Sous Vide Fried Chicken has a crispy and crunchy crust on the outside with the most tender and juicy meat on the inside. It’s the easiest way to fry chicken as sous vide produces evenly cooked meat, which is then coated with flour and buttermilk and deep fried quickly to golden perfection. Great for a potluck or picnic!
Featured on 36 Best Sous Vide Recipes
Why Sous Vide Fried Chicken
It may seem intimidating to fry chicken at home. The biggest challenge for traditional cooking methods is that the center of the meat could be still undercooked while the outside is already overcooked and the coating is turning dark. Sous vide method is fail-proof and takes the guesswork out, yet produces the perfect chicken that’s better than KFC fried chicken!
Sous vide is a French cooking technique where the food is vacuum-sealed in a bag, and then cooked for a long time to a precise temperature in a warm water bath. So sous vide chicken guarantees perfectly tender and juicy meat before deep frying. Then you will only need to coat the chicken, and let it fry for a few minutes. The best fried chicken EVER!
Ingredients & Substitues
- Chicken Drumsticks: I used skin-on chicken legs. You can also use chicken thighs, wings, or breasts. See the recipe notes on how to adjust the cooking time.
- Salt and Pepper: I used regular table salt, but you can use sea salt or Kosher salt. Freshly ground black pepper tastes the best.
- Buttermilk: It helps the coating stick to the chicken. You can sub beaten eggs.
- Flour: Use all-purpose flour for this recipe.
- Cornstarch: It helps the chicken brown easily on the outside, making it extra crispy. So don’t skip it!
- Other Seasoning: Paprika, onion powder, garlic powder and dried oregano add delicious flavors to the fried chicken.
- Vegetable oil: Peanut oil or canola oil works best when it comes to deep-frying, as they have a high smoke point.
How to Make Sous Vide Fried Chicken (Step-by-Step Photos)
To make this recipe, sous vide cook the chicken first, then coat it with flour and buttermilk, and finish with quick deep-frying.
1. Start by setting the Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 155°F (68°C), and season all sides of the chicken with salt and pepper.
2. Place the chicken in a zip-lock bag, vacuum seal the bag using the “water displacement technique”.
3. Cook the chicken in the warm water bath for 2 hours.
4. Once the chicken is cooked, pat dry with paper towels. Then coat it with seasoned flour.
5. Dip in buttermilk and dredge again in the flour mixture.
6. Fry it in hot oil for a few minutes until the crust turns crispy and golden brown. Remove the fried chicken using a slotted spoon. Serve and enjoy!
What Temperature Do You Sous Vide Chicken?
I recommend setting the temperature to 155°F (68°C). You’ll get the perfectly tender and juicy chicken at this temperature. If you’d like to cook it to 165°F to be extra safe, it will still taste great with a slightly firmer texture.
If you notice that there are some pink hues, it’s safe to eat as long as the internal temperature reaches 165°F, according to USDA.
How to Make the Chicken Extra Crispy?
Cornstarch is the secret ingredient for the crispiest fried chicken. Adding some cornstarch to the all-purpose flour will make your chicken extra crispy and crunchy.
Once the chicken is fried, make sure to place it on a cooling rack instead of paper towels.
How to Prevent Breading on the Chicken from Falling off?
First you’ll need to wipe off any moisture when you take the chicken out of the sous vide machine. Then here is a very useful tip to prevent the breading from falling off:
Dredge chicken in flour –> Dip in buttermilk –> Dredge in flour again!
This double dredging process also yields super crispy and crunchy chicken (see the step-by-step photo collage above). Be sure to tap off the excess buttermilk and flour. Then fry a few pieces at a time so that your pot is not overcrowded.
What is the Best Oil to Use for Deep Frying?
It’s best to use vegetable oil such as peanut oil or canola oil when it comes to deep-frying, as it has a high smoke point. Heat the oil to 350˚F (177˚C). The temperature will drop slightly when you add in the coated chicken. Adjust the heat and make sure to keep the temperature between 300-350˚F.
What to Serve with Sous Vide Fried Chicken?
These sous vide fried chicken tastes best when it’s freshly cooked. It can last 3-4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat, cook it in the oven at 350˚F for 10 to 15 minutes.
Why Sous Vide Cook the Wings Before Frying?
It’s crucial to sous vide chicken wings to break down their tough connective tissues in order to make them soft and easy to eat. This process takes time. By comparison, frying is simply to crispen the skin and add color as opposed to cooking the wings through.
Equipment You’ll Need for This Recipe
FAQ
Can I Fry Them in An Air Fryer?
Yes! You can cook the chicken first by sous vide and then use the air fryer to finish them off. You can even refrigerate them for 2 to 3 days in between for a convenient make-ahead solution.
Can I Use Frozen Chicken for This Recipe?
Yes, you can sous vide frozen chicken without thawing. In fact, sous vide is one of the easiest ways to cook chicken from frozen. Add an extra hour to make 3 hours for sous vide.
