Perfectly Poached Sous Vide Whole Chicken with #anovafoodnerd Jeff Akin

Perfectly Poached Sous Vide Whole Chicken with #anovafoodnerd Jeff Akin

Updated

NOTE: We're turning the blog over to #anovafoodnerd Jeff Akin as he shares one of his favorite recipes to dish up with his Anova!

The Anova Sous Vide Precision® Cooker gives you a foolproof path to perfect poached chicken. The consistent temperature ensures even cooking throughout — with white and dark meat equally moist and tender — and the addition of aromatic vegetables and umami-rich dried mushrooms and soy sauce creates an amazing depth of flavor throughout.

While the wet cooking method doesn’t lend itself to the crispy brown skin of a traditional roasted chicken, it does give you a great foundation for a ton of recipes, including chicken noodle soup, chicken pot pie, and chicken salad. With a quick coating of buttermilk and flour, you can even transform the pieces into some amazingly moist fried chicken.

This time of year, however, our favorite preparation is one of the simplest. Season the cooking vegetables with oil, salt, and pepper and roast in the oven until fork-tender and browned around the edges. The leeks will get super-crispy and offer a satisfying textural contrast to the finished dish.

Meanwhile, reduce the cooking stock into a luxurious, silky-smooth gravy and finish with a few pats of butter. Drizzle the gravy over the chicken and vegetables, and with less than an hour of active cooking time, you’ll have a wholesome, warming dinner for four on the table.

Sous Vide Poached Whole Chicken

What you'll need:

  • 1 (4-pound) whole chicken, trussed
  • 1 quart chicken stock, low-sodium
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 5 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 dried bay leaves
  • 2 cups thick-sliced carrots
  • 2 cups thick-sliced celery
  • 2 cups thick-sliced leeks
  • 1/2 ounce dried mushrooms
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions:

1. Set Anova Sous Vide Precision® Cooker to 150°F / 65°C. 2. Combine chicken, stock, soy sauce, herbs, and vegetables in a large Ziplock or vacuum bag. Seal the bag and place in the water bath. Set the timer and sous vide for 6 hours.
sous vide chicken stock

Finishing Steps:

1. Carefully remove the chicken and set aside. Strain out vegetables (reserving the cooking liquid), pat dry, and season with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
fresh vegetables to roast in oven
2. Strain cooking stock into a large saucepan. Simmer stock until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove sauce from the heat and whisk in butter.
cooking stock for sous vide dinner
3. Roast vegetables in the oven at 450°F /232°C on a sheet tray until cooked through and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.
oven roasted vegetables for sous vide dinner
4. Carve the chicken, discarding the skin. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
sous vide poached chicken
5. Divide the vegetables and chicken between four warm plates and finish with sauce and fresh thyme.
sous vide chicken gravy sauce

Time to cook!

Be sure to check out the full recipe for my sous vide poached whole chicken, and follow on Instagram: @feedmecreative. After you whip up all these totally tasty recipes available on the Anova Recipes Site and the Anova App, make sure to tag them with #anovafoodnerd to show off your work to the whole food nerd family! Happy cooking.
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