Sous Vide Chicken Breast with Lemon and Herbs

1. Fill a large pot with water and place a sous vide cooker into the water. Set temperature to 148 degrees F according to manufacturer's directions.

2. Season chicken breast liberally with salt and pepper on both sides. Set garlic slices, thyme, and lemon on top of chicken skin. Place chicken into 1 large or 2 small vacuum bags. Seal using a vacuum sealer.

3. Place bags into the water and set timer for 2 hours. When timer is up, remove chicken from bag. Remove garlic, thyme, and lemon slices and pat chicken dry with paper towels.

4. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and cook chicken, skin-side down until nicely browned, about 1 minute. Move chicken around the skillet using tongs, holding the chicken up against the side of the skillet to get an even brown color on all edges. Remove from heat and let sit for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip chicken over and remove the bones. Slice chicken and serve immediately.

Cook's Notes:

There may be pink or red areas near the bone, which is perfectly fine. For further information on safe chicken temperature, you can search online for "chicken pasteurization sous vide cooking." You can leave the chicken in for longer than 2 hours. It will not overcook, as it will not go above the set water temperature. Do not go longer than 4 hours, as the meat texture and flavor starts to change at that point.

For a softer chicken texture, cook at 145 degrees F. For a firmer, stringy texture, cook at 155 degrees F.

If you don't have a vacuum sealer you may use zip-top plastic bags. To seal your bags, slowly lower the zip-top bag into the water, letting the water pressure force the air out of the bag, then seal closed.