plate or cutting board, gently press down on the chicken to push the air out through the opening, or submerge the nearly-closed bag in water (the water pushes the air out) and only then seal it all the way. The goal is to leave no air inside: that way the bag transfers heat evenly and doesn't float.
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5
Cook at a controlled temperature
If you have an immersion circulator (a sous vide machine): set it to 68°C (155°F) and cook the submerged bag.
If you don't have one: heat water in a large pot and use a kitchen thermometer to keep it at 68°C, adjusting the heat up or down, never letting it boil. Submerge the bag and check the temperature every so often throughout cooking.
Cooking time depends on the thickness of the breast: thin or butterflied (1-1.5 cm / 0.4-0.6 in), 15 minutes. Medium (2-3 cm / 0.8-1.2 in), 25 minutes. Thick (3-4 cm / 1.2-1.6 in), 35 minutes. -
6
Dry thoroughly before searing
Remove the chicken from the bag. Save ALL the liquid left inside: it's the base for the sauce. Dry the breast very well with paper towels: this is key for it to sear and brown in the pan instead of steaming.
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7
Sear in brown butter
Heat the butter (for searing) in a pan over medium-high heat until it starts to brown and smells nutty: that's "brown butter" (beurre noisette), the sweet spot right before it burns. Sear the chicken 1-2 minutes per side, basting it with the hot butter, just until golden on the outside (it's already cooked through, this step is only for color and a crisp texture).
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8
Sauce from the cooking juices
Strain the reserved liquid from the bag into a small pot and simmer over medium heat until reduced by half, about 3-4 minutes. Off the heat, add the cold butter in cubes, swirling the pot until it melts in: this makes the sauce glossy and rich instead of watery (a technique called "mounting" the sauce with butter). Stir in the chopped parsley and chives.
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9
Serve
Slice the chicken on a diagonal and spoon the sauce over it. Serve right away, before it cools down.
- Without a kitchen thermometer it's very hard to hold the water at the exact temperature: get a cheap one before trying this technique: the juiciness of the chicken depends on it.
- Cooking time changes with thickness: thin 15 min, medium 25 min, thick 35 min.
- Brown butter burns fast past the right point: pull it off the heat as soon as it starts smelling nutty, a bit before it seems ready.
- Not drying the chicken well before searing: if it's still wet, it'll steam in the pan instead of browning.
- Letting the water boil during sous vide cooking: it has to stay at 68°C, not a degree more.
- Tossing out the bag juices: they're the base for the whole sauce.
- Searing too long: the chicken is already cooked, those 1-2 minutes per side are just for color.