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Though the focus on chicken in foodservice in recent years has been all about crispy chicken sandwiches, there is another trend that has been slowly gaining momentum, sous vide cooked chicken breasts.  Slowly, foodservice operators are realizing there is a strategic place for chicken breast products cooked under vacuum with precise heat.  

 

Boneless and skinless chicken breast have long been a menu mainstay in both independent and chain menus.  It’s a commodity product that is relatively inexpensive and easy to cook from raw.  So how can a higher cost value add product compete?  The answer is simply moisture retention. 

 

Unlike faster, high heat cooking methods, long and low sous vide-cooked chicken breast retains more of its moisture.  When full cooked, this moisture is locked into the protein matrix. This means that even harsh reheat conditions do little to dry out the product.  Additionally, sous vide chicken breasts retain their moistness during hot holding.

 

Sous vide chicken in its original packaging has a refrigerated shelf life between 45 and 120 days.  This makes inventory management is easier for operators when compared to frozen alternatives. 

 

The number of pre-cooking processes that can be combined with the sous vide method make for a wide assortment of product forms.  Marination and seasoning can create a signature flavor.  Portioning, slicing, cutting strips or dicing before cooking are formats that can be produced with sous vide method.  Searing with infrared, gas flame or oil, along with grilling can deliver both enhanced appearance and Maillard reaction to sous vide chicken breast. 

 

Currently, in the foodservice industry trained labor is scarce.  Operators who value food quality are realizing that though sous vide cooked chicken breast is often more expensive than many alternatives, its added cost is more than returned in improved product quality, reduced labor cost and more accurate product usage.