How to cook pigeon breast sous vide

Pigeon with textures of beetroot

How to cook pigeon breast sous vide

by Great British Chefs8 December 2014

How to cook pigeon breast sous vide

Cooking pigeon breast in a water bath ensures the cooking temperature can be strictly controlled, resulting in beautifully tender and moist meat every time. Cooking sous vide also ensures the flavour and nutrients are ‘locked in’, resulting in immensely flavourful meat.

Sous vide enables ingredients to be cooked below 100°C – for this reason it often takes longer than a usual recipe. Food is sealed in an airtight bag and the heat from the surrounding water cooks the ingredient slowly and evenly.

1
Preheat the water bath to 58˚C
2
Remove the skin from the pigeon breast and place in a vacuum bag with the desired oil, herbs and spices
3
Seal the bag and place in the water bath for 15 minutes
4
Carefully remove the pigeon breast from the water bath, remove from the bag and fry in a pan with a little oil to caramelise the outside

Variations

It is recommended to add salt and pepper to the meat before sealing the bag. Spices and herbs can come across stronger than they would in other cooking methods so use sparingly, cloves, star anise or a little curry powder would all work really well.

Serving suggestions

Colin McGurran uses just a small dash of flavoured oil and some fresh thyme to compliment the flavour of his sous vide pigeon with textures of beetroot, while Luke Holder adds a little olive oil, thyme and lardo to the bag to impart more flavour in his Pigeon with coffee cured foie gras.

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