Sous Vide Chicken Thighs

Top view of crispy chicken thighs on cooling rack with herbs and lemon slices

Perfectly cooked inside and perfectly crispy outside, these sous vide chicken thighs are a juicy, tender treat. Cook with flavorful aromatics of your choice for a meal you’ll absolutely love!

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Keyword: Sous Vide

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 3

Servings:

Calories: 312kcal

Equipment

Sous Vide Circulator

Ingredients

4 chicken thighs
1/2 tsp salt or more
1 tbsp butter
aromatics optional*
2 tbsp oil with high smoke point**

Instructions

Preheat your sous vide water bath to 165° F (74° C).
Sprinkle the chicken thighs with salt to taste. Put them into a sous-vide-appropriate bag in a single layer (use multiple bags if necessary). Add the butter and any aromatics you choose. Seal the bag with a vacuum sealer or using the water displacement method.
When the water reaches the target temperature, put the bag in. Cook for 2 to 3 hours for bone-in chicken thighs, or 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours thighs.
Chill the chicken thighs (still in the bag). You can either put them in an ice bath or refrigerate them overnight.
Clean up the thighs. Remove and discard any large aromatics, such as sprigs of herbs. Pull off and set aside any gelatin or hardened butter. Pat the skin side dry with a paper towel.
Heat a pan on medium-high heat with the 2 tablespoons of oil in it. When it’s hot, put in the thighs skin-side down and sear until the skin is beautifully crispy and golden-brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the thighs over and cook skin-side up to warm through, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.
Finally, flip back to the skin side for 10-15 seconds to re-crisp.
Serve and enjoy!

Notes

* Let your imagination run wild here! Thyme, black pepper, oregano, rosemary, sumac, preserved lemons, cilantro, sage, sesame oil, chili slices, and so on. The thighs in this photoshoot were cooked with thyme, marjoram, and oregano, then finished with a gochujang and plum sauce.

** Good options include avocado oil, safflower oil, ghee, sunflower oil, and extra-light olive oil.

Nutrition