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Sous Vide Red Chili Chicken (Adobado)

Sous Vide Red Chili Chicken (Adobado)

  • Makes
    4 servings
  • Cook Time
    2 hours
  • Active time plus cooling
    30 minutes active
  • Rating

Sous vide chicken stays incredibly moist and tender. We tried dry rubs, but cooking the meat with a flavorful sauce worked best. For our flavorful red chili sauce (adobado), we liked the earthy, fruity flavor of ancho chilies, but pasilla, guajillo and pulla chilies worked, too. For a milder heat, remove the seeds after stemming the chilies. Serve with rice or tortillas and sour cream. For an equally flavorful but simpler alternative, cook each chicken breast in ¼ cup coconut milk whisked with 2 teaspoons red curry paste.

Tip

Don’t fear the 145°F cooking temperature. Though it is well below what we are typically told to cook poultry to, J. Kenji Lopez-Alt of The Food Lab has shown one and a half hours at this temperature is quite safe. The chicken will look and taste fully cooked.

Ingredients
  • 2

    tablespoons grapeseed or other neutral oil

  • 2

    ounces whole dried ancho chilies, stemmed and seeded

  • ⅔

    cup water

  • 1

    tablespoon dried oregano, Mexican if available

  • 2

    garlic cloves, smashed

  • 2

    tablespoons packed light brown sugar

  • 1

    tablespoon cider vinegar

  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper

  • ½

    teaspoon ground cumin

  • ¼

    teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • 4

    boneless, skinless chicken breasts

  • 2

    tablespoons salted butter

  • 1

    tablespoon lime juice

  • Chopped cilantro leaves, to serve

Step 1

Using an immersion circulator according to product directions, heat a water bath to 145°F. Meanwhile, in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high, heat the oil until shimmering.

Add the chilies and toast until lightly browned, about 20 seconds per side. Transfer to a food processor, reserving the oil in the skillet. Process until coarsely chopped, about 30 seconds.

In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the chilies, oregano and garlic then cover, remove from heat and let sit for 15 minutes.

Step 2

In the food processor, combine the sugar, vinegar, 2½ teaspoons salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, cumin, cinnamon and 2 tablespoons of the reserved chili oil.

Add the chili-water mixture and process until smooth, about 1 minute, scraping the bowl as needed.

Place each chicken breast in a quart-size zip-close plastic bag. Add ¼ of the chili sauce to each bag, then seal the bag and shake to coat evenly.

Step 3

Vacuum seal the bags, then set into the water bath. Once the water returns to 145°F, let the chicken cook for 1½ hours.

When the chicken is done, remove from the bags to a serving platter. Transfer any liquid in the bags to a 12-inch skillet and bring to a simmer over medium.

Cook until thickened and reduced, about 1 minute. Whisk in the butter and lime juice. Serve the chicken drizzled with the reduced sauce and sprinkled with cilantro.

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