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If you have struggled with dry chicken breasts in the past, this recipe for Sous Vide Chicken Breasts Finished on the Big Green Egg is a complete game changer. The combination of precise sous vide cooking and a quick finish over live fire creates incredibly juicy chicken with just the right amount of grilled flavor and char on the outside.
For years, I thought dry chicken breasts were just part of the deal. Then I had one of the best chicken dishes of my life at a restaurant in London called Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, and it completely changed the way I looked at cooking chicken. The chicken was unbelievably juicy, tender, and packed with flavor. Naturally, I asked our server how they achieved that kind of texture with chicken breast. The answer was sous vide cooking. By slowly cooking the chicken at a precise low temperature, the meat stayed perfectly moist from edge to edge.
That meal sent me down the sous vide rabbit hole, and I immediately started experimenting with the technique at home. After trying it with several proteins, chicken breasts quickly became my favorite application. Now pour yourself a glass of your favorite Chardonnay, fire up the Big Green Egg, and let’s make the best chicken breasts you have ever cooked at home.
Table of Contents
- Gathering the Ingredients
- Setting Up the Sous Vide
- Preparing the Chicken
- Cooking the Chicken Sous Vide
- Big Green Egg Setup and Preparing the Brussels Sprouts
- Cooking the Brussels Sprouts
- Preparing the Chicken for the Grill
- Finishing the Chicken on the Big Green Egg
- Making the Pan Gravy
- Sous Vide Chicken Breasts Finished on the Big Green Egg Recipe
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Gathering the Ingredients
For this cook, I wanted to keep the ingredient list simple and let the technique do the work. The meal centered around split chicken breasts with the skin left on, roasted Brussels sprouts, and a simple pan gravy to tie everything together.
Using boneless chicken breasts with the skin attached is important here. The sous vide process keeps the meat incredibly juicy, while the skin crisps up beautifully during the final finish on the Big Green Egg.
The roasted Brussels sprouts add a perfect savory side dish, and the pan gravy brings everything together with rich flavor from the chicken drippings. It is a simple combination, but when cooked properly, it feels like restaurant-quality comfort food at home.
Setting Up the Sous Vide
Start by setting your sous vide machine to 140°F while you prep the rest of the ingredients. This lower cooking temperature is the key to achieving incredibly juicy chicken breasts without drying them out.
Traditional chicken recipes usually aim for 165°F because that is the temperature where chicken is instantly pasteurized. Sous vide works differently. Because the chicken cooks slowly and stays at a precise temperature for a longer period of time, it becomes fully pasteurized safely while remaining much more tender and moist.
At 140°F, the chicken keeps a silky, juicy texture that is almost impossible to achieve with traditional grilling or roasting methods. Then, once it finishes on the Big Green Egg, you get the best of both worlds… perfectly cooked chicken inside with crispy skin and grilled flavor outside. This is the technique that completely changed the way I cook chicken breasts at home.
Preparing the Chicken
Season the chicken breasts generously with kosher salt and coarse black pepper on all sides. Then drizzle them lightly with olive oil to help the seasoning adhere and keep the surface moist during the sous vide cook.
Next, place the seasoned chicken breasts into a vacuum-seal bag in a single layer. Keeping them flat helps the chicken cook evenly and allows the water bath to circulate properly around the meat.
Once sealed, the chicken is ready for the sous vide bath and the slow, gentle cooking process that keeps it perfectly juicy from edge to edge.
Cooking the Chicken Sous Vide
Once the water bath reaches 140°F, carefully submerge the vacuum-sealed chicken breasts completely in the water. Make sure the bag stays fully underwater so the chicken cooks evenly from edge to edge.
Cook the chicken for about 1½ to 2 hours. This gives the meat enough time to fully pasteurize safely while keeping the texture incredibly juicy and tender.
At this stage, the sous vide machine does all the work. The precise temperature gently cooks the chicken without overcooking it, which is exactly why the final texture turns out so moist from edge to edge.
Once finished in the water bath, the chicken is ready for a quick finish on the Big Green Egg to crisp the skin and add grilled flavor.
Big Green Egg Setup and Preparing the Brussels Sprouts
While the chicken finishes in the sous vide bath, set up your Big Green Egg for direct grilling and bring the temperature up to 350°F. This moderate heat is perfect for finishing the chicken and roasting the Brussels sprouts at the same time.
Next, prep the Brussels sprouts by trimming the ends and cutting them in half. To help them cook evenly and stay tender inside, blanch them briefly in boiling water for a few minutes, then drain well. Once blanched, toss the Brussels sprouts with olive oil and minced garlic until evenly coated. This simple preparation lets the natural flavor shine while helping them roast beautifully on the Big Green Egg.
Cooking the Brussels Sprouts
Place a cast iron pan on the Big Green Egg and let it preheat for a few minutes before adding the Brussels sprouts. Starting with a hot pan helps develop better color and caramelization right away.
