Sous Vide Crispy Chicken Thighs with Honey and Lemon

Skin-on chicken is great — as long as the skin is super crisp. That means these thighs must get finished in a skillet after cooking. Weighing the thighs down in the fridge for a few hours gives the chicken skin an even cooking surface — it will all turn out nice and crisp. The drizzle of honey and lemon is just a lightly sweet and tangy addition that makes these chicken thighs irresistible. Note: To de-bone the chicken thighs, first flip the thigh skin side down. Locate the bone. (It should be obvious.) Using the tip of a sharp knife, make an incision down the length of the bone. Gradually peel the chicken meat away from the bone by making short, quick, flicking cuts with the tip of the knife. Grab one end of the bone and pull it off of the meat, again making short flicking motions with the knife. Once the bone has been pulled away from the meat, cut the second end of the bone from the thigh. Trim off any remaining cartilage or fat from the thigh.

Author

Barbara Freda

I grew up in a cooking family and after getting a degree in Spanish and Anthropology, realized what I really wanted to do was to go to culinary school. After working in a NYC bank for a few years, I managed to get to culinary school and got my first jobs in NYC kitchens, including a long stint at Union Square Cafe in its earliest years. After (sadly) leaving NYC, I realized I needed to step away from the 80-hour work weeks, so I left the heat of the kitchen for the cool of the computer keyboard: I started writing about food, the business of food, and technology in the food industry, as well as teaching cooking classes. Recipe development remains one of my top loves, and the opportunity to develop recipes for Anova has been fun every step of the way.

Prep Time: 01:20

Recipe Time: 01:30

Temperature : 150F / 65.6C

Ingredients

• 2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons honey
• Juice from 1/2 lemon
• 1 tablespoon chopped, fresh herbs, your choice
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• Flaky sea salt or other finishing salt

Directions

1. Set the Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 150ºF (65.5ºC).
2. While water is heating, de-bone the chicken thighs. Generously season with salt and pepper and place in a large zipper lock bag. Seal the bag using the water immersion technique and place in the water bath. Set the timer for 1 1/2 hours.
3. When the timer goes off, remove the bag from the water bath and transfer to an ice bath. Let the chicken cool completely. Place the bag of cooled chicken on a plate and arrange chicken into a flat layer. Cover with a second plate and weigh down with a heavy skillet. Refrigerate for 1 hour, or up to overnight.
4. While the chicken rests, make the honey lemon dressing: Mix honey with lemon juice, fresh herbs, and cayenne. Season to taste with salt.

Finishing Steps

1. When ready to serve, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large cast iron or heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the chicken thighs skin side up. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook for 2 minutes.
2. Remove the lid, flip the thighs, and cook over medium heat until the skin is super crisp, about 8 minutes.
3. Transfer the thighs to a plate and drizzle with honey lemon dressing. Sprinkle with finishing salt and serve.