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Sous Vide Chicken Thighs – tender and juicy chicken thighs that are cooked perfectly every time! Complete with a crispy skin they make a delicious and easy dinner everyone will love.
Chicken is a staple in pretty much every diet across America. It is a relatively inexpensive protein that is available at every store. But, let’s face it chicken can be boring!
Chicken thighs tend to have more flavor, and be less dry and boring than chicken breasts. Plus they are often cheaper, which is a double win! When you cook them sous vide, it takes them to a whole new level you will be asking for again and again.
I shared this Sous Vide Chicken Breasts recipe before, and if you have tried it, you know it is pretty much a life changing way to cook chicken.
Table of Contents
- How To Flavor Chicken Thighs
- Boneless vs Bone In Chicken Thighs
- How To Cook Sous Vide Chicken Thighs
- How Long Do You Sous Vide Chicken Thighs
- Can You Sous Vide Frozen Chicken Thighs
- How To Get Crispy Chicken Skin
- What To Do With Sous Vide Chicken Thighs
- More Sous Vide Recipes
- Sous Vide Chicken Thighs Recipe
How To Flavor Chicken Thighs
The options here are literally endless, you really can season however you want. Start with salt and pepper at the very least, but after that you can go crazy. If you have a favorite spice blend this would be a great use for it.
- Add 2 smashed cloves of garlic and 2 sprigs of rosemary in the bag with the chicken.
- Use Best Dry Rub and top with barbecue sauce to serve.
- Taco seasoning – make extra and shred the chicken for tacos another night of the week.
- Greek Spice Blend – a mix of oregano, garlic, lemon, and a few red pepper flakes.
Boneless vs Bone In Chicken Thighs
This is really up to you, both work really well and both take about the same amount of time. So it really is what you prefer when making this recipe. I tend to buy whatever is on sale that week, and use that. So we have eaten it both ways.
Make sure to use SKIN ON chicken thighs. This really helps the chicken stay even more moist and tender, plus you can get the crispy skin afterwards that makes them even better.
How To Cook Sous Vide Chicken Thighs
- Season the chicken well on both sides. Here you can get very creative or go basic. Start with salt and pepper and then go from there. Here I am using paprika and chili powder.
- Place chicken thighs inside your plastic bag and if using a vacuum sealer, seal the bag. If you do not have a vacuum sealer, you can use a zip top bag that you seal almost all the way. Slowly add the bag to the water bath until just below the top is submerged. Then seal the rest of the bag to ensure most of the air is out.
- Submerge the bag of chicken in a water bath that is set to 165º F.
- After 2-5 hours (see the chart below for cook times and what they mean) remove from the water and place the chicken thighs on a paper towel lined plate. Pat the them dry.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Once the oil is shimmering you know it is hot enough.
- Carefully place the chicken in the pan and cook for about a minute on each side, until it is nicely browned.
- Remove from the pan and serve.
How Long Do You Sous Vide Chicken Thighs
Start by answering the question what texture do you want your chicken? Do you want it to be fall off the bone tender, or do you want tender (still eat it with a knife and fork) and super juicy?
Fall Of The Bone – Cook 165º F for 4-5 hours
Tender and Juicy – Cook 165º F 2-3 hours
Can You Sous Vide Frozen Chicken Thighs
Yes, you absolutely can. I love when I get home from the store to season the meat and package it, so it is ready to go before I freeze it. That way, when I am short on time during the week, I can just take it out of the freezer and throw it in the sous vide bath. Add an extra 45 minutes to your cook time if you are using frozen chicken.
How To Get Crispy Chicken Skin
Like when you are making anything else in the sous vide, when you take it out of the water bath, it looks blah and not appetizing. So you want to sear it in a hot skillet, or like Sous Vide Ribs you can use the grill or broiler.
When working with chicken thighs, add a little oil to a skillet and heat over high heat, until the oil is shimmering. Then add the chicken and brown for just a minute, until it is golden and crispy.
When you are searing it, you want to make sure the pan is super hot, so you don’t cook the chicken further, you really just want the skin to get crispy. The chicken is already fully cooked, so the less time in the pan the better.
What To Do With Sous Vide Chicken Thighs
At our house we tend to just enjoy them as is, but it is also a great way to meal prep and get ahead for the week. Here are a few great recipes to use leftover chicken thighs for.
- Chicken Salad with Grapes
- Chinese Chicken Salad
- Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup
- Avocado Chicken Salad
- Chicken Bacon Avocado Quesadillas
I use the Joule by Breville Sous Vide, and I highly recommend it. It works very well, the temperature is accurate and it is reliable. I have used 2 others in the past few years that have not lasted.
More Sous Vide Recipes
- Sous Vide Steak
- Sous Vide Lamb Chops
- Sous Vide Pork Loin
- Sous Vide Mashed Potatoes
- Sous Vide Tri Tip
- Sous Vide Pork Chops
Sous Vide Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs, skin on
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
Instructions
- Preheat water bath to 165º F.
- Season the chicken well on both sides with salt, chili powder, paprika and pepper.
- Place chicken thighs inside your plastic bag and if using a vacuum sealer, seal the bag. If you do not have a vacuum sealer, you can use a zip top bag that you seal almost all the way. Slowly add the bag to the water bath until just below the top is submerged. Then seal the rest of the bag to ensure most of the air is out.
- Submerge the bag of chicken in a water bath that is set to 165º F.
- After 2-5 hours (see the chart below for cook times)) remove from the water and place the chicken thighs on a paper towel lined plate. Pat the them dry.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Once the oil is shimmering you know it is hot enough.
- Carefully place the chicken in the pan and cook for about a minute on each side, until it is nicely browned.
- Remove from the pan and serve.
Notes
Fall Of The Bone – Cook 165º F for 4-5 hours
Tender and Juicy – Cook 165º F 2-3 hours
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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