Easy Sous Vide Shredded Chicken Recipe
This EASY and JUICY sous vide shredded chicken breast can be used in so many ways! If you’re new to the sous vide technique, this is a super easy sous vide recipe to start with. You can make this sous vide boneless chicken breast with just one ingredient and then use the perfect shredded chicken in buffalo chicken sliders, chicken salad with apples, shredded chicken nachos, stuff it into tacos, or put it on your favorite veggie salads to add some protein staying power.
Sous vide cooking is the best way to make juicy chicken, but I also have plenty of simple chicken recipes like crockpot salsa chicken, ground chicken tacos, or chicken shawarma rice bowls for you to try next time.
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Table of Contents
What You’ll Love About Sous Vide Shredded Chicken
- Super easy
- All you need is chicken
- Makes the juiciest, most flavorful chicken
- Versatile, can be used so many ways
- Cooking is hands-off
- Just 5 minutes prep time
- 65 minutes total time
Ingredients
Get ready for this one…all you need is chicken and salt to make sous vide boneless chicken breast! The sous vide method doesn’t require any fat, cooking liquid (no chicken broth necessary), or even a lot of seasoning – it’s the best way to let the ingredient shine.
- Chicken – You’ll want boneless skinless chicken breasts to make the shredding super easy. Because we are keeping it so simple, buy the best chicken you can.
- Seasonings – I kept it very simple and used sea salt only, but you can also use black pepper (use white pepper if you have it!), garlic powder, poultry seasoning, or any of your favorite herbs.
How to Sous Vide Chicken Breasts
This chicken sous vide is super simple to make:
- Preheat water bath. Preheat the water to the water temperature – in this case 155 degrees F.
- Prep chicken. Season chicken with salt and any other seasonings you are using. Place chicken into plastic bag (or use stasher bags) and use water displacement method (below) to remove all air from bag. Or use a vacuum sealer.
- Sous vide chicken. Place the sealed bag into your water bath and set cook time to 60 minutes.
- Shred chicken. Remove chicken from water bath and let rest for 5 minutes before shredding. You can shred the sous vide chicken breast a few different ways. Some people love using the stand mixer, but you can also just shred it with forks or chop it if you prefer bigger pieces. Store in its own juices for best flavor and to keep it juicy.
Water Displacement Method
If you don’t have a vacuum sealer, you’ll need to remove all of the air from the bag you are using. The best way to do this is to place the chicken into your plastic or stasher bags. Then slowly submerge bag into the water. You’ll see that the water forms around the bag, pushing the air out through the top.
If your bag is floating and won’t submerge, check to make sure that all of the air has been removed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What temperature is best for sous vide chicken?
I found the best sous vide chicken breast temp to be at 155 degrees F. I originally tried 150 degrees F, which produces a juicy, flavorful, and firm texture – it would work well for diced chicken breast, but cooking at higher temperatures (155 degrees F) resulted in tender and juicy chicken breast that shredded easily with the best flavor. I found 155 degrees F to be the best temperature for breast meat.
Do you have to use a vacuum sealer for this sous vide chicken recipe?
No, you don’t need to have a vacuum sealer. If you don’t have a vacuum bag and sealer, you can use the water displacement method to remove all of the air from the bag. You do need to make sure all of the air is removed so that the bag can be fully submerged into the water bath.
Storage Instructions
Store chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
How to reheat
Reheat the chicken in the microwave or a hot skillet. I also love this chicken cold in salads or even served at room temperature as part of a simple lunch.
Can you freeze shredded chicken sous vide?
Yes, you can freeze sous vide shredded chicken in an airtight container in the freezer for 2-3 months.
What to Do with Sous Vide Chicken Breast
Once you have your sous vide chicken breasts, there is so much you can do with them! Here are a few ideas:
- Sandwiches – Drizzle with bbq sauce to use in bbq chicken sandwiches, buffalo chicken sandwiches, buffalo chicken sliders, chicken pita sandwiches, or chicken bacon ranch wraps.
- Salads – Top your favorite veggie salads, Caesar salads, or 5-minute Chinese chicken salad with the tender chicken.
- Chicken salads – Try it in cherry chicken pasta salad, chicken salad with apples and grapes, or pesto chicken salad.
- Main course – Use it in buffalo chicken pasta bake, buffalo chicken quesadillas, stuffed into tacos or add chicken to these bean and cheese burritos.
- Meal prep – Greek chicken rice bowls, black bean quinoa salad (serve it on the side), or chicken meal prep with quinoa.
- Soups – Use it in your favorite chicken noodle soup or stir it into chicken taco soup.
More Easy Chicken Recipes
If you like these sous vide boneless chicken breasts, you might also like some of these other easy chicken recipes:
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Helpful Tools to Make Sous Vide Boneless Chicken Breast
- Sous Vide Machine – I use the Anova Culinary Sous Vide Cooker and have been really happy with it.
- Sous Vide Container – You can make your own sous vide container, but I didn’t have anything big enough, so I just went for the real deal!
- Stasher Bags – Instead of using a vaccum sealer and plastic bags, I use stasher bags for sous vide cooking.
Easy Sous Vide Shredded Chicken Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Method: Sous Vide
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
The BEST JUICY sous vide shredded chicken breast! This simple sous vide recipe will become your favorite way to make shredded chicken.
Ingredients
- ~1 lb. chicken breast (boneless skinless)
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat water bath to 155 degrees F.
- Season chicken with sea salt and place into plastic bags, stasher bags, or vaccum sealers. See instructions on how to use ‘water displacement’ method above in post.
- Sous vide chicken breast for 60 minutes.
- Remove from bag and shred using two forks.
- Use sous vide shredded chicken in sandwiches, in wraps, on salads, and so much more. (More ideas above in post.)
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