Sous Vide Shredded Chicken {Juicy & Flavorful}
on Oct 13, 2023, Updated Nov 21, 2023
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This Sous Vide Shredded Chicken is perfectly juicy and flavorful. The chicken breasts are sous vide cooked in a warm water bath at a precise temperature – the easiest way to cook chicken for shredding, from fresh or frozen! Sous vide shredded chicken is incredibly versatile and is a healthy addition to tacos, sandwiches, soups and salads.
Sous vide shredded chicken (pulled chicken recipe)
Sous vide chicken recipes are one of my favorite things this year, as sous vide technique cooks the chicken with amazing results that’re impossible to achieve with traditional methods: check out Sous Vide Boneless Chicken Breast, Sous Vide Teriyaki Chicken, and Sous Vide Chicken Thighs.
Shredded chicken is one of those basic recipes that everyone should learn to master, as you can use it in many recipes from salad to soups to main dishes. With sous vide method, it’s really easy to make at home, and you’ll have guaranteed success every time!
What is sous vide?
Sous vide is French cooking technique where the food is vacuum-sealed in a bag, then cooked to a very precise temperature in a warm water bath for a long time. It means “under vacuum” in French.
For traditional pulled chicken recipes, chicken breasts are not as tender and juicy because they have low-fat content, and ridiculously easy to overcook. When cooked just a few minutes too long, they turn dry and chewy. Sous vide allows you to control the temperature precisely and it’s a stress-free method. Totally a game changer!
In addition, it’s the healthiest chicken recipe that comes in at 87 calories per serving!
The best chicken to use
Both boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs work well for sous vide shredded chicken recipe. The thighs naturally have more moisture but chicken breasts are a healthier option. It’s best to avoid skin or bones, for easy shredding.
How to make sous vide shredded chicken:
I know that this is a fool-proof recipe and the chicken will turn out amazing even without tips, but there are a few things that I’d like to highlight:
- Make sure to season well. The meat will have more flavor when it’s seasoned before the cooking process. A simple seasoning made with salt, pepper and onion powder works well.
- You can use chicken thighs in place of the breasts. Just increase the sous vide temp to 160°F.
- If you don’t have a vacuum-sealer, you can seal the bag with a zip-loc bag using the the water displacement technique: just seal all but one corner of the bag, and then slowly place it into a large pot of water. Make sure everything below the zip-line is covered by water, then seal the rest of the bag.
- Add more seasoning such as BBQ sauce after shredding for extra flavor.
Sous vide chicken temp and time
I recommend cooking the chicken breasts to the internal temperature of 149°F (65°C), which produces super tender and juicy meat. If you’d like to try other doneness, below are the guidelines for sous vide chicken breasts:
| Temperature | Cooking Time | Texture |
| 140°F / 60°C | 1 ½ – 4 hours | Very soft, tender and juicy |
| 149°F / 65°C | 1 – 4 hours | Tender and juicy |
| 165°F / 74°C | 1 – 4 hours | Traditional tender and slightly chewy |
Note: The chicken sous vide cooked at 149°F is safe to eat due to the long cooking time. The USDA 165°F temp guide is for the traditional cooking methods.
Your chicken breasts are ready after 1 hour, but you can leave them in the water bath for as long as 4 hours (it can get mushy if you leave them longer than that.)
How to shred chicken:
Chicken breasts coming out of your sous vide water bath are super tender and juicy, and you can easily pull them apart with two forks or a stand mixer.
Two forks: Just place the cooked chicken breasts on a plate or cutting board, and then use two forks to separate the chicken meat. This is my preferred method as it’s easy to use with less dishes to wash.
Stand mixer: Place your chicken breasts in the bowl of a stand mixer, and turn it on low speed. You’ll have shredded chicken in about 20 seconds. It’s the fastest way to shred chicken.
Note: To add extra moist and flavor to your shredded chicken, I recommend adding the liquid from the bag to the shredded chicken and toss to combine.
Sous vide cook frozen chicken breasts
You don’t need to thaw the chicken breasts ahead of the time. Simply add 20-30 minutes of cook time in the sous vide water bath, depending on the size of your chicken breasts.
How to store sous vide shredded chicken?
Shredded chicken is very versatile and great for meal prep. Cook a big batch on Sunday and store them in a container. You’ll have healthy meals throughout the week. They can last 3-4 days in the refrigerator and up to 2 months in the freezer.
Other Sous Vide Recipes You’ll Love
Recipe Tools:
Juicy Sous Vide Shredded Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, (fresh or frozen*)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, (or to taste)
- ground black pepper, (to taste)
Instructions
- Fill a large container or pot with water. Attach the sous vide precision cooker and set the temperature to 149°F (65°C).
- Rub the chicken breasts with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper.
- Place the seasoned chicken breasts to a zip-top bag.
- Arrange the breasts in one single layer and then seal the bag using the “water displacement” technique: seal all but one corner of the bag, and slowly place it in cold water. Make sure everything below the zip-line is covered by water. Then seal the rest of the bag.
- Cook for 1 hour. (Make sure the meat is fully submerged while the seams of the bag are above water.)
- When the timer goes off, remove the chicken from the bag. Don’t throw away the juices.
- There are two ways to shred the chicken. You can simply use two forks and pull the chicken meat apart, or you can place the chicken in the bowl of a stand mixer. Use the paddle attachment on the stand mixer and use the speed of 2. You can shred the chicken breasts within 20 seconds.
- If you’d like to add extra moist and flavor to the chicken. Add the liquid from the bag to the shredded chicken and toss to combine.
- Serve the shredded chicken with tacos, sandwiches or pasta immediately. Or freeze in the freezer-friendly containers for future use.
Notes
- *If you use frozen chicken breasts, add 20-30 more minutes of cook time in the sous vide water bath.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate only and will vary based on ingredient brands and cooking methods used.
Fantastic. I added about teaspoon of soy and and a quarter teaspoon of fish sauces after it was shredded….using for Asian lettuce cups and it was brilliant