Searing skinless chicken breast that's been cooked sous vide

I almost always cook my skinless chicken breasts now sous vide, at 140-145 F for 2-2.5 hours. While the chicken comes out supremely moist and juicy, I haven't been able to find a solution for properly searing the chicken after it comes out of the bag. The problem? I find that chicken cooked sous vide becomes molded into the shape that it was vacuum sealed under, which is almost always non-uniform and quite frankly, unappealing to look at. When I try to sear this abomination on a cast iron skillet, only a miniscule portion of the skin ends up being heated, and I get a very poorly seared chicken breast that, while juicy, does not have much of the Maillard flavors I want.

I've tried flattening the chicken prior to vacuum sealing, but inevitably, the vacuum pressure squeezes the chicken into an uneven shape. Even were I not to sear it, or if I were to grill it, the shape is still unappealing, and I'm afraid that if I served sous vide chicken to my friends/family, they'd be put off by its appearance. Are there any practical solutions to this? Am I the only one who has this problem?

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Comments

mike.minasian

Most of the advice given on this board tends to be that a zip lock bag is the best bet for chicken breast and fish. The vac packing will deform it even with a light pull.

Try it with the zip lock bag method and let us know how it goes.

When I did chicken breast (in a ziplock bag) I bagged with with some garlic, rosemary, and olive oil. Inevitably, the rosemary and garlic cloves were almost welded onto the chicken and when removed left an imprint. There seems to be some kind of tightening of the muscle fibers as it cooks.

Johan_Edstrom_5586

Use a ziplock, add oil if you vacuum seal in a chamber, if you "twist" the shape, you are pulling too much of a vacuum.

For searing, I think the searzall might be the best option or quickly cryo frying the outside.

Johan_Edstrom_5586

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lMLd9-_d98

Brandon_Byrd_40557

I've had Michael's problem before (herbs/garlic being imprinted into chicken) and my solution has been to make a sachet out of a tea bag that sits beside the protein so it's out of the way. Thomas Keller suggests wrapping powerful herbs in a layer of plastic wrap to help keep the texture from going wonky and keep the flavors from becoming overpowering.

Brandon_Byrd_40557

Grills are another good way to sear of chicken breasts, but they're a big more work and take up a lot of space. The Searzall promises to be a good solution, but the damn things still aren't shipping! I ordered mine the day after Thanksgiving! Here's hoping it gets here soon...

mike.minasian

Am I the only one who doesn't think the "sear"s that the searzall produces look very appetizing? I'm bought in on the idea and the science...not so sure about the results.

Johan_Edstrom_5586

A Good broiler works well too.

Johan_Edstrom_5586

I still haven't bought it, and hardly ever do chicken other than whole and oven roasted....

Brandon_Byrd_40557

@Michael: Yeah, the sear on the chicken looks gross. Someone mentioned this in the YouTube comments and the response was that it was primarily a lighting/camera problem. Beef fares much better in the images/videos I've seen, and I can't wait to use it for foie gras. Even if I don't end up using it for searing chicken, I feel like I'll find a bunch of other uses for it. I got my torch when I first got into SV, but I really don't like the flavor it can impart. I've basically just been using it for getting camp fires started and lighting the pellets in my smokerbox. I'm hoping to use it a lot more once the Searzall shows up.

mike.minasian

Would love to hear your report. I looked at some of the other videos awhile back and had similar impressions. The steak didn't look as hideous, but nothing that seemed that great. The foie gras alone might make it worth it, although, California and all... Bring on the supreme court!

DiggingDogFarm_65362

If you vacuum seal to a flat surface, such as a springform pan base or similar, you get a nice flat surface for searing on a grill or in a pan.

http://www.sousvidedash.com/2012/01/vacuum-shaping-sous-vide-searable-surface/

Broiling under a charcoal chimney is another option that works quite well.

http://youtu.be/t4aI_O8kcN8

Johan_Edstrom_5586

I'm just gonna suggest napalm

HammeredChef_DEFINITELY_does_NOT_work_at_22134

Im not a fan of searing sous vide chicken breast and I don't think it looks bad, just different. The one below was SV with a little yellow curry powder and seasoned the rest of the way after it was unbagged. My quest loved it. Every time I have tried to sear it, even if it comes out even, I get a texture on the outside that is "chewy" and IMHO defeats the perfectly moist and tender SV prep. I do want to hear more about the Searzall.

tshewman

I've personally never had any difficulties searing sous vide chicken breasts. This is actually one of my "go-to" dishes for lunches (out of the home). Does it deform a bit under vacuum? Yes, however, if laid flad in the vacuum, this is minimized. Also, when searing, oil the product, cover your smoke alarm:-), and apply gentle pressure on the product in the arched locations (odd shaped locations) to assist with an even sear. I will typically use a small piece of foil on top of the product and gently press the foil is selected locations using a cloth. FWIW.