Select your protein, its thickness, and your target doneness to get a water bath temperature and time range.
Sous vide cooks food in a precisely controlled water bath, so the final internal temperature of the food essentially matches the water temperature — that's what determines doneness. Time in the bath needs to be long enough for the center of the food to reach that same temperature (which depends on thickness) and, for food safety at lower temperatures, long enough to pasteurize the interior.
Source: Temperature and time guidance follows widely published sous vide references such as ChefSteps and Serious Eats' sous vide temperature/time charts.
Because the water bath is held at the exact target temperature, the food can never get hotter than the bath itself — so once it reaches that temperature, extra time mostly affects texture (very long times can eventually make meat mushy) rather than pushing doneness past your target.
Chicken doesn't have the same rare-to-well-done spectrum as beef; at typical sous vide chicken temperatures (150°F held long enough), it's fully pasteurized and safe while remaining noticeably juicier than chicken cooked hotter on a stovetop or grill.
For a browned crust and better flavor, yes — a quick, very hot sear in a pan or with a torch after the water bath is standard practice, since the bath itself won't brown the surface.
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