Sous Vide Chicken Thighs always turn out so unbelievably tender and juicy on the inside, with a delicious crisp on the outside after a quick trip to the broiler. "Sous vide" always sounds so fancy and labor-intensive, but that couldn't be further from the truth: These chicken thighs have just 5 minutes of prep time and 10 minutes of total hands-on time.
In this recipe I will show you how to sous vide chicken thighs two different ways: with sweet chili sauce and teriyaki sauce. So pick your favorite sauce, grab your sous vide cooker, and let's get started!
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More easy sous vide recipes to try: Sous Vide Shredded Chicken Breast
Why make sous vide chicken thighs
- You can cook several different flavors in one batch by separating the chicken thighs + preferred sauce in different sous vide bags. I can make a spicy-ish sweet chili chicken for myself, a few pieces of teriyaki chicken thighs for my kiddo, and a bag of BBQ chicken thighs for my husband all at the same time with minimal prep.
- 5 minutes of prep time, at most.
- Very hands-off for an easy dinner. Just pop the chicken under a broiler for a few minutes after you remove it from the sous vide bags.
- The most tender delicious chicken thighs you will ever have! Even the leftovers reheat well and stay tender and juicy.
More easy sous vide dinners: Sous Vide Corned Beef
Ingredients
- 4-8 chicken thighs, boneless or bone-in, skinless or skin on (your choice! See notes below to decide which is best for you)
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 6-8 tablespoons sweet chili sauce or teriyaki sauce (choose one sauce. Sweet chili sauce = spicy chicken. Teriyaki sauce = sweet chicken)
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- optional: 1-2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- Lime wedges, diced scallions or other herbs, for serving
More fun sous vide recipes to try: 6 Easy Sous Vide Desserts
Equipment
- Sous vide cooker (sous vide stick)
- Sous vide pot or large pot of water big enough to fit your bags of chicken and the sous vide stick
- Sous vide bags with a sealer or hand pump (I have this set of reusable bags. They wash easily. Yes, I wash them because I don't like single use plastic waste.)
- Tongs
- Basting brush
- Oven mitt
More amazing chicken thighs dinners: Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Thighs
Instructions
Set up your sous vide cooker in a pot of water and set the temperature to 155F.
Trim off the fat and excess skin from the chicken thighs. Season your chicken thighs with salt and pepper on all sides. If using skin-on chicken thighs, rub some seasoning under the skin.
Toss your chicken in about 3-4 tablespoons sauce, use a little more sauces if you are cooking more pieces. Squeeze some lemon juice all over them.
Fold the top open edges of the sous vide bags over to make a cuff. This keeps raw juices from touching the part of the bag that will be sealed. Carefully place the chicken into the sous vide bags, keeping the sealing area clean and dry. If you want garlicky chicken, add a few slices of garlic to the bag. Seal the bags and remove any air with a vacuum sealer or a sous vide hand pump.
Cook the chicken at 155F for 2 hours.
Use tongs to remove the bags from the hot water. Carefully open the bags, then use tongs to remove the chicken from the bags. Place the chicken onto a broil-safe pan.
Preheat the broiler to high.
Brush the chicken with sauce and broil for 1-2 minutes. Carefully remove the chicken and brush it with more sauce. Broil for another 1-2 minutes, or until browned to your liking. Serve hot, garnishing with a wedge of lime and scallions.
More easy chicken thighs dinners: Harissa Chicken Bowls
Boneless of bone-in? Skinless or skin-on?
Skin-less versus skin-on: The skin doesn't get completely crisp under the broiler (this is not fried chicken, after all!), so use skinless chicken thighs if that bothers you. Skinless chicken thighs are lower in calories than skin-on.
Bone-in versus boneless: Use bone-in if you like grabbing the chicken with your hands and eating it like a chicken wing. Use boneless if you plan on slicing the cooked chicken thighs for serving or want to put them on a salad or wrap.
More amazing recipes using boneless chicken thighs: Achiote Chicken Tacos
More seasoning and sauce ideas for sous vide chicken thighs
- BBQ Sauce with a squeeze of lemon or lime juice.
- Honey soy sauce (use the sauce from my honey garlic ginger chicken wings).
- Gochujang (Korean hot sauce): mix gochujang, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, and honey.
- Honey mustard (use the sauce and seasonings from my honey mustard chicken thighs recipe)
- Garlic herb butter: stir garlic, Italian seasoning or your favorite herbs, and some salt into melted butter, brush all over the chicken.
If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!
Sous Vide Chicken Thighs (Two Ways!)
Ingredients
- 4-8 chicken thighs - boneless or bone-in, skinless or skin on (your choice, see notes to help you decide)
- salt and pepper - to taste
- 6-8 tablespoons sweet chili sauce or teriyaki sauce - , divided (choose one sauce per sous vide bag. Sweet chili sauce = spicy chicken. Teriyaki sauce = sweet chicken)
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- optional: 1-2 cloves garlic - thinly sliced
- lime wedges, diced scallions - for serving
Special equipment
- Sous vide cooker (sous vide stick)
- Sous vide pot or large pot of water big enough to fit your bags of chicken and the sous vide stick
- Sous vide bags (these are the ones I use, they come a hand pump)
Instructions
- Set up your sous vide cooker in a pot of water and set the temperature to 155F.
- Trim off the fat and excess skin from the chicken thighs. Season your chicken thighs with salt and pepper on all sides. If using skin-on chicken thighs, rub some seasoning under the skin.
- Toss your chicken in about 3-4 tablespoons sauce (save the rest for later). Use a little more sauce if you are cooking more pieces. Squeeze some lemon juice all over the chicken.
- Fold the top open edges of the sous vide bags over to make a cuff. This keeps raw juices from touching the part of the bag that will be sealed. Carefully place the chicken into the sous vide bags, keeping the sealing area clean and dry. If you want garlicky chicken, add a few slices of garlic to the bag. Seal the bags and remove any air with a vacuum sealer or a sous vide hand pump.
- Cook the chicken at 155F for 2 hours.
- Use tongs to remove the bags from the hot water. Carefully open the bags, then use tongs to remove the chicken from the bags. Place the chicken onto a broil-safe pan.
- Preheat the broiler to high.
- Brush the chicken with sauce and broil for 1-2 minutes. Carefully remove the chicken and brush it with more sauce. Broil for another 1-2 minutes, or until browned to your liking. Serve hot, garnishing with a wedge of lime and scallions.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information displayed is an estimate and not to be used as dietary or nutritional advice. Consult a nutritionist or dietician for nutritional info based on the exact ingredients you use.
Kate Vaynshteyn
Monday 3rd of November 2025
Sous vide sounds fancy and labor-intensive, but these chicken thighs only require 5 minutes of prep time and 10 minutes of hands-on time total. I love that I can use different sauces in separate bags to make my whole family happy!