I own an Anova cooker that I’ve not yet used for sous vide cooking - and I’m wondering about the possibility of an alternative usage: I want to do a classic french dish where an entire chicken is poached into a broth, that has to be kept at 160°F for 4.5 hours. I wonder if the Anova cooker can be used for this? Is it ok to have it into a broth instead of clean water? Will I be able to properly wash it after use?
The chicken would be into a non sealed plastic wrap (preventing small parts from the chicken to migrate into the broth) and limiting - but not preventing - the chicken exposure to water.
You can be looking for trouble when you look for alternative uses for purpose built cooking appliances. Perhaps you have not quite yet grasped the concept of sous vide in SV cooking.
Don’t do it using any circulator unless you are looking forward to a long and arduous cleaning session.
That variation of the classic Poule au Pot or Potée Normande is most frequently done these days in a bain marie using a temperature controlled power supply maintaing temperature in a slow cooker, - aka crock pot.
To employ the SV technique use a large Zip-Loc freezer bag to hold both the chicken and stock ensuring the cavity is completely filled. Then SV cook in your water bath and enjoy using your pristine Anava correctly in the future.
Your timing is about right for a fryer. I use 7 hours for a larger free-range chicken. It’s not an item i cook frequently.