Sous Vide Cajun-Spiced Chicken Thighs with Oregano Asparagus

Anova Culinary

Chicken, like fish, is quite delicate when it comes to sous vide cooking – but with the correct time and temperature, this delicate meat comes out juicy and tender. And the addition of cajun spices makes this dish full of flavour. In this recipe we’ve used chicken thighs for extra moistness and served it with some herb-loaded asparagus.

Author

Christina Wylie

Christina Wylie is an award-winning writer, author, editor, food stylist, recipe creator, entrepreneur and radio host whose work has been featured in The Times & The Sunday Times, Time Out (Melbourne, Sydney, Hong Kong and Dubai), Traveler’s Digest, Fah Thai Magazine, Broadsheet, Wining & Dining and many other internationally renowned publications. In 2013, after almost a decade of working as an international journalist, Christina founded the online lifestyle magazine The GAB Magazine, for which she now leads a team of 60 writers based all across Australia. She then founded Samui Life Magazine in 2016. After working as a recipe creator for Anova Culinary for over a year, she signed a cookbook contract with the American-based, international publishing company Quarto. Her cookbook, titled The Sous Vide Kitchen: Techniques, Ideas, and More Than 100 Recipes to Cook at Home, was published worldwide in 2017. She wrote, styled, and photographed everything that you see within that book. In 2017 she opened her first restaurant, Bootlegger, in Koh Samui, Thailand. She is currently in the initial stages of launching Bootlegger 2 in Phuket in 2018, and is looking to open Bootlegger 3 in Bangkok in 2019. She is currently working towards stepping into the world of food and travel presenting. As an entrepreneur herself, Christina co-founded the charity initiative Project Gen Z in 2015 to teach orphaned Cambodian children entrepreneurial skills. A British expat born and raised in Hong Kong, Christina has worked across the globe, and has lived in Thailand, London, Hong Kong, Australia and South Africa over the years.

Prep Time: 00:25

Recipe Time: 02:00

Temperature : 149.9F / 65.5C

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Set the Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 147ºF (64.5ºC).
  2. Season chicken with Cajun spice rub. Place in a medium zipper lock or vacuum seal bag. Seal the bag using the water immersion technique or a vacuum sealer on the dry setting. Place in the water bath and set the timer for 2 hours.
  3. About 10 minutes before the chicken is finished, begin preparing the asparagus: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the asparagus and oregano. Season with salt and pepper.
  4. Sauté, stirring frequently, until the asparagus begins to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon water and cook, stirring, until the water evaporates, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat until the chicken is finished.

Finishing Steps

  1. When the timer goes off, remove the bag from the water bath. Remove the chicken from the bag and pour cooking liquid into the pan with the asparagus.
  2. Return the asparagus to medium-high heat and cook, stirring frequently, until all of the moisture have evaporated, 3 to 5 minutes.
  3. Transfer asparagus to a serving plate, season to taste with salt and pepper, and cover to keep warm.
  4. Heat the remaining tablespoon olive oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the chicken. Sear until well-browned on both sides, about 1 minute total.
  5. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and slice into bite-sized pieces. Serve alongside the asparagus.