Many of us check chicken breast doneness by cutting into it to see if it’s white, assuming it’s fully cooked. But this common trick often leads to dry, overcooked meat, or worse, undercooked chicken. The truth is, color isn’t a reliable indicator of doneness. Enter sous-vide cooking under the guidance of our Chef Cyrille Lecossois, Senior Lecturer at EHL and sous-vide expert. this precise method ensures perfectly juicy, tender chicken every time by controlling temperature, not color. Let’s bust the color myth and see how sous-vide can transform your chicken cooking game.
Why color isn’t the best guide for cooked chicken?
We’re often told that chicken is safe when it turns white, but color alone isn’t reliable—it can lead to dry, overcooked chicken or, worse, undercooked meat. Chicken can appear done on the outside while being undercooked inside. Instead, rely on temperature for foolproof doneness.
The importance of temperature in sous-vide chicken cooking
Sous-vide may sound complex, but it’s a foolproof way to achieve doneness. For chicken breast, sous-vide eliminates guesswork by using precise temperature control.
Traditional cooking methods typically use high heat, which can lead to overcooked, dry chicken, especially on the outer layers. Sous-vide, however, allows you to cook chicken slowly at a lower, constant temperature, ensuring juicy, even doneness from edge to center. A 180 g chicken breast should be cooked at 66 °C.
Step-by-step guide to sous-vide chicken cooking
Gather your tools: you’ll need a sous-vide cooking machine, a vacuum sealer, and vacuum cooking bags.
The vacuum bag acts like a second skin, protecting food from outside elements like heat, water, microbes, and bacteria, while keeping it completely safe. The bag creates a barrier without any chemical exchange between the bag and the food, ensuring no health risks and preserving the quality and taste of your ingredients.
Prepare and seal the chicken breast: lightly season the chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and your favorite herbs like thyme or rosemary, plus a drizzle of olive oil for added flavor. Place it in a vacuum cooking bag. Seal tightly, using a vacuum sealer.
Always start with chilled (refrigerator-temperature) chicken for sous-vide, but never frozen. If the chicken breast is frozen, make sure to fully thaw it before cooking for the best, most even results.
Pasteurization: submerge the bag in simmering water at 83 °C for 4 minutes
Set the temperature: fill the sous-vide machine with water and set up the temperature to 66 °C.
Cook the chicken breast: submerge the bag in the water for 50 minutes.
Cooling step, the 10/10/2 rule: 10 minutes at room temperature, then 10 minutes in cold tap water, finally 2 minutes in an ice bath.
Optional searing for extra flavor: after cooking, you can sear the chicken breast in a hot skillet with a touch of oil for 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side to add a golden-brown crust.
Regenerate before eating: if you want to eat it hot, submerge the bag in water at 58 °C for 10 minutes. It is also possible to eat it cold.
Serve and enjoy! Serve the chicken breast as it is or use it in salads, sandwiches, or other recipes.
Common mistakes to avoid with sous-vide chicken cooking
Sous-vide is reliable, but a few mistakes can impact results. Here’s how to avoid them:
Not sealing the bag properly: any air in the bag can cause uneven cooking. Use a vacuum sealer with vacuum cooking bags to remove all air.
Setting the wrong temperature: stick to recommended temperature. Correct temperature ensures the ideal chicken texture.
Failing the cooling steps: properly cooling sous-vide chicken is essential if you plan to store it for later. Cooling helps preserve texture and flavor and ensures food safety for future use.
The perfect doneness awaits you with sous-vide chicken cooking
Cooking chicken breast can feel like a balancing act, but sous-vide takes out the guesswork, ensuring perfect results every time. With precise temperature control, sous-vide delivers your desired texture, whether tender and buttery or firm and flaky, while locking in moisture and flavor. Say goodbye to overcooked or underdone chicken!
If cooking chicken sous-vide still sounds a bit complex, why not get hands-on experience? Join our expert Cyrille in a dedicated sous-vide workshops, where you’ll learn all the tips and tricks to mastering sous-vide cooking and debunk any remaining myths!
And if you’re ready to master sous-vide cooking for more than just chicken, check out our tips and tricks for cooking sous-vide pork, beef steak, or salmon. Each guide offers expert advice for perfect results every time!
Discover the chef behind the sous-vide expertise at EHL Lausanne : Cyrille Lecossois
Senior Lecturer — EHL Practical Arts at EHL Hospitality Business School on Lausanne Campus
Mr. Cyrille Lecossois teaches culinary arts and restaurant service courses at EHL. He originally trained as a cook and obtained professional certificates in culinary arts and hotel and restaurant operations. He began his career in restaurants in France, as a cook, or line cook and then gained international experience by working for Club Mediterranée (Club Med) in various locations over a period of six years.
Arriving in Switzerland for family reasons, Cyrille worked in a restaurant at the top of Montreux, and then in a five-star hotel restaurant in Montreux. He joined EHL in 2001, occupying different positions from culinary instructor to executive chef. Since then, he has added a new dimension to his career by focusing on developing and implementing highly effective teaching and learning methodology for higher education and the practical arts subjects that he teaches.
