Important before you start cooking: you will need a baking bag—not a sleeve, specifically a bag!
Also note: the chicken should not be an athlete; we are making this dish not with a village chicken that loved to race roosters but with a pampered chicken from a poultry farm that did nothing but eat.
Prepare the tomato—if it is a cherry, then simply cut it into quarters. If it is a large one, then cut out the stalk, cut crosswise on the top, keep it in boiling water for 30 seconds, remove the skin, and dice small.
Cut the shallots into thin half rings, finely chop the parsley and basil.
Fill a baking bag with a whole chicken breast (no more than one breast or two halves per bag), shallots, tomatoes, finely chopped parsley and basil, black and white pepper, salt, and 1-2 tbsp lemon (or lime) juice.
Place the bag in a deep bowl of water so that all the air comes out and tie it tightly so that the chicken and sauce components are evenly placed, but there is next to no air in the bag.
Take a deep saucepan (at least 5 liters), pour water almost to the top, and put it on high heat. As soon as the water boils, lower in the tied bag with the chicken breast so that it is entirely submerged and close the lid completely. Without removing the pan from the burner, turn off the heat and leave it on the hot burner for an hour.
After an hour, remove the bag from the water, dry the outside with a paper towel, carefully cut off the knot (the contents are hot; be very careful!), remove the chicken with tongs onto a plate, and pour the juice that has released during the cooking process into a small saucepan. Add a spoonful of starch to this mixture, mix well and heat until it thickens, then puree with an immersion blender until it becomes a sauce. Balance the flavors to your liking: adding a little more pepper and fresh basil is good.
Cut the chicken breast crosswise into slices, pour over the sauce, drizzle with olive oil; if you like, add a couple of drops of good balsamic vinegar or pomegranate sauce (nar-sharab or similar).
Serve with a green salad, boiled new potatoes, toasted bread, or whatever you like.
There will be some more sous-vide sauces in the next section.
