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Sous Vide Chicken Wings Recipe: The PERFECT Wings

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I love chicken wings. I’ve tested making them all sorts of ways over the years. Friends, this is the 3-step method that provides the best results consistently. Prepare yourself for the perfect chicken wings. Juicy meat, crispy skin. Perfection.

Chicken wings in a dish in a classic buffalo sauce. View from atop.

What sets this method for cooking chicken wings apart from others is anchored in using two techniques: sous vide and dry brining. In addition to frying, of course.

Step 1 – Why Sous Vide Chicken Wings

Cooking sous vide doesn’t just ensure the chicken meat is perfectly cooked. It’s particularly effective with chicken wings because it takes away any chewiness by melting away the collagen-rich connective tissue.

In addition, cooking sous vide tenderizes the meat and dials up the chicken flavor. There’s no better way to amp up the juiciness than to cook the wings in their own juices, low and slow. Yeah baby, as my three year would say.

Chicken wings in a sous vide bath.

Step 2 – Why Dry Brine Chicken Wings

After I sous vide I dry brine the wings overnight. Dry brining deeply seasons the meat. Dry brining also helps the meat retain its natural moisture while cooking. Furthermore, it aids in creating crispier skin on the wings as the meat’s surface will be drier than it has ever been. That’s three wins for dry brining, if you’re counting.

Chicken wings on a wire rack with salt being sprinkled on them.

Step 3 – Why Fry Sous Vide Chicken Wings

Frying sous vide wings as the final step is the best way to keep crisp the skin without overcooking the meat. You need the most intense blast of heat and no doubt the oil helps in crisping.

Chicken wings being fried in a wok with a spider strainer moving a wing.

Benefits of This Method for Wings

This is the perfect combination of methods to produce a fantastic chicken wing. That in itself should be enough.

Added bonus, you can sous vide frozen chicken wings perfectly safely, without the need to thaw. Just add a half an hour to your cook time. I keep a bag of party wings in my freezer at all times.

Need more? You’re par cooking the wings to finish quickly when the time comes. You can freeze the wings sous vide after the dry brine to have on hand for a quick fry whenever you like.

Last one. You cook the chicken wing meat exactly to your liking in an easily repeatable way. I like 160°F for 1.5 hours. Play with the temperature in 5 degree increments. Extend the time up or down by half an hour. You do you. Once you’ve found your golden temp and time, play on repeat.

Time and Temperature Range for Sous Vide Chicken Wings

My general guidance would be to stay between 140-175°F for temperature and 1-3 hours for time. Time and temp should be treated as inversely correlated. In other words, if you’re cooking at a lower temp like 140°F use the longer cook time of 3 hours. If you’re cooking at 175°F, 1 hour will suffice.

One thing to note is that collagen begins to melt at 160°F. That’s why my two base recommended temperatures are at or above 160°F. At the end, an internal temp of 175°F is ideal for chicken wings, which we get to with deep frying to finish.

Drawbacks of This Method for Wings

Time. Not labor intensive time, but time nonetheless. It does take some forethought.

If this is a real issue for you, and if you have an air fryer, you can use their fryer for about three minutes a side after cooking sous vide for pretty darn good chicken wings. You could skip the dry brining step with this method, saving you A LOT of time.

Closeup of fried chicken wings on a paper towel lined baking sheet.

Ingredients

Sous Vide Wings

  • Chicken wings
  • Kosher salt
  • Peanut oil

Buffalo Sauce

  • Frank’s RedHot Buffalo Wing Sauce
  • Butter
  • Garlic powder
  • Pepper

See recipe card for full ingredient list and quantities.

Substitutions

In place of peanut oil, canola oil or corn oil are also great oils to fry chicken.

If you don’t have Frank’s RedHot Buffalo Wing Sauce on hand, but you do have Frank’s RedHot Sauce, you can just add a stick of butter per one cup of the sauce. You can also use any sauce of your choosing.

If you don’t have garlic powder or pepper, no big deal.

Special Equipment Needed

Step-by-Step Directions

  1. Set your sous vide machine to 160°F.
  2. Bag the chicken wings. Use a vacuum sealer or water displacement method to void the bag of air. You may need to portion the wings into more than one bag. Drop the bag into the sous vide bath for 2 hours when it reaches temp.
  3. Remove wings from the bag(s), wipe off gelatin and pat dry. Set wings on a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet and salt. Place uncovered in fridge for at least 8 hours and up to 48 hours or so.
  4. Just before serving, heat Frank’s, butter, garlic powder and pepper in a small saucepan. Use medium-low heat. Stir occasionally. The sauce is ready when the butter has completely melted.
  5. Fry the wings in small batches in 400°F oil in a deep pot or wok. Do your best to keep the oil at 400°F by adjusting the heat. Move the wings around occasionally with a skimmer or spider strainer to ensure all sides are cooked evenly. You’re looking for a golden brown color, which should take 3-4 minutes. If it takes longer, your oil isn’t hot enough.
  6. Dry the wings on a paper towel. Add them to a bowl along with the hot sauce and toss to coat.
Chicken wings being tossed with tongs in buffalo sauce.

Modifications

Adjust the time and temperature to your liking. If you like wings with some springiness to them versus fall off the bone tender, try 165°F for 1 hour.

Use any sauce of your liking.

