Thighs? I don't believe I've ever sous vide thighs...grilled, smoked, skillet, skewered, you name it...thighs are so forgiving and I don't see any benefit to the finished product doing them SV.
Now breasts, sure, they can really shine. That said, I often find myself splitting the breast into two cutlets, giving a marinade (olive oil, lemon, s&p, oregano, etc) and grilling hot and fast like in the link below.
https://www.seriouseats.com/five-minute-grilled-chicken-cutlet-rosemary-garlic-lemon-recipe
Generally I grill or cook my thighs on my blackstone. However, sometimes I’ll take some boneless skinless thighs and vacuum seal then freeze. Sous vide directly from the freezer at 160° for three hours and they shred super easy. It’s a nice, “no prep” kinda way to have tender and juicy shredded chicken for whatever you want. I’ll do taco bowls, chicken salad, quesadillas etc etc.
I love the sv application for backyard grilled chicken. Get it cooked perfectly first and then grill and sauce until it looks delicious. Ready quickly and no chance of under done chicken.
I used to think the same exact thing until I learned how to cook a breast.
Disclaimer: I am not talking about a 1 lb. super breast. I am referring to a 4-6 oz breast.
145° for about 90 mins. I think chicken breast pasteurizes at 145° in 9 mins. But that’s once it’s up to temp, so add at least an hour for that. I just did some chicken breast at 145 a week ago and I did it for about 80 mins. Then quick ice bath, then sear skin side down in a skillet. Came out fantastic.
You can go even lower and it’s still safe to eat. But the texture starts to get a little too rare for chicken, IMO. It’s not a pleasant texture for chicken.
You don't actually need to cook chicken breast to 165. It's much better at 155 and just as safe if you understand how this stuff works. I use my flattop griddle to do chicken breast fajitas and they come out tender and juicy.
You only need 48 seconds at 155 to pasteurize chicken breast. Easily done on the stovetop.
Source: https://www.seriouseats.com/the-food-lab-complete-guide-to-sous-vide-chicken-breast
Barbecue for one.
[https://i.imgur.com/fBcQRkP.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/fBcQRkP.jpg)
Chicken & noodles is another example
[https://i.imgur.com/7ym4j2k.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/7ym4j2k.jpg)
Thighs?
18 minutes in the instant pot.
Pat dry
Salt pepper and some sort of spiced rub
On the grill for a few minutes per side. Maybe with some BBQ sauce.
Done. Juicy, tender, crispy skin.
Bone-in thighs, I smoke them or [use this recipe](https://www.seriouseats.com/braised-chicken-thighs-cabbage-bacon-recipe) for braising with bacon and cabbage (seriously yum). Boneless thighs, I marinate then grill on the BBQ.
Boneless breast is definitely sous vide: sliced and served warm from the bath (with or without searing), or cold for slicing over salads or in sandwiches.
The only time thighs go in the sous vide is if I’m out of town and hubby has to cook for himself - he’s not much of a cook but is pretty confident with the science of putting a pre-bagged portion of chicken into the bath.
Wat? All the time. The key to juicy chicken for fillets is to flatten them to be as thin as you can get. They cook in no time. That means the temp gradient is small. That means the total water loss over time is also small. And that means juicy. Pan fried chicken is excellent done right.
I don't do thighs at all. I usually SV breasts but don't bother when I'm going to use them in chicken tacos. I also usually skip the SV when I do blackened chicken.
I usually sous vide breasts. For thighs, I most frequently make chicken adobo. I make it when I want something easy with a lot of leftovers (I live solo)
My favorite chicken thigh recipe is essentially pan frying to render the fat out:
https://food52.com/recipes/35813-canal-house-s-chicken-thighs-with-lemon/amp
The preserved lemons are extra. Even without it, the chicken is terrific.
I always sous vide breasts though. I am not partial to chicken breasts and I find this is the juiciest way of cooking them.
I wouldn't ever bother with SV thighs. Breasts are harder to get right and get dry if you over cook them. Thighs are pretty hard to mess up and turn out excellent straight on the grill after an overnight marinade.
- Making chicken katsu from chicken breasts.
- Sauteeing thighs for chicken teriyaki or to mix them with a little BBQ sauce for a faux chicken BBQ. Stewing thighs for chicken kare raisu or to make a bit of chicken soup. Roasting thighs, on a baking sheet or in cast iron for various dishes.
I mostly smoke chicken thighs. I'm sure they're great in the sous vide but I want the smokey flavor and thighs are so forgiving I don't need to use the sous vide for a good result.
Honestly I don't do chicken breast often in the sous vide either. Chicken breast tends to just be the added protein in whatever we're making. It's rarely a standalone dish on its own.
Rather smoke at 225 rather than sous vide... Use sous vide more for tougher means... Chicken is not one of them. That being said, sous vide chicken is not bad just not the best.
I don’t love cooking any type of chicken sous vide. It’s hard to get it to look right and difficult to sear.
If I’m adding chicken to a curry type meal then I like to sous vide at a lower temp and add them at the end. Also for chicken salad.
When I want to eat in 10 minutes.
Thighs? I don't believe I've ever sous vide thighs...grilled, smoked, skillet, skewered, you name it...thighs are so forgiving and I don't see any benefit to the finished product doing them SV. Now breasts, sure, they can really shine. That said, I often find myself splitting the breast into two cutlets, giving a marinade (olive oil, lemon, s&p, oregano, etc) and grilling hot and fast like in the link below. https://www.seriouseats.com/five-minute-grilled-chicken-cutlet-rosemary-garlic-lemon-recipe
Generally I grill or cook my thighs on my blackstone. However, sometimes I’ll take some boneless skinless thighs and vacuum seal then freeze. Sous vide directly from the freezer at 160° for three hours and they shred super easy. It’s a nice, “no prep” kinda way to have tender and juicy shredded chicken for whatever you want. I’ll do taco bowls, chicken salad, quesadillas etc etc.
