Sous Vide Chicken Thighs, Perfect for Meal Prep

Say goodbye to dry chicken, and hello to tender, succulent perfection when you cook it in a sous vide bath. The method used in this recipe will guarantee juicy, flavorful results every time. It’s a simple yet impressive process that’s sure to make sous vide chicken thighs one of your dinnertime favorites.

Bonus: Sous vide chicken thighs will be good for weeks, not days in the fridge.

Why Sous Vide Chicken Thighs Work

In my experience, it’s tough to find a chicken recipe that is hassle-free AND tastes good. The good news is that, when cooking sous vide, you get an excellent and highly repeatable result. The flavor and texture are hard to beat. And there is very little to it.

Here are a few reasons why sous vide chicken thighs work so well:

• Tender and Juicy: Because the chicken is sealed in its own juices, the results are tender and juicy meat that retains its natural flavors and moisture.
• Consistent Results: Because you’ve got precise temperature control, sous vide eliminates all the guesswork. It provides consistent and reliable outcomes every time.
• Enhanced Flavor: Seal the chicken thighs in a bag with seasonings, herbs, or marinades. The flavors will infuse and intensify during the sous vide process.
• Minimal Hands-On Time: Sous vide cooking requires minimal effort once you set the temperature and cooking time. You can simply let the chicken thighs cook while you focus on other tasks or relax.
• Versatility: Serve these sous vide chicken thighs as a standalone dish or incorporate them into various recipes. Sear, grill, or add them to salads, sandwiches, or pasta dishes.
• Ideal for Meal Prep: Sous vide chicken thighs will stay good for weeks in the fridge. With sous vide, you’re pasteurizing your chicken thighs.

Ingredient Notes

• Chicken Thighs – These can be bone-in or boneless, skin-on or skinless. This recipe is excellent because it’s versatile enough to adapt to whatever chicken you have on hand. 
• Salt and Pepper – These are the bare minimum seasonings you should use to enhance the flavor of the chicken thighs. 
• Other Seasonings (optional) – Get creative and try different spice blends! Changing up a few ingredients can lead to new recipe variations. Add garlic powder, paprika, or herbs to the chicken thighs one night and soy sauce, ginger, and honey another night. This way, you can keep this simple meal in the recipe rotation week after week. 

See recipe card for full ingredient list and quantities.

Equipment You’ll Need

Starting with the right equipment is the most important part of this recipe. If you don’t have a sous vide setup yet, our starter kit has got you covered. Here are the essential components:

1. Precision Cooker: The only indispensable tool for sous vide cooking. If you don’t already have one, here are a few of our favorites. 
2. Pot or Container: You’ll need a big pot or container capable of holding water and accommodating the chicken. I like to use a heat-resistant container that’s deep enough to submerge the portion I’m cooking.
3. Food-Grade Plastic Bags: You’ll need food-grade vacuum bags or heat-resistant, BPA-free Ziploc bags.
4. Vacuum Sealer (Optional): The water displacement method can remove air from the sous vide bags. But, a vacuum sealer simplifies time and effort.
5. Sous Vide Weights (Optional): It’s helpful to have a few sous vide weights on hand to ensure that the sealed bags are always fully submerged.

Easy Instructions

1. Set up your sous vide station. Preheat a water bath to 165°F (74°C).
2. Season the chicken. Coat both sides of the chicken thighs generously with salt, pepper, and any additional seasonings.
3. Seal the sous vide bags. Transfer the seasoned chicken thighs to a vacuum-sealable or resealable freezer bag. Seal the bags with a compatible vacuum sealer or water displacement method.
4. Submerge and cook. Place the sealed bag into the water bath, fully immersing the chicken thighs. Cook the chicken thighs for 1.5 to 4 hours.
5. Pat dry. Once the cooking time has elapsed, carefully remove the bag from the water bath. Then, transfer the thighs to a plate and pat them dry with a paper towel.
6. Sear the chicken thighs (optional). Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add a small amount of fat. Sear the chicken thighs on each side for 1-2 minutes until they develop a golden-brown crust. 
7. Enjoy! Serve the sous vide chicken thighs immediately.

Cooking Times

This recipe is excellent because it’s versatile enough to adapt to any chicken you have: boneless, bone-in, skinless, skin-on, thawed, or frozen. However, you’ll need to adjust the cooking time to account for these variables. 

Thawed chicken thighs

It doesn’t matter if they’re boneless or skinless; you’ll want to cook these for at least 1.5 to 2 hours. This will give you a juicy and tender texture. You can cook the chicken thighs for up to 4 hours if you want extra tenderness.

Frozen chicken thighs

For frozen chicken thighs, you’ll need to extend the cooking time an additional 1 to 1.5 hours. You should cook them for at least 2.5 to 4 hours.

Seasoning Tips

It’s super easy to enhance the taste of your sous vide chicken thighs by getting creative with flavor inclusions. 

