Eating and preparing Low Carb Meals surprisingly has not been difficult. I think using chicken as a platform or vehicle to transport great flavors is one answer to Low Carb cooking.
These are some of the thing I used in the dish. Of course I used salt and pepper. Use more, less or whatever you want. I was going for a Southwest flavor profile. Note: I actually combined all these flavors plus Mexican Oregano to form a flavor profile I was shooting for.
Ok....All the peppers, Onions and garlic. Of course Salt and Pepper.
Lots of green onions. Or you can use spring onion too. I love them but they were unavailable.
At some point all the veggies were sauteed. Along the way I started adding all the other ingredients which included the Southwest spices concoction.
Now the fun part. Add your cheeses ETC... I added Cream Cheese, Mayo for more fat, a Combo cheese that included Cheddar and Jack Cheese.
Adjust for consistency and taste.
Lot of Cilantro
Add your Cilantro and taste once again.
I made this the day before. I refrigerated the mixture for firm up.
Large packages of chicken breasts are a common item at Safeway.
Start out with very large chicken breasts. If the tenderloin is intact and attached to the breast you have the option of leaving it on. Or you can simply remove and use it for something else.
Using an extremely sharp knife butterfly the breast open making sure not to cut through.
I pounded out the breast using plastic. I actually used a one gallon bag split open. I love the one gallon bag for this application because it is sturdy enough to hold up to the pounding. Make sure the breast is very moist (add some water) otherwise it will tear during the pounding. The water allows the breast to spread out without tearing.
Stack them all in a pretty plate. I had 5 of them before I stopped.
Now this is the fun part. We need to create a work surface. I laid out plastic wrap on my cutting board then covered it with parchment paper. Genius
Now on to the stuffing. Place the mixture in the middle. It's gonna be a messy so be prepared to get your hands dirty. I used latex gloves. Roll up. Don't worry if some seeps out of the sides. The plastic wrap helps overcome any spillage.
All done.
Large commercial plastic wrap is they key to making the perfect roll.
The chicken cylinder needs additional help to maintain its shape during the cooking cycle in the SV. Using plastic wrap roll up the cylinder stretching the plastic wrap to secure the chicken.
It must be very tight. I think it had a dozen turns until I was satisfied.
Roll up the ends in the opposite direction which will also aid in securing the chickens shape. Secure the ends with string. Keep twisting the ends until you're satisfied with the firmness.
All done.
Vacuum Seal the chicken making sure the cylinders are not touching one another.
Note: In addition to the regular vacuum seal I also use the Waring Vacuum Sealer. I don't trust bags. Double vacuum sealing is the way to go for proteins.
Time and Temp? I used 140.5 f for the water temp which guaranteed the chickens internal temp would reach 140 f degrees in X amount of time. I planned on Ice-Shocking the chicken so this temp was perfect. If I planned on not Ice-Shocking I would have chosen 135 f degrees (the oven would have cooked them further). I used the PolyScience Sous-Vide App to determine how long to SV the chicken. I love this APP. I typed in the diameter of the Chicken cylinder (biggest one), the temp I wanted the chicken finished at which was 140 F and what temp I wanted the water set which was 140.5. Had I set the temperature of the water at 140 f it would have taken longer. I wanted it sooner than later.
Here is an example. Chicken cylinder is 2.5 inches, Chicken internal temp I desire is 140 f and water temp is 140 f also. How long until pasteurized? It will take 3:57:3.....three hours and fifty seven minutes and three seconds.
Raising the water temp to 140.5 (1/2 a degree more) shaves off almost an hour and the chicken internal temp will still be at 140 f degrees. It will take 2:57:27.... two hours and fifty seven minutes and twenty seven seconds.
After the Sous-Vide thermal bath excursion they were Shocked in Ice-Water. The following day I rethemed them for a bit and finished them in a saute pan.
Homemade Guacamole and Pico.