You can finish the wings another way rather than frying if you prefer. See below for what works for the various methods of finishing sous vide chicken wings from our experience. Ultimately, you’re looking for a golden brown.

Sous Vide Chicken Wing Finishing Time and Temp by Method

MethodTemperatureTimeNotes
Deep fry400°F3-4 minutesPREFERRED METHOD
Air fryer400°F10-12 minutesflip halfway through
Oven475°F6-8 minutesflip halfway through
Grillas hot as it gets4-6 minutesflip halfway through
Smoker225°F2 hourscrank the heat up at the end

You can skip the dry brining step if you need to save time. If you do, salt before you cook the chicken wings sous vide. Make sure you pat the wings dry before finishing, unless you are smoking the sous vide chicken wings to finish.

chicken wings in a dish, view from 3 quarter angle

Chicken Wings Expert Tips

FAQs – Chicken Wings Sous Vide

How long does it take to sous vide chicken wings?

You can sous vide chicken wings in as little as an hour at 165°F. I prefer my chicken wings at 160°F cooked for two hours.

Can I sous vide frozen chicken wings?

Yes, you can sous vide frozen chicken wings. Just add half an hour to your normal sous vide time. Here, you can find our ranking of methods on how to cook frozen chicken wings.

How long should I sous vide frozen chicken wings for?

You should sous vide frozen chicken wings half an hour longer than you would sous vide refrigerated chicken wings. At 165°F, I would sous vide frozen chicken wings for 90 minutes. At 160°F, I would sous vide frozen chicken wings for 2.5 hours.

How do I reheat chicken wings?

You can reheat chicken wings in the oven at 350°F for 12 minutes flipping once. Take the wings out of the fridge while your oven is preheating. For a quicker method you can pan fry with a little oil for 3 minutes a side.

Chicken wings cooked buffalo style in a dish, view from atop.

Sous Vide Chicken Wings Recipe: The PERFECT Wings

Rishi
3 steps to the perfect sous vide chicken wings. There's no better way to prepare chicken wings. Juicy meat, crispy skin—perfection.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Inactive Cook Time 10 hours
Total Time 10 hours 30 minutes
Course Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 6
Calories 470 kcal

Equipment

  • Sous vide machine
  • Deep pot or wok
  • Wire rack & baking sheet

Ingredients
  

Chicken Wings

  • 4 lbs chicken wings
  • Kosher salt
  • Peanut oil or canola oil or corn oil

Buffalo Sauce

  • 1 cup Frank's RedHot Wing Sauce or Frank's RedHot Sauce + 1 stick of butter
  • 4 tbsp butter (half a stick)
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp garlic powder

Instructions
 

Chicken Wings

  • Set your sous vide machine to 160°F
  • Bag the chicken wings in a single layer. Use a vacuum sealer or water displacement method to void the bag of air. Drop the bag into the sous vide bath for 2 hours when it reaches temp.
    Chicken wings in a sous vide bath.
  • Remove wings from the bag(s), wipe off gelatin and pat dry. Set wings on a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet and salt. Place uncovered in fridge for at least 8 hours and up to 48 hours.
    Chicken wings on a wire rack with salt being sprinkled on them.
  • Just before serving, heat Frank's, butter, garlic powder and pepper in a small saucepan. Use medium-low heat. Stir occasionally. The sauce is ready when the butter has completely melted.
    hot sauce being stirred in pot
  • Fry the wings in small batches in 400°F oil in a deep pot. Do your best to keep the oil at 400°F by adjusting the heat. Move the wings around occasionally with a skimmer or spider strainer to ensure all sides are cooked evenly. You're looking for a golden brown color, which should take 3-4 minutes. If it takes longer, your oil isn't hot enough.
    Chicken wings being fried in a wok with a spider strainer moving a wing.
  • Dry the wings on a paper towel. Add them to a bowl along with the hot sauce and toss to coat.
    Chicken wings being tossed with tongs in buffalo sauce.

Notes

You may need to portion the wings into more than one bag for cooking sous vide.
For springier wings, cook at 165°F for one hour.
You can sous vide frozen wings. Just add half an hour to the sous vide time.
Serve with blue cheese or ranch dressing, celery and carrots.
You can finish the wings another way rather than frying if you prefer. See below for what works for the various methods of finishing chicken wings from our experience.
Sous Vide Chicken Wing Finishing Time and Temp By Method
Method
Temperature
Time
Notes
Deep fry
400°F
3-4 minutes
PREFERRED METHOD
Air fryer
400°F
10-12 minutes
flip halfway through
Oven
475°F
10-12 minutes
flip halfway through
Grill
as hot as it gets
6-10 minutes
flip halfway through
Smoker
225°F
2 hours
crank the heat up at the end
You can skip the dry brining step if you need to save time. If you do, salt before you cook the chicken wings sous vide. Make sure you pat the wings dry before finishing, unless you are smoking the chicken wings to finish.
Keyword Appetizers, Chicken Wings, Football Food, Keto

Author

  • rishi photo

    Rishi is an avid home chef and the owner-operator of Top Sous Vide. He's been cooking sous vide for over 7 years and loves experimenting with new foods. Whether it's a simple family dinner for his wife and 3 kids or an elaborate meal for a group of friends, his food is always a crowd pleaser!

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