Sous Vide Stuffed Chicken Breast
Ingredients 4 Boneless Chicken Breast 2 TBSP Stemmlers Smokin Good Sauce 2 TSP Butter 4 sprigs Fresh Thyme 2 Leeks 2 Cups Shiitake & other Mushrooms Pinch Salt & Pepper 1 cup Cooked Rice 1 cup Ricotta or Goats Cheese 3 TBSP Oil (Canola/Olive or Sunflower)
Directions 1. Thinly slice some leeks and start to saute in a small amount of oil. As they get translucent, add the chopped mushrooms. Season with salt & pepper. In a bowl, take the sauteed leeks, mushrooms and some cooked rice (optional). Mix in some cheeseRicotta is good for this mixture. 2. Take the chicken breast and make a slit into the thickest part of the meat with a thin bladed knife. Make sure not to cut through the breast; just a make a pocket. The deeper it is, the more you can stuff into the breast. After making these pockets, Start piping the stuffing mix into the hole. Softly squeeze the filling down into the bottom of the chicken until the breast is completely full. 3. In a food safe vac pack bag, add 1 tsp of butter, 2 sprigs of fresh thyme, 1 tbsp Stemmlers Smokin Good Sauce. Then add 2 stuffed chicken breasts. Repeat for as many breasts as you are making. Seal the bags with the vac pack machine and make sure all the air is out of them. 4. Set the sous vide machine to 147F (64C) and place the bags into the water bath. There should be a nice flow of water surrounding the bags of chicken. Overcrowding will prevent even cooking and leave some of the chicken unsafe. The temperature of the water will drop bags of chicken are added. The time of cooking starts only when the water actually reads 147F with the bags in it. Let it go for at least 60 minutes (go an extra half hour to be safe). Cooking this at a lower temperature for a longer period of time, actually pasteurizes the chicken. It also tenderizes the meat and locks in wall the juices, preventing it from drying out.
5. The last step is to serve it. Once the chicken is finished, take it out of the bag, saving the liquid. Add some more seasoning (salt & pepper) and place it into a hot pan with a touch of oil. Sear the skin to give it crispy and golden brown colour. Flip it once to sear the bottom as well. Once this is done. the chicken is ready to serve. While it is searing, place the contents of the sous vide bag into a pot and start to reduce it. This makes a great jus for the chicken when you slice and serve it.
6. While the chicken is in the sous vide water bath, start to cook your favorite vegetables and sides. Then, enjoy the succulent juicy chicken.