Add the Brussels sprouts to the pan and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally so they roast evenly and pick up a little char from the heat. After the first 5 minutes, pour in a small splash of chicken stock. This adds extra flavor while helping keep the Brussels sprouts tender and moist as they finish cooking.
By the end, the Brussels sprouts should be lightly caramelized on the outside and tender in the center with a rich, savory flavor that pairs perfectly with the chicken.
Preparing the Chicken for the Grill
After about 1½ hours in the sous vide bath, remove the chicken breasts from the bag and pat them completely dry with paper towels. This step is important because excess moisture prevents proper browning once the chicken hits the grill.
At this stage, the chicken is fully cooked and incredibly juicy, but it does not look very appetizing yet. The exterior will appear pale and soft because it has not gone through the Maillard reaction, the process responsible for creating that rich browning and deep grilled flavor.
That final finish on the Big Green Egg is what transforms the chicken from simply cooked to something that looks and tastes restaurant quality.
Finishing the Chicken on the Big Green Egg
Place the chicken breasts directly on the grill grate over direct heat with the skin side facing down. Since the chicken is already fully cooked from the sous vide bath, this step is all about developing color, texture, and flavor.
Cook for about 2 minutes skin side down until the skin becomes crisp and deeply golden brown from the Maillard reaction. Keep a close eye on it because the skin can go from perfect to burned quickly over direct heat.
Once the skin is crisp, flip the chicken briefly for 30 to 60 seconds on the other side just to warm the surface and pick up a little grilled flavor. Then remove the chicken from the Big Green Egg and let it rest for a few minutes before serving.
Making the Pan Gravy
While the chicken rests, make a quick pan gravy to bring the whole dish together. This simple sauce adds richness and turns the meal into something that feels restaurant quality without much extra work.
Start by sautéing the shallots in butter until soft and fragrant. Then sprinkle in a little flour and stir well to form a light roux. Slowly whisk in the chicken stock and let the gravy simmer until slightly thickened and smooth. The result is a rich, savory sauce that pairs perfectly with the juicy chicken and roasted Brussels sprouts.
Spoon the gravy over the sliced chicken just before serving and dinner is done. Simple ingredients, simple technique, and honestly one of the best ways to cook chicken breasts at home.
Sous Vide Chicken Breasts Finished on the Big Green Egg
Equipment
- Sous Vide Machine
- Vacuum Sealer
- vacuum sealer bags
- Cast Iron Pan
Ingredients
Chicken Ingredients:
- 2 boneless split chicken breasts with skin attached
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1.5 tsp Kosher salt
- 1 tsp Cracked black pepper
Brussels Sprouts Ingredients:
- 1 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup chicken stock
Pan Gravy Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 shallot, finely minced
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chicken stock
- Kosher salt and black pepper , to taste
Instructions
- Set your sous vide machine to 140°F and preheat the water bath.
- Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil, and vacuum seal in a bag.
- Submerge the chicken in the 140°F water bath and cook for 1½ to 2 hours.
- Set up the Big Green Egg for direct grilling and preheat to 350°F.
- Trim and halve the Brussels sprouts, blanch briefly in boiling water, then toss with olive oil and minced garlic.
- Preheat a cast iron pan on the Big Green Egg, add the Brussels sprouts, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the chicken stock to the Brussels sprouts halfway through cooking and continue roasting until tender and lightly caramelized.
- Remove the chicken from the sous vide bag and pat completely dry with paper towels.
- Place the chicken skin side down over direct heat and grill for about 2 minutes until the skin is crisp and golden brown.
- Flip the chicken briefly for 30 to 60 seconds, then remove from the grill and let rest for 5 minutes.
- For the gravy, sauté the shallots in butter until softened, stir in the flour, then slowly whisk in the chicken stock.
- Simmer the gravy until slightly thickened and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Slice the chicken and serve with the Brussels sprouts and pan gravy.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
It is fun to see other people who are over-the-moon as excited about their Sous Vide as I am with the one my children gifted me with in March 2015!
Jane – I absolutely love my Sous Vide machine! Have any good recipes to share? I’d love to try one and write about it here!
Actually I’ve just done simple things like ribs, steaks, hamburger and chicken. I just followed the instructions that came with the machine…..not really a recipe.
Nonetheless I bet they were all fantastic!
Do you have to have a vacuum sealing “machine”, or does the sous vide do this itself?
BTW – I used your Jerk Chicken recipe last week and used the Allspice berries and Bay leaves for smoke. Excellent!!!
Thanks for the tip.
I have a vacuum sealer that I use before placing in the Sous Vide. The brand is Food Saver if you are looking to get one. Thanks for the nice comment on the Jerk Chicken. That Allspice Bay leaf trick is a good one for sure!
Looks great!! Question: Cooking at 140 in sous vide and then 2 minutes at 350 doesn’t seem like it will get to 160. Did you do something else?
2 minutes per side and rested 10 minutes