Name: Sous Vide Frozen Chicken Breast Recipe [Tender-Juicy!]
Cook time: PT-480263H20M24S
Total time: PT-480263H20M24S
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 1 ½ lb chicken breasts (frozen, you can use skinless boneless, or bone-in skin-on); ▢Optional seasoning such as salt pepper, and garlic powder

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One of the best features of a sous vide machine is Sous Vide Frozen Chicken Breast.

It’s simple, convenient, and healthy, and the sous vide chicken is always tender and juicy! After discovering this method, I almost never take the time to thaw frozen chicken again.

This frozen chicken recipe is a must-have for any sous vide enthusiast. Have any new ones? Try our recipe for Sous Vide Chicken Breast.

COOKING FROZEN CHICKEN SOUS VIDE WITHOUT THAWING

Table of Contents

You’re in luck if you’re wondering if you can sous vide frozen chicken. You’ll never have to remove the meat ahead of time and wait for it to thaw before cooking.

Cooking frozen chicken has never been easier or more convenient. It’s a total game changer!

Today we’re getting back on the Sous Vide bandwagon with one of my favorite recipes: Sous Vide Frozen Chicken Breast.

This is my go-to recipe because the cooked chicken can be used in sandwiches, tacos, salads, casseroles, or quesadillas.

WHAT IS SOUS VIDE?

Sous vide is a French cooking technique in which food is vacuum-sealed in a bag and then cooked at a precise temperature in a warm water bath for an extended period of time.

BENEFITS OF SOUS VIDE FROZEN CHICKEN BREASTS

You’ll be surprised at how well your chicken breasts come out of that magical sous vide water bath – especially when they’re fresh from the freezer!

It’s tender, juicy, and perfectly cooked from end to end! That’s why I almost never take chicken out of the freezer to thaw before cooking it.

Like many others, I’m completely obsessed with the Sous Vide Method because it guarantees a restaurant-quality result.

If you’re looking for more sous vide chicken recipes, check out our Sous Vide Shredded Chicken and Sous Vide Fried Chicken, both of which can be made from fresh or frozen chicken!

SOME TIPS AND TRICKS FOR SOUS VIDE CHICKEN

Prepare the chicken before freezing: After bringing the fresh chicken breasts home, season them with your favorite spices and place them in a zip-top bag in a single layer. Vacuum seal using the water displacement method, then place in the freezer. This allows you to drop the bag directly into the sous vide water bath without any further preparation! (It also aids in avoiding freezer burn.)

Assemble your chicken in a single layer in the vacuum-sealed bag. I cannot emphasize how important it is to arrange them in a single layer. If your frozen breasts are stacked on top of one another, they will not cook properly. (You won’t have this problem if you freeze them in a single layer, as mentioned above, but if you do need to separate them, run them under cold water.)

Don’t throw away the juices in the bag. They’re fantastic for making soup.

HOW TO SOUS VIDE FROZEN CHICKEN BREAST

Preheat the sous vide circulator to 149 degrees Fahrenheit (65 degrees Celsius).
Fill a zip-top bag halfway with frozen chicken.
Arrange in a single layer and use the water displacement method to vacuum seal the bag.
Cooking time is 1.5 hours.
Take the chicken breasts out of the bag and serve!

DO I NEED TO ADD SEASONINGS?

You can season the chicken before freezing it, or you can cook it unseasoned, especially if you plan to use it in other dishes.

WHAT TEMPERATURE SHOULD I SOUS VIDE FROZEN CHICKEN BREASTS?

I recommend cooking them at 149°F (65°C) for extremely tender and juicy meat. If you want to try another doneness, the guidelines are as follows:

Temperature	Texture
140°F / 60°C	Very soft, tender and juicy
149°F / 65°C	Tender and juicy
165°F / 74°C	Traditional tender and slightly chewy

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO SOUS VIDE CHICKEN BREASTS FROM FROZEN?

The chicken breasts are done after 1.5 hours, but you can leave them in the sous vide water bath for up to 4 hours. (If you cook them for any longer, they will become mushy.)

HOW TO SEAL THE BAG WITHOUT A VACUUM SEALER?

If you don’t have a vacuum sealer, you can use the water displacement technique to seal the bag: simply seal all but one corner of the bag and slowly place it into a large pot of cold water.

Make sure that everything below the zip-line is submerged in water before sealing the rest of the bag.

If your vacuum-sealed chicken floats, you can weigh it down with a heavy kitchen item. Assure that all of the meat is completely submerged while the zip-top bag’s seams are above the water.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you cook frozen chicken sous vide?

Absolutely! One of the benefits of cooking sous vide is that you can add vacuum-sealed frozen foods directly to the water bath. Simply add an hour to the cooking time for boneless skinless chicken breasts, and everything else remains the same.

Do you need to defrost chicken before sous vide?

When cooking sous vide, there’s no need to thaw meat first; simply take it out of the freezer, place it in a pot of hot water, and enjoy the delicious results.

Why is my sous vide chicken rubbery?

When vacuum packaging chicken for sous-vide, I find that getting “too” tight can result in the texture you describe above. I take it easy on the vacuum, removing just enough air to keep the bag from floating and you should be good to go. Try it and see if it makes a difference for you.

How long do I sous vide chicken breast?

I recommend cooking your boneless, skinless chicken breasts for 1 hour sous vide. Some people like to cook their chicken breasts for 75 minutes, but I find that 1 hour is plenty of time for this sous vide chicken breast recipe, and it gets those perfectly tender chicken breasts to my plate even faster!

Sous Vide Frozen Chicken Breast Recipe [Tender-Juicy!]

(2 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)

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4 from 2 reviews

Author: Jamasine J
Cook Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings 1x

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Description

One of the best features of a sous vide machine is Sous Vide Frozen Chicken Breast. It’s simple, convenient, and healthy, and it always turns out perfectly! After discovering this method, I never took the time to thaw frozen chicken again.

Ingredients

Scale

1 ½ lb chicken breasts (frozen, you can use skinless boneless, or bone-in skin-on)
▢Optional seasoning such as salt pepper, and garlic powder

Instructions

Fill a large pot or container halfway with water. Set the temperature of the sous vide precision cooker to 149°F (65°C). If you want to experiment with different temperatures, see the temperature guide at the bottom of the post.
In a zip-top bag, layer frozen chicken breasts in a single layer. (If they are stuck on top of each other, you must first separate them.)
If using spices, season with them.
Use the “water displacement” technique to seal the bag: seal all but one corner of the bag and slowly immerse it in cold water. Make certain that everything below the zip-line is submerged in water. Then, seal the remainder of the bag. (If you have a vacuum sealer, you can use it.)
Cook the bag in the water bath for 1.5 hours. (Make sure the meat is completely submerged while the bag’s seams are above water.)
Remove the chicken from the bag when the timer goes off. They’re ready for salads, sandwiches, tacos, and other dishes.
Keep the juices aside for soup.