I'm going to sous vide que a half chicken tonight and wanted to make sure I'm on the right track. Based on Meathead's turkey parts recipe/video, I plan on SVing for 12 hours @145 (I've already dry brined). I'll then refrigerate until I'm ready to throw on the grill. One question is -- will grilling bring the internal temp up to serving temp. or should I SV again to, say, 125? I know I could also set the Weber up for two zone cooking and go that way. Regardless, before it goes on the grill I will add some rub and eventually a light sauce. Am I on the right track?
Seems like a really long time. I do boneless skinless breasts @ 150 for 90 minutes and then a quick sear for color. I found this to be my go to time & temp. Doing a 1/2 chicken would take longer, I say in the 3 to 5 hour time frame. If you're not going to put it on the grill right after SVing, then put in an ice bath to stop the cooking and refrigerate. Then bring it back up in the SV before seasoning and grilling to finish.
Thanks much! At 90 minutes, I can time it so I don't have to refrigerate first (although I will let it cool down first before searing). BTW -- we actually got hail yesterday here in the East Bay. Any weirdness down there in beautiful Santa Cruz?
12 hours is too long for chicken See https://www.seriouseats.com/the-food...chicken-breast for some times at various temps to get food safe. NOTE, that article is about chicken breast... a half chicken might take a bit longer but not hours.
BUT... 145F chicken just isn't appealing from a texture perspective, esp for dark meat. I take white meat to 155F and I'd take dark meat at least 165F. But this is a texture preference, not a safety thing.
Then there's the matter of the SV-chill-sear thing. Short answer is that a sear will not bring it back to temp from cold. You can reheat to 145 and sear.
Aside from doing individual breasts, I don't know that SVing a whole or half chicken is worth the time and hassle. You can roast a chicken, spatchcocked, in ~90 mins and it tastes wonderful.
Great info -- thanks! I've done chicken many ways -- mostly on the grill and on the smoker. I just got my Joule, so I thought I'd try something new. I thought the tests SE did were interesting and informative -- thanks for steering me there.
ecully - SV chicken is actually really juicy. If you do it, I'd break it down at least into quarters - 2 breasts, 2 thigh/drumsticks. Do each and you can treat them differently atthe end (take the dark meat higher, etc).
Also, SV chicken breast at 155 or so for chicken salad is AMAZING.
I'll make it a 3 part harmony. You won't need wore than a couple of hours for half a chicken. After that, the texture is going to get mushy. I would also SV at something closer to 155. Personally, I love the SV for boneless breast, but when I want the skin to be edible, I skip the SV altogether, and just let it rip hot and fast.
Last edited by WI Bubba; February 23, 2022, 04:02 PM.
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