Sous Vide Chicken Thighs with Lemon Sauce

This is another dish inspired by Marcella Hazan. I altered it a long time ago to use just boneless, skinless chicken thighs (instead of a whole, cut-up chicken), which lend themselves nicely to sous vide. The sauce is like magic, the lemony egg yolks thickening the well-reduced beef stock in the skillet. Using beef stock may seem odd with the chicken but it holds up well to the meaty chicken thighs. This is a family favorite in regular rotation.

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: 00:30

Recipe Time: 02:00

Temperature : 149.9F / 65.5C

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup beef stock
• Juice of 2 lemons (about 1/4 cup)
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Chopped fresh parsley, for serving

Directions

1. Set the Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 150ºF (65.5ºC).
2. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Divide between 2 large zipper lock or vacuum seal bags. Divide 1 tablespoon butter between the bags. Seal the bags using the water immersion technique or a vacuum sealer on the moist setting.
3. Place the bags in the water bath and set the timer for 2 hours.
4. About 20 minutes before the chicken is finished, prepare the sauce: Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. When the butter stops foaming, add the onion. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until well browned, about 10 minutes.
5. Add the beef stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until reduced to a thick glaze. Remove the skillet from the heat.
6. In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice together with the egg yolks. While whisking constantly, add the lemon-egg mixture to the beef stock mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm.

Finishing Steps

1. When the timer goes off, remove the bags from the water bath. Remove the chicken from the bags and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Heat the oil and remaining tablespoon butter in a second large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the chicken and sear until well-browned on both sides, about 3 minutes total.
3. Transfer chicken thighs to a platter and spoon sauce over the top. Garnish with parsley. Serve.