BBQ Chicken Bowls ala Sous Vide

I don't know if your kids are like mine but both boys hate cafeteria food. I don't think they've eaten the food at school since Kindergarten. Now with two high schoolers the beginning of the school year means meal prep!


Best Gadget to help with meal prep? The Sous Vide Machine!

The Sous Vide (pronounced Sue-VIED) is a precision cooker, meaning it cooks food to a precise temperature and keeps it there. Restaurants have used these for years, cooking to a temperature then finishing the item on the grill etc.

I use the Magic Mill Sous Vide Machine. 

Yes, this is another machine for the kitchen but,

There are benefits to cooking in a water bath.

Food is cooked evenly to a precise temperature, it does not require babysitting.
Food is cooked in its own juices staying tender and moist.
Less waste as food does not dry out and lose volume when cooking.

Here's my Sous Vide recipe for BBQ Chicken Bowls

1lb chicken
Rufus Teague Rub
Vacuum seal bag - another gadget I love, my Foodsaver Vacuum Sealer

Rub the chicken with Rufus Teague 

This stuff is awesome!

Place in Vacuum seal bag.
Vacuum out all the air.

Cook the chicken in a water bath at 140 degrees for 2 hours. The reason you vacuum seal is to keep all the air out of the bag helping it submerge in the water. If you don't vacuum seal you can always weight down the chicken in the bag with an item from the kitchen.

Chicken can be used immediately or transferred to the refrigerator already sealed in the bag.

As needed (each of the boys' lunches take a full chicken breast) grill the already cooked chicken in a cast iron skillet for grill marks or pan sear for texture. Don't cook too long as the water bath already cooked it.

My additions:

Vacuum Sealed Chicken

Green Beans
1 cup green beans
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp garlic
2 tbsp soy sauce

1. Brown garlic in olive oil.

2. Add green beans, sauce for 3 minutes.

3. Add soy sauce saute for 2 more minutes.

Cilantro Lime Rice

1 cup long grain rice

Pan Seared Chicken Breast

1/2 lime juiced

2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

1. Cook rice according to package.

2. Combine rice, lime juice, cilantro a touch of olive oil.

Layer rice with chicken finishing with green beans.

The perfect thermos meal for school!

With just a little chicken left, I sautéed the chicken with some Texas Pete Wing Sauce. In a large flour tortilla, I added Spring Mix, chicken, Ranch Dressing and shredded cheddar for Buffalo Chicken Wraps.

Coming up next Sous Vide Beef for Steak Fajita Thermos Lunches!

This is another version of the Sous Vide. Food is placed in a container, the cooker inserted for even cooking. This is beneficial for large groups of food, some even fill coolers with water using this type of cooker.