I was always team chicken thigh, was never a fan of chicken breast until I had Tori Hamu (鶏ハム) in Japan over the chicken stock ramen. I was amazed by its juicy texture, and how light it was compared to traditional pork chashu in ramen. After moving to New York, I realized that chicken breast is a big part of people’s diet here. I hate eating dry blend white meat, but I really wanted to like chicken breast. That’s when I start trying to recreate the Tori Hamu I had in Japan.
This chicken breast takes time to make, but it is simple, tender, juicy and still the only reason I would buy chicken breast from supermarket. I love using it as protein for sandwich, salad, noodles or just a healthy afternoon snack.
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What is Tori Hamu?
Tori Hamu (鶏ハム) is the translation of chicken ham, but if you are thinking about the ham made of chicken, it is not really ham. Unlike real ham, which is pork that’s cured (and often smoked or aged), Tori Ham isn’t cured or smoked. It’s more like a homemade deli-style cold cut made from chicken.
Ingredients of Sous Vide Chicken Breast (Tori Hamu)
- Chicken Breast - When picking skinless chicken breast, try to get thick cut as well as in similar size. So you don’t end up with one piece overcooked while another is underdone.
- Salt - I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt here. Just like a standard marinade, use about 1% of the chicken’s weight in salt.
- Pepper or Herb - Pepper and herb are optional. I like the flavor of freshly crushed black pepper on my chicken breast.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Sous Vide Chicken Breast?
Marinate both sides of chicken breast with salt and pepper. Let it rest for at least 10 minutes. Start heating up the water bath at the same time.
After 10 minutes, pat dry the chicken breast, and vacuum seal it.
Once the water bath reach 140°F, immerse the chicken breast in the water for 3 hours.
Let the chicken fully cool down in the bag. I like to let it rest in fridge overnight.
Thinly slice the chicken breast with a sharp knife. Enjoy as it is or serve with sauce.
Equipment
I love our ZWILLING vacuum sealer machine. It is very small, easy to use and does not require much power. I also like to use the glassware that came with the set. I use it to keep opened chips and popcorn crispy.
Instant pot is probably the one kitchenware that every American household has. Mine came with sous vide function, and it is our most-used feature after air frying and pressure cooking.
Storage
This sous-vide chicken breast can be kept in the fridge up to 5 days. I like to slice it all on the second day, keep in an airtight container, so I can have tender chicken breast any time I want for a few days.
Recipe Tips
Cool it down completely before cutting! Warm chicken is softer and fragile. Cooling lets the proteins firm up slightly, so the slices hold together without shredding.
Timing is just as important as temperature! While low-temperature cooking gives you more buffer and keeps the chicken moist, leaving it too long will still dry out the protein.
Recipe FAQ
The answer is yes. Of course using a sous vide cooker will be the most ideal, but you can also use the sous vide feature on instant pot like me, or rice cooker, which I have tried and it worked! If you don’t have any of that, just warm up a pot of water and keep the temperature around 140°F by turning the fire low and high. It will require more attention, but the result should be the same.
No. You can use ziplock bags instead of vacuum sealer. Just immerse it slowly in water to push the air out before sealing. That said, sous vide–grade bags are a safer choice for long or repeated cooking, since they’re designed to withstand heat
I had the same question before. After a few tests, the answer is YES. Even when cooking under low temperature, leaving the chicken in too long can still cause the protein to tighten and dry out.
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Recipe Card
Sous Vide Chicken Breast (Tori Hamu)
Ingredients
- 2 piece chicken breast (about 450g)
- 1 % chicken weight of salt (4.5g)
- Pepper & Herb (optional)
Instructions
- Prep: Marinate both sides of chicken breast with salt and pepper. Let it rest for at least 10 minutes. Start heating up the water bath at the same time.
- Vacuum Seal: After 10 minutes, pat dry the chicken breast, and vacuum seal it.
- Sous Vide: Once the water bath reach 140°F, immerse the chicken breast in the water for 3 hours.
- Chill: Let the chicken fully cool down in the bag. I like to let it rest in fridge overnight.
- Serve: Thinly slice the chicken breast with a sharp knife. Enjoy as it is or serve with sauce.
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