The food lab better home cooking through science ( PDFDrive ) 483

COOLER-COOKED CHICKEN WITH LEMON OR SUN-DRIEDTOMATO VINAIGRETTE If you’re used to dry, well-done chicken, cooking it via this method will be an absolute revelation Who knew that chicken could be so incredibly succulent and moist? It’s up to you whether or not you want the chicken skin on or off, but I prefer to keep the skin on because I love crispy skin, and browning chicken without skin will always leave you with a stringy layer, no matter what you The skin provides insulation that allows you to brown the chicken without sacrificing texture With traditional cooking methods, leaving chicken breasts on the bone helps slow down the cooking process, resulting in more evenly cooked meat With sous-vide cooking, however, the process is already so slow that I found little difference between chicken cooked bone-in versus bone-off The last drawback to cooking chicken in a water bath is that you develop very little fond—the flavorful bits that stick to your pan when you sear meat—this makes forming a pan sauce impossible The good news is that the reason those flavorful bits aren’t on the pan is that they stay stuck to the chicken where they belong A simple squeeze of lemon or a vinaigrette will do the chicken just fine SERVES 4 4 skin-on boneless chicken breasts, 6 to 8 ounces each Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil 1 lemon, cut into wedges, or 1 recipe Sun-Dried-Tomato Vinaigrette (recipe follows) Cook the chicken in your cooler as directed here, using 148°F water, for at least hour 35 minutes, and up to hours After removing the chicken from the bags, pat it dry with paper towels Heat the oil in a 12-inch heavy-bottomed stainless steel or cast-iron skillet over high heat until shimmering Add the chicken to the skillet skin side down and sear until the skin is crisp, about 3 minutes Transfer to a serving platter and serve with the lemon wedges (or vinaigrette) Sun-Dried-Tomato Vinaigrette MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP ẵ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped into ẳ-inch pieces, plus 2 tablespoons of the oil 1 jalapeủo pepper, finely minced, or less to taste 1 teaspoon honey ẵ teaspoon soy sauce ... 1 lemon, cut into wedges, or 1 recipe Sun-Dried-Tomato Vinaigrette (recipe follows) Cook the chicken in your cooler as directed here, using 148°F water, for at least hour 35 minutes, and up to hours After removing the chicken from the bags, pat it dry with... towels Heat the oil in a 12-inch heavy-bottomed stainless steel or cast-iron skillet over high heat until shimmering Add the chicken to the skillet skin side down and sear until the skin is crisp, about 3 minutes... with the lemon wedges (or vinaigrette) Sun-Dried-Tomato Vinaigrette MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP ½ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped into ẳ-inch pieces, plus 2 tablespoons of the oil