Easy Sous Vide Chicken Breast (With Citrus Glaze)
“This is absolutely the only way to cook chicken breast! …Sauce is delicious. Rave reviews from dinner guests last night”. M.E.
This tender, juicy citrus-glazed sous vide chicken breast is bursting with flavor from a sweet, tangy glaze of maple syrup, orange, lemon and lime. Company worthy.
No worries about dry, stringy chicken breasts with the sous vide cooking method. And the glaze has a wonderful spicy tartness which cooks down to a golden sticky syrup, making the normally bland chicken zing.
If you’re not familiar with sous vide cooking, it’s essentially a technique that immerses food, sealed in a sous vide bag, into a heated water bath set to a specific temperature. The food cooks to perfection – the exact way you like it. There are a few tips and tricks to learn, but it’s easy to get the hang of.
As with all sous vide cooking, it’s pretty much stress-free as there is no guesswork on ‘done-ness’. Love that.
No sous vide equipment? Although I love the sous vide method for its predictability in achieving tenderness and the exact temperature you set it for, you can also cook your chicken breasts in a skillet, oven or on the grill. See notes in the recipe card below for all 3 options.
What to expect
If you follow the instructions in the recipe, the results will be a perfectly cooked chicken breast – tender and juicy – every time. The chicken is cooked for 90 minutes (or up to 4 hours if you’re busy with other things) and then finished with the glaze just before serving.
Bottom line: This easy sous vide chicken recipe has a simple preparation, pretty presentation and a delicious citrusy flavor. If you don’t have sous vide equipment, check out the options below.
Ingredients – tailored to your taste
Chicken: Use regular boneless skinless chicken breasts.
Citrus: You can use all lemon juice or all lime juice instead of both. I wouldn’t change the orange juice and zest though.
Herbs: I use thyme while cooking the chicken sous vide and cilantro in the glaze. Feel free to use the herbs you like. Chives, oregano and parsley work well.
Cornstarch is used to thicken the glaze. If you don’t have cornstarch on hand, you can cook down the sauce further until it thickens. It will take a little longer and there won’t be as much sauce so keep that in mind. I like lots of sauce!
Spice level: The recipe has some heat from chili flakes which you can increase or eliminate as you like. You can also substitute with sriracha or other hot sauce.
Step by step instructions
Time and temperature
My preferred time and temperature for chicken breast cooked sous vide is 144F/62.2C for 90 minutes.
Serious Eats tested a range of different temperatures and times for chicken breasts with the results. Cooking time should be no longer than 4 hours for all options.
- 140°F (60°C): very soft and juicy chicken breast (may have a slight pink tinge I found – not a safety issue though as the chicken will be fully pasteurized)
- 150°F (66°C): juicy, tender, and slightly stringy
- 160°F (71°C): not quite as juicy but firm and stringy (more traditional)
What to serve with this sous vide chicken recipe
I love serving this chicken to guests due to its simplicity and beautiful presentation. It’s fantastic over lemon herb cauliflower rice if you want to keep the calories and carbs down. Or try our coconut jasmine rice with or without the chili crisps.
The chicken is also great with quinoa, white rice, curried rice or mashed potatoes to soak up any sauce that drips off the chicken. It’s also great with roasted bok choy and broccoli or easy creamed spinach.
To serve as an appetizer, cut the chicken into bite-size pieces and serve with toothpicks at room temperature.
Shortcut
- Fresh is best, but in a pinch, use bottled lemon juice or lime juice or orange juice. You will still need the orange zest.
- Instead of making the citrus glaze, you can buy a storebought sauce/glaze to drizzle over the cooked chicken such as teriyaki sauce, peanut sauce or sweet Thai chili sauce.
Make Ahead
- The chicken can stay in the sous vide bath for up to 4 hours without overcooking. It will be safely cooked after 1 1/2 hours.
- You can also plunge the sealed bag with the chicken into ice water to cool it down, then keep it in the fridge for a couple of days. Finish the dish and sauce before serving.
- To rewarm refrigerated chicken breasts, retherm them in the water bath. Set the water bath to 10 degrees lower than the original cooking time and plunge the chicken in a sealed bag into the water bath for 20-30 minutes.
