What temperature should I use for sous-vide chicken breasts?

Question

I'm finally going to advance my sous vide repertoire from just steaks to poultry. I know the safety issues and am familiar with the salmonella death rate chart. What I'm wondering about is the texture of the meat itself.

I've been cooking chicken on the grill and in the oven and in the pan and have grown used to a particular texture for the meat. Most of these techniques end up taking the breast meat up to the 160-165 F range.

With sous vide I have a much better control over what temperature I can safely eat the meat at, however I don't want the texture to drive me away from the experience. I was thinking of preparing the chicken at around 150-155.

Does anyone have any experience with poultry at these lower temperatures?

Asked by Brian

Answer

Go for 145. 2 hours.

Salmonella dies even at "low" temperatures (from 135) as long as you cook it for longer.

135 for at least 87 minutes, will kill salmonella.

However, I like it best when cooked at 145 for 2 hours.

Answered by Ronni Plindstrup

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Should I sear sous-vide chicken breasts?

Question

I'm planning on cooking some boneless skinless chicken breasts tonight sous-vide. Should I finish them with a quick pan sear like I do with my steaks or should I just season and slice?

Asked by Brian

Answer

I would sear. It is not necessary, really, but I prefer the texture and flavor that comes with a good sear. To me, while it would be moist and tender, it would also be rather uninteresting. Bear in mind much of this is driven by personal preference.

Answered by Sean Hart

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How do I cook a chicken breast on stovetop?

Question

Ok I'm going crazy with this. I've tried everything, but no matter what I do, it always results in my chicken breast burning and becoming black. Here is what I usually do:

Grab a chicken breast, wash it with water.

Next, I season it. I usually add salt, pepper, curry, and lemon pepper.

Then I grab a pan and I've tried these things to cook the chicken with:

-Olive Oil

-Vegetable Oil

-Butter

All of them usually result in me burning my chicken. I set the temp at like 5.5/10 on the knob, so that it takes its time and doesnt burn. What am I doing wrong and what should I do instead?

Asked by fprime

Answer

I suspect the blackness comes from the spices you put on the chicken burning.

Try this technique I learnt from Jamie Oliver: Season your chicken as normal. Put the pan on a high heat until it's hot (not stupid-hot, just hot). Add olive oil and the chicken skin-side down. Cook for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, take a square of baking parchment or greaseproof paper big enough to cover the pan. Fold it in half until you have a 'folded fan' shape. Hold the point so it's roughly over the middle of the pan, and tear off any excess that goes over the side of the pan. Unfold and you should have a circle of paper. Scrunch it up, then run it under a cold tap and give it a shake.

Turn the chicken over, turn the heat to medium low, then place the wet paper (a 'cartouche') on to the chicken. Finally put a heavy pan lid (the lid from a casserole is ideal) on top. Cook for another 20 minutes.

The moisture in the cartouche helps keep the chicken moist and prevents it from burning. Cooking time will depend on the thickness of the breast, so do check it's cooked through before eating (cut it open and check it's not pink).

Answered by ElendilTheTall

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How long will previously-frozen vacuum-packed chicken last in the fridge?

Question

A similar question about fish was all I found, but fish is not chicken and they have different considerations.

I buy chicken from Whole Foods that comes already sealed, and is labeled as "Air Chilled". It is not frozen when I buy it, although I am not sure if it has ever been frozen and thawed before.

My question is how long will this last in the fridge? I buy them in large quantities and freeze them to be eaten over the course of a couple weeks, occasionally I will thaw one (still sealed) and not eat it for a couple days. Is this safe?

Answer

My answer to the other question still applies: vacuum packing will not prevent most foodborne pathogens from multiplying. In the case of chicken, it will stop campylobacter (which needs small amounts of oxygen) but will not stop salmonella or listeria.

Here's how you can determine if thawed, previously frozen chicken is still safe to eat:

• When freezing, marking the freezing date on masking tape and stick it on the package
• When thawing, mark the thawing date similarly
• To determine if it's still good: subtract the freezing date from the original expiration date, and see if it's been that many days since you thawed it

This method works because spoilage is halted by freezing... but not reversed. Once you thaw, the process picks back up where it left off. A few days in the fridge after thawing should be fine, assuming you don't wait until right before expiration to freeze the chicken.

