Sous Vide Chicken Korma

I typically take the cheater’s way out and buy jars of korma sauce for a quick family meal, but here I use my own ingredients to make a quick pan sauce after searing the sous vide chicken breasts. The resulting dish was a real winner, with a sauce that has far more body and texture than anything that comes from a jar.

Author

Barbara Freda

I grew up in a cooking family and after getting a degree in Spanish and Anthropology, realized what I really wanted to do was to go to culinary school. After working in a NYC bank for a few years, I managed to get to culinary school and got my first jobs in NYC kitchens, including a long stint at Union Square Cafe in its earliest years. After (sadly) leaving NYC, I realized I needed to step away from the 80-hour work weeks, so I left the heat of the kitchen for the cool of the computer keyboard: I started writing about food, the business of food, and technology in the food industry, as well as teaching cooking classes. Recipe development remains one of my top loves, and the opportunity to develop recipes for Anova has been fun every step of the way.

Prep Time: 00:30

Recipe Time: 01:30

Temperature : 147.2F / 64C

Ingredients

• 1/2 medium onion, roughly chopped
• 2 scallions, roughly chopped
• 10 sprigs fresh cilantro, plus 2 tablespoons chopped
• 1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 2 cups cooked cauliflower florets
• 1 cup frozen peas and carrots, thawed
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 3 tablespoons ground cashews
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• Juice of 1/2 lemon

Directions

1. Set the Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 147ºF (63.4ºC).
2. Pulse onion, scallions, cilantro, ginger, and garlic in a food processor until vegetables form a paste. Season with salt and pepper. Spread half of the paste over the chicken breasts. Reserve remaining paste.
3. Place chicken breasts in a large zipper lock bag in one single layer. Seal the bag using the water immersion technique. Place the bag in the water bath and set the timer for 1 1/2 hours.

Finishing Steps

1. When the timer goes off, remove the bag from the water bath. Remove the chicken from the bag and pat dry with paper towels. Reserve any remaining cooking liquid.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter stops foaming, add the chicken and sear until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm.
3. Return the skillet to medium-high heat. Add reserved onion paste, garam masala, and turmeric. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
4. Stir in cauliflower, peas and carrots, coconut milk, cashews, and tomato paste. Bring to a boil and stir in reserved cooking liquid. Remove from the heat. Stir in lemon juice and 1 1/2 tablespoons of the chopped cilantro. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Pour sauce over chicken breasts and garnish with remaining 1/2 tablespoon cilantro. Serve.