Thai Basil and Lemongrass Salad with Sous Vide Chicken

This dish is healthy but in no way boring (and that's music to our ears). It's easy to make and is packed full of authentic Thai flavors. 

The best part? Cooking Sous Vide creates a perfect dish every single time. 

Author

Christina Wylie

Christina Wylie is an award-winning writer, author, editor, food stylist, recipe creator, entrepreneur and radio host whose work has been featured in The Times & The Sunday Times, Time Out (Melbourne, Sydney, Hong Kong and Dubai), Traveler’s Digest, Fah Thai Magazine, Broadsheet, Wining & Dining and many other internationally renowned publications. In 2013, after almost a decade of working as an international journalist, Christina founded the online lifestyle magazine The GAB Magazine, for which she now leads a team of 60 writers based all across Australia. She then founded Samui Life Magazine in 2016. After working as a recipe creator for Anova Culinary for over a year, she signed a cookbook contract with the American-based, international publishing company Quarto. Her cookbook, titled The Sous Vide Kitchen: Techniques, Ideas, and More Than 100 Recipes to Cook at Home, was published worldwide in 2017. She wrote, styled, and photographed everything that you see within that book. In 2017 she opened her first restaurant, Bootlegger, in Koh Samui, Thailand. She is currently in the initial stages of launching Bootlegger 2 in Phuket in 2018, and is looking to open Bootlegger 3 in Bangkok in 2019. She is currently working towards stepping into the world of food and travel presenting. As an entrepreneur herself, Christina co-founded the charity initiative Project Gen Z in 2015 to teach orphaned Cambodian children entrepreneurial skills. A British expat born and raised in Hong Kong, Christina has worked across the globe, and has lived in Thailand, London, Hong Kong, Australia and South Africa over the years.

Prep Time: 00:20

Recipe Time: 01:15

Temperature : 140F / 60C

Ingredients

• 2 (8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• 1 cup (59 mL) unsalted cashews
• 2 tablespoons (30 mL) palm sugar or packed dark brown sugar
• 4 red Thai chiles, thinly sliced
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 3 tablespoons (44 mL) fish sauce
• 2 teaspoons (9.8 mL) freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 cup (59 mL) fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced
• 1 stalk lemongrass, white part only, bruised and very thinly sliced
• 1 (2-inch) piece ginger, julienned

Directions

1. Set the Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 140ºF (60ºC).
2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Place in a large zipper lock or vacuum seal bag. Seal using the water immersion technique or a vacuum sealer on the dry setting. Place the bag in the water bath and set the timer for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
3. About 15 minutes before the chicken is finished, heat 1 inch of vegetable oil to 350ºF in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the cashews and fry until golden, about 1 minute. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Set aside.
4. Pound palm sugar, 2 chiles, and garlic in a mortar and pestle until finely ground. Stir in fish sauce and lime juice. Transfer to a medium bowl.

Finishing Steps

1. When the timer goes off, remove the bag from the water bath. Remove the chicken from the bag and let cool for 5 minutes. Discard cooking liquid.
2. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred into bite-sized pieces. Transfer to the bowl with the dressing and toss to combine. Add cilantro, scallion, lemongrass, ginger, and fried cashews. Mix well and transfer to a serving plate. Garnish with remaining chiles. Serve.