Sous Vide
I prep 40lbs of chicken in just over an hour. That's slicing, seasoning, and vacuum sealing into 2.5lb bags. Usually end up with about 14 bags after trimming the fat and such.
Then I'll usually sous vide them in 3 or so batches. 4-5 bags per cook.
In the oven you've got to hit 165F for chicken. I do 146F in the sous vide. I typically go 4 hours which is technically overkill, but I want to be sure it's fully cooked/pasteurized.
Benefits:
- Nearly impossible to overcook because you never exceed the set temperature.
- Chicken breast is extremely moist, can't dry it out with this method.
- Meat is seasoned all the way through.
- It's the laziest and most efficient method I've found. After the initial prep your only work is setting the temperature and dropping your bags in the water.
- Great method for mass storage. The chicken is fully cooked in a vacuum sealed bag. Lay them flat in a freezer and stack them up.
I probably have 80lbs in my freezer right now. I take a bag out and let it thaw then transfer it to a Ziploc or you can go straight into meal prep containers if that's your thing.
Anyone who has ever tried it can't believe how great the flavor/texture is considering it's boneless, skinless chicken breast.
I've had a sous vide for years and this is the only thing I use it for now.