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Can I grill a chicken/turkey breast in the night and eat it 12:00 and 18:00?

Question

First of all, I'm sorry for my English, I'm not fluent.

I'm on a diet where I can eat only chicken breast and ground muscle (don't know the right word for this but I tried) as the meat (and fish, but I don't like it). Since I work like 10 hours a day and I don't come home for lunch, I have to take my food to the work. So I usually cook the meal at night and I have lunch for like 2 days.

But when I tried to grill the chicken, the taste wasn't very nice. The only condiment I'm using is salt. So, here is my question: can I grill a chicken breast at night and eat it at 12:00pm and 18:00pm? Are there any risks of getting food poisoning or something like that?

BTW, can someone give me some tips about maintaining the chicken/turkey breast in the refrigerator (and not in freezer)?

Answer

Any kind of cooked meat or fish and most perishable foods in general are safe as long as they are fully cooked and refrigerated within 2 hours (although the quality will deteriorate rapidly with fish).

If you plan to eat the leftovers twice then refrigerate two individual portions. Reheating the same item multiple times raises the risk of bacterial contamination. That is really the only thing you need to concern yourself with for short-term storage.

For more information see the USDA Basics for Handling Food Safely.

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Why is the Chicken too hard in the outside but soggy in the inside?

Question

I have a problem when I cook a chicken. Usually, I will divide the chicken into smaller parts. However, when I cook the chicken by placing in a soup, I often get the meat too hard at the outside and soggy in the inside.

Any insight on making my chicken consistent from outside to inside?

Answer

When poaching chicken (whether in soup or in some other liquid), you need to be careful not to cook the chicken too long. Overcooked boiled chicken will be flavorless and have a bad texture.

For chicken breasts, if they're whole, don't cook the breasts for more than 10 to 15 minutes at a simmer, although you can leave the meat in the liquid for another 15 minutes so long as the heat is turned off. Here are some recipes for poached chicken.

On the other hand, if you're trying to make chicken soup, you're going to want to cook the chicken much longer, but that meat will be fairly inedible. By simmering chicken on the bone for an hour or two, you'll get a nice flavorful stock, but you'll overcook the meat.

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Filling for Stuffed Chicken Breast

Question

I was wondering what taste good as a filling for chicken breast. I want to make kind of chicken breast pockets by almost cutting through the chicken breast but keeping both sides still together to fill. Then I will fill it and close it with some string or tooth picks. That's very much for any suggestions!

Answer

There are a few classics:

Chicken Cordon Blue - Ham and swiss

Chicken Kiev - tarragon, garlic, parsley, butter, etc.

You can use spinach and cream cheese, spinach and bacon, spinach and ricotta. Mushrooms with different cheeses, there are a ton of different things.

Try this:

google.com

and search:

different types of stuffed chicken breast

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How can I keep the cheese from leaking out of my cordon bleu during cooking?

Question

I use flour to coat, including the ends, and I use toothpicks to hold the wider part shut. Even when I try to fold the cutlet envelope style, most of my cheese melts out. I cook them on the stove top with butter.

Is there another technique that would prevent that?

P.S. I use Swiss cheese.

Answer

The most common reason for leakage with Cordon Bleu Chicken is that the packets are too thick, which makes it impossible to get a perfect fold; you need to pound the breasts very thin - less than 1/2", maybe a little more than 1/4".

The other "trick" is to make a small cut along the folded edge of the breast after you fold and seal the packets, which essentially makes it almost like a sandwich; the top and bottom parts can move independently and you don't have tension trying to pull the top piece away.

Just don't cut so deep that you cause an immediate leak; if you've pounded the breast to 1/3" thickness, then your cut should be no more than about 1/8".

If you do it this way, you shouldn't even need to use toothpicks; I never do, and I haven't sprung a single leak in my last 20 or so preparations.

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