Sous Vide: Buttermilk Fried Chicken Breast Strips--2021
About
Chicken breasts benefit greatly from sous vide pasteurization/preservation, making them easily adapted to numerous applications.
Ingredients
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 1-2 each, approximately 12 oz/325 g.
Seasonings, from our assortment of recipes, or your preference, as needed.
Powdered egg white as needed, or fresh, 1 each.
Buttermilk, 4 oz/120 ml.
Flour, all purpose, 2 cups/280 g.
Baking soda, 1 Tablespoon.
Shortening, 1 quart/1 liter.
Cherry tomatoes, multi-colored, 8 each, quartered/halved.
Kosher salt, a pinch.
Extra virgin olive oil, a few drops.
Balsamic syrup, enough to drizzle.
Ranch dressing, 2 oz/60 ml.
Buffalo wing sauce, 1 oz/30 ml.
Butter, a pat.
Chopped parsley as needed.
Deep fried sage and cilantro sprigs (optional), a few each.
Equipment requirements:
Heat rated sous vide bags.
Channel or chamber vacuum device.
Stick blender or miniature food processor.
Flat bottomed skillet, 12"/30 cm.
Kitchen strainer.
Paper towels/parchment.
Squirt bottles.
Instructions
Serves 2+ Level of difficulty: 2.5
Procedure:
Preheat your sous vide bath to the desired temperature setting before staging vacuum sealed pouches into the container. Vacuum seal the chicken breasts in dedicated vacuum bags and process at 135 F/58 C for 5 hours. After processing is complete, chill the packaged breasts in iced water until they achieve 70 F/21 C--about half an hour. Refrigerate at 40 F/4 C until day of service. In this state, the breasts can be safely kept refrigerated for up to two weeks.
Day of Service:
Remove the chicken from package and pat dry. Reserve the juices and process as per the method described HERE. The clarified juices can be substituted for stock or water in any savory recipe. 
Slice into 2 oz/60 g strips. This breading procedure minimizes handling and prevents the strips from breaking apart. 
Spread out on parchment paper. 
Sprinkle the chicken breasts with powdered egg white, a convenient and inexpensive product. Note: If you prefer, use a fork to beat together 1 fresh egg white with 1 oz/30 ml. buttermilk. Use a pastry brush to apply the solution to the strips. 
Drizzle the 0.5 cup/125 ml buttermilk over the chicken and flip the strips so that they are coated on both sides. 
Sprinkle with your preferred seasonings. 
Sprinkle with chopped parsley (optional). 
Carefully flip the strips again to make sure they are fully coated. 
Mix the flour with the baking soda. Sift or sprinkle over the chicken strips. 
Turn the strips over. 
Sprinkle generously with the rest of the flour/baking soda mixture. Set aside to rest. Fill the straight sided skillet no more than half way with the shortening and preheat to 300 F/150 C. Optional: deep fry sage and cilantro leaves until they stop bubbling. Use a slotted spoon to remove from the oil and drain on paper towels. 
Carefully shake off the excess flour mixture from each individual strip and deep fry until the desired color is achieved. Use a kitchen strainer to sift the excess flour into a bowl and refrigerate covered for future use. Arrange the tomatoes around the edge of the plate, sprinkle with kosher salt, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic syrup. Put a spoonful of the ranch dressing in the middle of the plate and dot with the wing sauce. Stack the fried strips in the center, sprinkle with chopped parsley. 
Norm King