Recipe FAQs
Sous vide cooking is very safe if certain rules are followed. Safe cooking times are based on the temperature, thickness, and type of food. The food must also be fully immersed in the water bath (in a sealed bag). Here is a non-technical summary on food safety with sous vide cooking by Doug Baldwin who is considered a scientific expert in this area.
Yes, you can use frozen chicken breasts for sous vide cooking. Make sure they are frozen in a single layer so you can cook them in the water bath in a single layer (not piled up in a thick frozen lump). Season as usual, place in a sous vide bag or ziploc (no need to defrost) and seal the bag. Cook in the water bath at your desired temperature for an extra hour if frozen.
Yes, feel free to use bone-in skin on (or skinless) chicken breast for this recipe. The cooking instructions will be the same. After cooking and a quick sear, you can choose to cut the meat off the breast bone if you like for easier slicing.
There are many ways to shortcut meal prep with leftover or pre-prepared sous vide chicken. Try a classic chicken salad, easy Pad Thai, chicken tacos, Chinese chicken fried rice, chicken and cheese quesadilla, stir fry, puff pastry chicken pot pie (30 minutes), lemon orzo soups with chicken, peri-peri-style spicy chicken pasta, and wraps.
More sous vide chicken and turkey recipes
- Indian butter chicken recipe
- sous vide chicken thighs
- sous vide turkey breast
- sous vide turkey thighs
- sous vide chicken wings (Korean-style)
If you’re looking for general tips about sous vide cooking regarding preparation, set up, temperature, timing and finishing, check out our best sous vide recipes and tips.
Easy Sous Vide Chicken Breast (Citrus Glazed)
Equipment
- Sous Vide Equipment – immersion circulator or box like sous vide machine (see Note 4 for alternatives)
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts (2-3 pieces)
- seasonings: salt, black pepper, few springs fresh thyme (or dried)
- optional garnishes: 1-2 tsp. toasted sesame seeds, 1 sliced green onion.
Citrus Glaze
- 1 large orange (1/2 cup juice and 1-2 teaspoons zest) or 2 medium oranges
- 1 lime (the juice)
- 1/4 lemon (the juice)
- 1/4 cup maple syrup (honey or brown sugar can be substituted)
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce (low sodium)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon minced/grated garlic (or 1/2 tsp garlic powder)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon chili flakes
- 1 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro (optional)
Instructions
- PREPARE SOUS VIDE BATH: Fill water in the sous vide container as per manufacturers instructions (not too high). Set the temperature to 144F/62C (for soft, moist breasts) and allow sous vide water bath to heat to that temperature. Note 1 for other temperatures.
- PREPARE CHICKEN: Season generously both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper and place a few sprigs of thyme on top (or sprinkle lightly with dried thyme). For vacuum seal method: Fold back top of sous-vide bags about an inch to create a flap (this ensures no food touches the top of the bag where it gets sealed). Insert one or two chicken fillets per bag (I do 2 in one bag) in a single layer, ensuring no overlap. Unfold the flap and vacuum seal the bag using a vacuum sealer. Note 2 for water displacement method.
- COOK CHICKEN SOUS VIDE: When temperature of the water bath has reached 144F/62C, submerge the plastic bags with the chicken into the water. Cover and cook for minimum 90 minutes and a maximum of 4 hours.
- MAKE GLAZE: While chicken is cooking, whisk together all glaze ingredients in a small saucepan. Stir. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat to medium heat and continue to cook, about 8-10 minutes until sauce is reduced and slightly thickened (it should coat the back of a spoon).
- FINISH THE DISH: Remove chicken from bag(s) and pat dry with paper towels. Coat with glaze, reserving 2-3 tablespoons for final drizzle. If you want to brown chicken to enhance presentation, place breasts on a foil-lined pan and broil one side a few inches from top of the oven for about 3 minutes. (Alternatively, do a quick sear in a sauté pan or cast iron pan on one side (without the glaze) with a little oil over medium-high heat for 2 minutes.) Slice on angle if desired on cutting board, transfer to plates, drizzle with remaining glaze, add sesame seeds and green onions if using and serve.
