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 sauce of onion, garlic and a touch of curry mounted with 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)
- 1/4 small onion, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1/4 tsp curry powder
- 60 ml chicken stock
- 40 ml cream
- 10 g cold butter (to finish 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 (68°C / 155°F here, well below 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).
Move the chicken to a board and let it rest while you make the sauce: don't wash the pan, that browned fond is the base of the flavor. -
8
Creamy onion, garlic and curry sauce
In the same searing pan, with the browned butter still in it, lower to medium heat and add the onion with a pinch of salt. Sweat it 3-4 minutes until soft and translucent, without letting it color. Add the garlic and curry powder and stir for about 30 seconds, just until fragrant: garlic and curry burn fast and turn bitter.
Strain the reserved liquid from the bag into the pan and add the stock. Raise the heat and reduce by half, about 3-4 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to lift all the browned bits from the sear.
Lower the heat, add the cream and let it barely simmer for 1-2 minutes, until it coats the back of the spoon: run a finger across it and it should leave a clean line. Taste and adjust the salt.
Off the heat, add the cold butter in cubes, swirling the pan until it melts in: this makes the sauce glossy and rich instead of split or watery (this is "mounting" the sauce). Stir in the chopped parsley and chives. -
9
Serve
Spoon a pool of sauce onto the plate, lay the diagonally sliced chicken on top, and finish with a little more sauce and herbs. 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.
- Keep the curry subtle on purpose: 1/4 teaspoon adds warmth and color without turning it into a curry sauce. If you want it more pronounced, add a little at a time and taste as you go.
- If the sauce ends up too thick, loosen it with a splash of hot stock; if it is too thin, let it reduce a minute longer before adding the cold butter.
- 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.
- Burning the garlic or curry: they go in at the end of the sweat and for only 30 seconds, since over high heat they turn bitter fast.
- Adding the cream over high heat or boiling it hard: it can split. Lower the heat and keep it at a bare simmer.