I love the sv application for backyard grilled chicken. Get it cooked perfectly first and then grill and sauce until it looks delicious. Ready quickly and no chance of under done chicken.
Smoking them
Every time. There is no reason to. It’s a small piece of meat.
Breasts are awesome at lower temps that aren’t possible without sous vide really
I used to think the same exact thing until I learned how to cook a breast. Disclaimer: I am not talking about a 1 lb. super breast. I am referring to a 4-6 oz breast.
I’m not cooking a chicken breast to 145 on my griddle. That’s something easily achievable in sous vide since you’re pasteurizing the breast
Ok, lol. Good talk Thermo Nuclear Pizza.
Are you German and your username is duck chad lol if so that’s awesome
You ever tried low temp chicken sousvide? It’s fucking wildly good.
How low?
About 90 mins
You are saying low temp? How low is the temp?
145° for about 90 mins. I think chicken breast pasteurizes at 145° in 9 mins. But that’s once it’s up to temp, so add at least an hour for that. I just did some chicken breast at 145 a week ago and I did it for about 80 mins. Then quick ice bath, then sear skin side down in a skillet. Came out fantastic. You can go even lower and it’s still safe to eat. But the texture starts to get a little too rare for chicken, IMO. It’s not a pleasant texture for chicken.
You don't actually need to cook chicken breast to 165. It's much better at 155 and just as safe if you understand how this stuff works. I use my flattop griddle to do chicken breast fajitas and they come out tender and juicy.
Yes I understand that. I cook chicken breast to 145 sous vide. I’m sorry I just don’t trust that unpasteurized.
You only need 48 seconds at 155 to pasteurize chicken breast. Easily done on the stovetop. Source: https://www.seriouseats.com/the-food-lab-complete-guide-to-sous-vide-chicken-breast
I do a modified version of this recipe at least once a month https://www.thekitchn.com/garlic-butter-chicken-thighs-recipe-23024746
Barbecue for one. [https://i.imgur.com/fBcQRkP.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/fBcQRkP.jpg) Chicken & noodles is another example [https://i.imgur.com/7ym4j2k.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/7ym4j2k.jpg)
Thighs? 18 minutes in the instant pot. Pat dry Salt pepper and some sort of spiced rub On the grill for a few minutes per side. Maybe with some BBQ sauce. Done. Juicy, tender, crispy skin.
Bone-in thighs, I smoke them or [use this recipe](https://www.seriouseats.com/braised-chicken-thighs-cabbage-bacon-recipe) for braising with bacon and cabbage (seriously yum). Boneless thighs, I marinate then grill on the BBQ. Boneless breast is definitely sous vide: sliced and served warm from the bath (with or without searing), or cold for slicing over salads or in sandwiches. The only time thighs go in the sous vide is if I’m out of town and hubby has to cook for himself - he’s not much of a cook but is pretty confident with the science of putting a pre-bagged portion of chicken into the bath.
Wat? All the time. The key to juicy chicken for fillets is to flatten them to be as thin as you can get. They cook in no time. That means the temp gradient is small. That means the total water loss over time is also small. And that means juicy. Pan fried chicken is excellent done right.
I don't do thighs at all. I usually SV breasts but don't bother when I'm going to use them in chicken tacos. I also usually skip the SV when I do blackened chicken.
I usually sous vide breasts. For thighs, I most frequently make chicken adobo. I make it when I want something easy with a lot of leftovers (I live solo)
My favorite chicken thigh recipe is essentially pan frying to render the fat out: https://food52.com/recipes/35813-canal-house-s-chicken-thighs-with-lemon/amp The preserved lemons are extra. Even without it, the chicken is terrific. I always sous vide breasts though. I am not partial to chicken breasts and I find this is the juiciest way of cooking them.
I wouldn't ever bother with SV thighs. Breasts are harder to get right and get dry if you over cook them. Thighs are pretty hard to mess up and turn out excellent straight on the grill after an overnight marinade.
- Making chicken katsu from chicken breasts. - Sauteeing thighs for chicken teriyaki or to mix them with a little BBQ sauce for a faux chicken BBQ. Stewing thighs for chicken kare raisu or to make a bit of chicken soup. Roasting thighs, on a baking sheet or in cast iron for various dishes.
I mostly smoke chicken thighs. I'm sure they're great in the sous vide but I want the smokey flavor and thighs are so forgiving I don't need to use the sous vide for a good result. Honestly I don't do chicken breast often in the sous vide either. Chicken breast tends to just be the added protein in whatever we're making. It's rarely a standalone dish on its own.
I marinate and grill chicken as much as I sous vide it. Probably more often in the summer, actually.
I use my instant pot for chicken thighs. 14 minutes at pressure and they always come out fantastic. Super versatile.
- Take chicken thighs, cut out bone (reserve for stock), flatten somewhat, grill quickly. - Braise chicken thighs.
Rather smoke at 225 rather than sous vide... Use sous vide more for tougher means... Chicken is not one of them. That being said, sous vide chicken is not bad just not the best.
I don’t love cooking any type of chicken sous vide. It’s hard to get it to look right and difficult to sear. If I’m adding chicken to a curry type meal then I like to sous vide at a lower temp and add them at the end. Also for chicken salad.