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

COOLER-COOKED
CHICKEN
WITHLEMONORSUN-DRIEDTOMATOVINAIGRETTE
If you’re used to dry, well-done chicken, cooking it via
thismethodwillbeanabsoluterevelation.Whoknewthat
chickencouldbesoincrediblysucculentandmoist?
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
alwaysleaveyouwithastringylayer,nomatterwhatyou
do.Theskinprovidesinsulationthatallowsyoutobrown
the chicken without sacrificing texture. With traditional
cooking methods, leaving chicken breasts on the bone
helps slow down the cooking process, resulting in more
evenlycookedmeat.Withsous-videcooking,however,the
process is already so slow that I found little difference
betweenchickencookedbone-inversusbone-off.
Thelastdrawbacktocookingchickeninawaterbath
isthatyoudevelopverylittlefond—theflavorfulbitsthat
stick to your pan when you sear meat—this makes
formingapansauceimpossible.Thegoodnewsisthatthe
reason those flavorful bits aren’t on the pan is that they
stay stuck to the chicken where they belong. A simple
squeezeoflemonoravinaigrettewilldothechickenjust


fine.
SERVES4
4skin-onbonelesschickenbreasts,6to8ounceseach
Koshersaltandfreshlygroundblackpepper
1tablespooncanolaorvegetableoil

1lemon,cutintowedges,or1recipeSun-Dried-Tomato
Vinaigrette(recipefollows)
1.Cookthechickeninyourcoolerasdirectedhere, using
148°F water, for at least 1 hour 35 minutes, and up to 3
hours.
2.Afterremovingthechickenfromthebags,patitdrywith
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
downandsearuntiltheskiniscrisp,about3minutes.
3. Transfer to a serving platter and serve with the lemon
wedges(orvinaigrette).

Sun-Dried-TomatoVinaigrette
MAKESABOUT1CUP
ẵcupoil-packedsun-driedtomatoes,drainedand
choppedintoẳ-inchpieces,plus2tablespoonsoftheoil
1jalapeủopepper,finelyminced,orlesstotaste
1teaspoonhoney
ẵteaspoonsoysauce