Do you know what cooking sous vide is? It’s French for “under vacuum” and is a method of cooking food sealed in airtight plastic bags in a water bath for longer than normal cooking times at lower than normal temperatures. I got to do a trial run with a sous vide machine as part of a cooking contest last year and made this amazing Bacon Beef Broccoli Fusion. I loved the Sous Vide Supreme, but at $400, it’s just not something that is feasible for most people, and I wasn’t motivated to create recipes with it knowing that most people wouldn’t be able to replicate them. I’ve seen posts on how to make your own sous vide machine, but honestly, it looks overwhelming. So, I thought the next best thing would be to come up with something I could do in the crock pot.
The problem I have with chicken breasts in the crock pot is that they almost always come out dry. Even if I cover them in liquid before cooking, and cook on low, they still come out dry. I have yet to find a recipe using boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the crockpot that isn’t dry.
I decided to use the concept of sous vide, but without the expensive contraption.
First, you’ll need a programmable crockpot, one where you can set the temperature. I have this one: Programmable Crockpot.
Next, you’ll need one of these: Vacuum Sealer.
Lastly, you’ll need some of these on hand: Vacuum Seal Bags. Make sure they are this type or another type that are able to be used to high temps.
Here’s what I did:
Put about 3 breasts (depending on how big your seal bags are) in a bag. Sprinkle with whatever spices you want. In this case, I used garlic powder and salt. Seal the bag according to the vacuum sealer directions. Place in crock pot, and cover completely with water, making sure there is an inch or two of water (at least) over it. Set your crockpot to 140 degrees (make sure the probe is in), and let it do its thing. I had mine cook for 5 hours, but the ideal would be 1 to 4 hours.
Carefully remove from crock pot and take out of bag. Let cool for about 10 minutes, then shred or chop and top with your favorite sauce, or use in your favorite recipe. I dumped my favorite BBQ sauce on it, stirred and voila!
The result? Moist, succulent chicken ready to put into whatever dish you desire! No more dry meat!
You can check out recommended cooking times and temps HERE.
Like what you read? Sign up here and get my Top 10 Recipes ebook for free!
Leave a Reply