Sous Vide Chicken Breast Recipe in Creamy Spinach Ricotta Sauce

This recipe is by Mick Dimas, Culinary M.C. and Co-Owner of Add Thyme, a cooking school based in San Francisco. For a list of cooking classes offered please check out Add Thyme.

One thing I love about sous vide cooking, besides its amazing ability to keep meats moist and tender, is its convenience factor. Now I am someone who likes to cook, really loves to cook, but even if you are a little timid in the kitchen you can take heart that cooking sous vide really simplifies things for you.

Tribest sousvant machine 7

There may be a little bit of planning involved, but would you rather leave the planning to a food scientist figuring out a better way to add water weight to your frozen semi-meat microwave meal? It is cliché? but it all goes back to you are what you eat, literally. So why not take just a little bit of time out of your day and make something that is not only better for you but something that actually tastes good as well? OK, off my soap box.

One of the quickest meals to make is using chicken breast in the sous vide. This is a recipe for sous vide Chicken Breast in Creamy Spinach Ricotta Sauce.

Modernist Tools, Ingredients, and Techniques Used

If you would like more information about the modernist techniques, ingredients, and equipment used in the Sous Vide Chicken Breast in Creamy Spinach Ricotta Sauce you can check out the following.

Sous Vide Chicken Breast in Creamy Spinach Ricotta Sauce

  • Published: February 25, 2012
  • By Mick Dimas
  • Prep Time: 10 Minutes
  • Total Time: 2 or up to 5 Hours
  • Cooks: 146°F (63.3°C) for 1 to 4 Hours
  • Serves: 2

Ingredients for Sous Vide Chicken Breast in Creamy Ricotta Sauce

  • For the Sous Vide Chicken Breast

  • 2 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Kosher salt
  • For the Creamy Ricotta Sauce

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 shallot or 1/2 of an onion
  • 2 cups fresh baby spinach
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock
  • 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
  • 1/4 cup cream
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • A couple zests of lemon
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

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Cooking Instructions for Sous Vide Chicken Breast in Creamy Ricotta Sauce

For the Sous Vide Chicken Breast

At least 2 to 5 hours before serving

Generously salt the chicken breast with kosher salt and place in the sous vide pouch. Add the butter and bay leaf. Seal the pouch, add to a water bath pre-heated to 146°F (63.3°C), and cook for a minimum of 1 hour, and up to 4 hours.

For more information on the cooking times you can read my detailed article which addresses why is there a range in sous vide cooking times.

For the Creamy Ricotta Sauce

To make the sauce, first dice your shallot. Heat a saut? pan over medium high heat then add the extra virgin olive oil. Cook the shallots until they become soft, about 3-5 minutes, taking care not to brown them.

Once the shallots are soft, add your washed baby spinach and move it around the pan with a wooden spoon until the spinach has shriveled and is limp.

Add the chicken stock and bring it to a boil over high heat. Reduce the stock by half, it should take about 8 minutes.

Once the stock has reduced, lower the temperature to medium low and stir in the ricotta cheese. Be sure to mix well until the cheese is fully incorporated into the spinach and onion mixture. Simmer the mixture for about a minute, add the cayenne pepper and cream, and let it simmer for 5 minutes.

Just before serving, zest in a couple of swipes of lemon zest with a micro-plane.

To Assemble

After the sous vide chicken has cooked for a minimum of an hour remove the breasts from the bags and serve with the creamy spinach ricotta sauce spooned on top. It goes great with a brown rice pilaf and broiled asparagus.

Want Great Sous Vide Recipes?

Sous vide book cover large

Healthy Sous Vide is the latest cookbook from Jason Logsdon, the best selling author of 10 sous vide and modernist cookbooks, and it shares many of his favorite recipes developed over the years so you can eat nutritious, flavor-packed meals that taste amazing. If you are a looking for a way to boost the flavor of your healthy meals, this book will help you create amazing food that your friends and family will love!

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This recipe is by Mick Dimas, Culinary M.C. and Co-Owner of Add Thyme, a cooking school based in San Francisco. For a list of cooking classes offered please check out Add Thyme.

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Jason logsdon headshot This article is by me, Jason Logsdon. I'm an adventurous home cook and professional blogger who loves to try new things, especially when it comes to cooking. I've explored everything from sous vide and whipping siphons to pressure cookers and blow torches; created foams, gels and spheres; made barrel aged cocktails and brewed beer. I have also written 10 cookbooks on modernist cooking and sous vide and I run the AmazingFoodMadeEasy.com website.
Affiliate Disclaimer: Some links on this site might be affiliate links that if used to purchased products I might receive money. I like money but I will not endorse something I don't believe in. Please feel free to directly go to any products I link to and bypass the referral link if you feel uncomfortable with me receiving funds.
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