Take the guesswork out of chicken with this recipe for juicy and flavorful Sous Vide Chicken Thighs, perfect for your next dinner party or family meal.
I still remember where I was when I first heard the term “sous vide.” It was about five years ago, and I was sitting on the couch as a string of commercials aired, each advertising some useless gadget or another. Somewhere in that stream of nonsense, I saw a man sliding various meats into a plastic bag and dunking them into a tub of water. It seemed like yet another silly gimmick, no different from the endless array of kitchen utensils that come and go.
Still, something about this particular commercial held my attention, and after watching the guy remove a piece of meat from one of those bags – in this case, a big hunk of chuck roast – I watched as he carved through the meat, and my jaw just about dropped. I had never seen chuck roast look like that before. Typically, when you slow cook a tough cut of meat like chuck roast, it will result in meat that is fall-apart tender, as in a pot roast. That’s your best-case scenario. But this commercial spokesman was carving through what, to my mind, resembled prime rib: each ribbon of beautiful red meat falling upon his cutting board, tender and yet firm.
I had to learn more. Since then, I’ve become an advocate of sorts for the sous vide method of cooking (which, in case you don’t know, is pronounced “soo-veed.”) It might sound fancy, but the technique is actually very simple. It involves vacuum-sealing your food and then cooking it in a temperature-regulated water bath. Again, it sounds complex, but it’s really not. In fact, I’d argue it might just be the easiest cooking method of all time. If you walk into a fine-dining kitchen, you’ll likely come across an elaborate sous vide setup, with a giant water tub and various metal devices with digital screens displaying numbers, all of which can be super intimidating. But if you’re cooking sous vide at home, you really only need three things:
First, you need a sous vide device, which you can purchase on Amazon for about $70. Then you’ll need some gallon-sized plastic food storage bags. Lastly, you’ll need a cooking pot. And that’s really it. You can up your game by purchasing a sous vide station and a vacuum sealing machine, but if you’re new to sous vide, I recommend keeping it simple. Start with this recipe for Sous Vide Chicken Thighs, because it’s a great example of what sous vide can do.
Why bother with sous vide?
That’s the main question I always hear when it comes to this method of cooking. People always want to know why they can’t just use normal cooking methods like the oven, the stovetop, or the broiler. To that I say: yes, of course you can cook your meat that way. But much like smoking your meats, sous vide can result in a unique flavor profile, texture and tenderness. It’s also a guaranteed way to ensure your meat is cooked through at exactly the right temperature, keeping it both fully cooked but also tender and juicy.
This chicken recipe is a great example of that. Here you have one of the most common cuts of meat, and yet sous vide will transform it into something truly special. There’s a reason chicken served at fancy restaurants tastes so much better – because there’s a good chance they’re also sous vide-ing their chicken.
So trust me when I say that this method of cooking chicken will have your guests floored, and no doubt they’ll tell you it’s some of the best chicken they’ve ever tasted.
How to Make Ahead and Store?
These chicken thighs will store great in an airtight container or plastic bag. For best results, reheat in the broiler to ensure your skin stays crispy.
Serving Suggestions
This chicken is ideal for any event, and you can adopt different seasonings and sauces to meet your favorite needs. If you’re looking for a great cookout-style version of chicken, I recommend taking inspiration from this recipe for BBQ Chicken Breast. You also can’t go wrong with a nice Mediterranean-style chicken dish, which would pair perfectly with this Rice Salad recipe.
Sous Vide Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs bone-in or boneless
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your sous vide machine to 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
- Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Place the seasoned chicken thighs in a single layer in a vacuum-seal bag or a zip-top plastic bag using the water displacement method.
- Seal the bag, ensuring there is no air left inside to allow for even cooking.
- Submerge the sealed bag in the preheated water bath, making sure the chicken thighs are fully immersed.
- Cook for 2 hours, maintaining the water temperature at 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
- Once cooked, remove the chicken thighs from the bag and pat them dry with paper towels.
- For a crispy skin, sear the chicken thighs in a hot skillet with a little oil for 1-2 minutes on each side until the skin is golden brown.
- Serve the chicken thighs immediately, or chill and reheat later if desired.
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