Try adding aromatics like sliced onions, garlic cloves, ginger, or fresh herbs to the vacuum-sealed bag with the chicken thighs. The additional ingredients will infuse their flavors into the meat during cooking. 

Dry rubs are another simple way to add flair to your chicken thighs. Create a mixture of your favorite dried herbs and spices like paprika, cumin, or chili powder. Then, generously rub the seasonings into the chicken thighs before placing them in the vacuum seal bag.

Lastly, try placing a pat of butter, a drizzle of olive oil, or a glug of infused oil into the vacuum seal bag with the chicken thighs. It will add richness and a delectable depth of flavor.

From a meal prep perspective, you can add a simmer sauce after you’ve cooked the sous vide chicken thighs. Take the chicken out of the fridge and just add them to a jarred simmer sauce like chicken tikka or butter chicken.

Tips on Marinating Chicken Sous Vide

Who doesn’t like a good marinade. We certainly do. But there are some things to keep in mind with marinades when cooking sous vide.

With chicken, the simple rule of thumb is to marinate for no longer than 2 hours. Also, avoid cooking in citrus based or overtly salty marinades. You can marinate with them, just don’t leave them in the bag when you cook sous vide. Other marinades are fine to leave in the bag when you sous vide chicken.

Flavorful marinade ingredients like soy sauce, citrus juice, honey, herbs, garlic, or spices will take the resulting chicken to the next level. 

Sear After Cooking

You’ll always get the perfect internal doneness with sous vide cooking, but if you want a crispy caramelized exterior to your chicken, then you need to add a “searing” step.

Although there is a science to achieving the perfect sear, you can still get an awesome result without making things complicated.

Personally, I like to use a propane torch. It’s fast, easy to operate, and delivers a good result. But you could also sear in a skillet or on a hot grill.

There are a few simple things you can do to get better results.

First, ensure the chicken is completely dry before searing. Moisture detracts from the browning process, so removing as much of it as possible will promote a better sear. 

If you’re using a skillet, preheat on high first. Use a neutral oil with a high smoke point. This helps the chicken will brown without the oil scorching. 

If you’re searing chicken thighs with skin, place them skin-side down first. Gently press them to maximize contact between the skin and the hot skillet. And don’t forget to let them sear undisturbed until the skin turns golden brown and crispy. This way, the thighs won’t stick to the pan, and you’ll be able to enjoy the tasty, crackling crust. 

Lastly, once the chicken thighs are cooked and out of the pan, let them rest for a few minutes before serving. Just a couple of minutes will lock in the juices so that the thighs will be bursting with flavor. 

Sous Vide Chicken Thighs, Perfect for Meal Prep

Say goodbye to dry chicken, and hello to tender, succulent perfection when you cook it in a sous vide bath. The method used in this recipe will guarantee juicy, flavorful results every time. It's a simple yet impressive method that's sure to become one of your dinnertime favorites.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 2 hours hrs 5 minutes mins

Course Dinner, lunch

Cuisine American, Chinese, French, Indian, Italian, Japanese, Mediterranean, Mexican

Servings 4 people

Calories 206 kcal

Equipment

• 1 Sous vide machine
• 1 Container
• 1 Vacuum sealed bag or Ziploc Freezer bag

Ingredients

  

• 4 chicken thighs bone-in or boneless
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Optional seasonings (such as garlic powder, paprika, or herbs)

Instructions

 

• Preheat your water bath to 165°F (74°C) using a sous vide precision cooker.
  
• Season the chicken thighs generously with salt, pepper, and any additional seasonings you prefer. Make sure to coat both sides of the thighs.
• Place the seasoned chicken thighs in a vacuum-sealed or resealable freezer bag. If using a freezer bag, you can employ the water displacement method to remove most of the air. Slowly lower the bag into the water bath, allowing the pressure of the water to push the air out. Seal the bag once most of the air has been removed.
  
• Submerge the sealed bag into the water bath, fully immersing the chicken thighs.
  
• Cook the chicken thighs in the sous vide water bath for 1.5 to 2 hours. Once the cooking time has elapsed, carefully remove the bag from the water bath. Then, transfer the thighs to a plate and pat them dry with a paper towel.
  
• (Optional) Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add a small amount of fat. Sear the chicken thighs on each side for 1-2 minutes until they develop a golden-brown crust.
  
• Serve the sous vide chicken thighs immediately while they’re still warm.
  

Notes

• Two hours of cooking time suits both boneless and bone-in chicken thighs. 
• You can extend the cooking time to 4 hours if you prefer a more tender texture.
• If you’re starting with frozen chicken thighs, you’ll need to add an additional 1 to 1.5 hours to the total cooking time. I recommend 165°F for 4 hours for frozen chicken thighs.

Keyword Chicken, Easy, Meal Prep, Sous Vide

Notes on Safety

If you’re wondering whether you can refreeze chicken, read this. And please don’t leave your chicken sitting out too long.

FAQs – Sous Vide Chicken Thighs