Recipe Notes
- Choose a different temperature for the doneness according to personal preference:Â
- 140°F (60°C): very soft and juicy chicken breast (may have a slight pink tinge I found – not a safety issue though as the chicken will be fully pasteurized)
- 150°F (66°C): juicy, tender, and slightly stringy
- 160°F (71°C): not quite as juicy but firm and stringy (more traditional)
- Water displacement method for sealing sous vide bag: Place chicken in ziploc bag. Lower bag into water (which will push air out) just until seal is above water line. Seal bag.Â
- No sous vide equipment? Cook chicken on the grill, oven or in a pan instead, then add the glaze.Â
- Basics for all 3 methods: season chicken breasts and spray with oil, bring breasts to room temperature, pound with the heel of your hand or bottom of a pot to even out the chicken (no need to go thin), cook to 155F/68C temperature with an instant thermometer and rest the chicken after cooking for 10 minutes. It will rise to 160F/71C. Don’t overcook.
- Oven method: Heat oven to 450F/232C. Bake for about 10-12 minutes.
- Skillet method: Heat cast iron pan or other skillet to medium high. Heat 2 tsp oil. Place breasts in skillet for 4 minutes. Flip and cook another 3-4 minutes.
- Grill method: Oil grates of grill. Heat grill to medium. Cook breasts for 4-6 minutes per side depending on thickness.
- Basics for all 3 methods: season chicken breasts and spray with oil, bring breasts to room temperature, pound with the heel of your hand or bottom of a pot to even out the chicken (no need to go thin), cook to 155F/68C temperature with an instant thermometer and rest the chicken after cooking for 10 minutes. It will rise to 160F/71C. Don’t overcook.
- For appetizers cut chicken into bite size pieces and serve with toothpicks.
- Make Ahead:
- The chicken can stay in the sous vide bath for up to 4 hours without overcooking. It will be cooked after 1 1/2 hours.
- Storing: You can also plunge the sealed bag with the chicken into an ice bath to cool it down, then keep it in the fridge for up to 2 days. Finish the dish and sauce before serving.
- Freeze sous vide chicken breasts by first cooling them down in an ice bath of 10 minutes, then placing them in the freezer in the bag (in a single layer) for up to 2 months.Â
- To rewarm refrigerated chicken breasts, retherm them in the water bath. Set the water bath to 10 degrees lower than the original cooking time and plunge the chicken in a sealed bag into the water bath for 20-30 minutes.Â
Excited to try this tomorrow! Should I glaze before or after browning under the broiler?
I glaze the chicken before browning under the broiler and leave a few tablespoons of glaze to drizzle on after as well. Hope that helps. Good luck and let us know how it turned out 🙂
can i use orange juice instead of oranges?
Hi Rachel. Yes, you can certainly use orange juice. It will be fine – but the glaze will be a bit less intense as you won’t have the orange zest from the oranges.
I am in the middle of making this for dinner. I “read” the recipe for the sauce. Twice. I STILL saw the word “Ginger”, while missing the word “Garlic”. Don’t know where my head is today. As a result, the doubled sauce received a good dosage of fresh ginger paste, but also the same amount of garlic. We haven’t eaten dinner yet, but I will say that I cannot stop tasting this sauce. It is SO GOOD!! I cannot imagine it being nearly as good without the ginger, but I may have to try it the right way next time, just so I can be true to the actual recipe 🙂
Thanks so much!!
That’s pretty funny. Let me know how it turns out with the ginger! Mistakes and tweaks are how new recipes are born all the time 🙂
This is absolutely the only way to cook chicken breast! We used sous vide method and cooled, then reheated on grill. Sauce is delicious. Rave reviews from dinner guests last night.
So happy you and your guests loved the recipe! Thanks for leaving a comment. We always appreciate that 🙂
This recipe timing is perfect. I was just looking for something amazing to make for a small get together. Can’t wait to try it. Love citrus! Thank you
Hope you like it!
Could I use boneless skinless chicken thighs?
You definitely can Cindy, but I would sous vide the thighs at 165f for 1 1/2 hours or up to a maximum of 4 hours if you like them tender and juicy.
Thanks for this recipe. Simple and incredibly delicious, we loved it!
So glad to hear – thank you!