Can You Make Sous Vide Fried Chicken Ahead of Time?
It’s easy to make sous fried chicken in advance. Simply sous vide the chicken, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. When you’re ready to serve, fry the chicken until crispy.
Why Does My Sous Vide Chicken Look Pink?
Sous vide chicken can sometimes be pink due to the nature of the long cooking process; however, it’s still fully cooked and safe to eat.
How to Reheat Fried Chicken So It’s Crispy?
The best way to reheat fried chicken is to use an oven. It won’t take long, and the skin will be deliciously crisp. Fried chicken can also be reheated on the stovetop and in an air fryer. If you’re short on time, a microwave can be used but the texture of the skin won’t be crispy.
If You Like This Recipe Try Out More Sous Vide Recipes
If you tried this recipe, let me know how your Sous Vide Fried Chicken turns out in the comments below!
Crispy and Tender Sous Vide Fried Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
Sous Vide Chicken
- 12 chicken drumsticks skin on (see notes if you use chicken thighs, wings or breasts*)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Ingredients for Frying the Chicken
- 3 cups buttermilk
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1/2 tablespoon ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Vegetable oil as needed for frying
Instructions
Sous Vide Chicken
- Add water to the sous vide container or a large pot, and set the Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 155°F (68°C).
- Season all sides of your chicken with salt and pepper.
- Place the chicken in a zip-lock bag, vacuum seal it using “water displacement” technique: seal all but one corner of the bag, and slowly place it into a container with water. Make sure everything below the zip-line is covered by water. Then seal the rest of the bag. (If you use a vaccum sealer, seal the bag on the dry setting.)
- Place the bag into the warm water bath in the sous vide container. Make sure it’s fully submerged. (If the top of the chicken is floating above water, you can place a metal kitchen tongs on top to make it completley submerged.)
- Cook for 2 hours if you use chicken drumsticks (If you use other types of chicken, see notes for details*).
Fry the Chicken
- When the chicken is almost ready, start heating up the oil.
- Place a saucepan over medium-high heat and add 2 inches (5cm) of oil. Heat the oil to 350˚F (177˚C).
- Prepare the breading by combining the flour, cornstarch, salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder and oregano in a medium bowl. Mix thoroughly.
- In another medium bowl, add buttermilk.
- Remove the cooked chicken pieces from the zip-lock bag, pat dry thoroughly with paper towels.
- Add each piece to the flour mixture, shake to remove excess, and then dip into the buttermilk, shake off the excess liquid, and add to the flour mixture again. Coat thoroughly and tap off the excess (It’s best to work with one piece at a time).
- Use kitchen tongs to gently lower the breaded chicken into the oil. Fry 3-4 pieces at a time so you won’t crowd the pan. You’ll notice that the temperature will drop slightly, so adjust the heat so that the temperature will stay between 300-350˚F.
- Fry each piece for 3-4 minutes or until golden crispy (Since the inside is already fully cooked, you’ll just need to fry the coating).
- Remove the fried chicken to a cooling rack. Let them rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Chicken wings: 45 minutes
- Chicken thighs: 1 to 1.5 hours
- Chicken breasts: 1.5 hours
Nutrition
Shadi Hasanzadenemati says
Everyone at my house loved it! Tasted SO good!
Taylor says
This is the best way to make fried chicken! SO tender and absolutely delicious!
Chris Cervantes says
Wow! The addition of corn starch really crisped it up. Flavor is spot on yum. I just stumbled upon your website looking for a fried chicken recipe. I’ve made the Joule recipe before and found the coating not really sticking and falling off. Glad I found you!
One suggestion: would love to see a “print friendly” button. Also, a sign up for emails wasn’t obvious. I’m hoping because I am writing here, I will be added to a mailing list…?
izzycooking says
Hi Chris, Thanks so much for your feedback and glad you liked this recipe! I’ll definitely make the print button more prominent and we’re planning to add a mailing list soon and will add you to it!
Ivette says
Hi, if I m only doing smaller portions, say 4 chicken wings, do I still Sous code for 45min?
Appreciate your expertise! Thanks!!
izzycooking says
Hi Ivette, yes, you still need to sous vide cook for 45 minutes even if you only cook 1 chicken wings. Sous vide cooking is a low and slow process, and it takes a longer time than a traditional cooking method. Let me know how your chicken turns out if you decide to make it.
John Meyer says
So after some research I decided to do this recipie. It is awesome! I added a little cayanne to the flour dredge but other that that I followed the recipie. Turned out really well! WIsh I could post a picture!! My new go to for fried chicken.
izzycooking says
Hi John, glad that you like this recipe. It’s a great idea to add cayenne to the batter. Thanks for letting me know. Izzy
yossi says
any suggestion for doing them Kosher ( no buttermilk ) ?
izzycooking says
Hi Yossi, if using kosher salt, for every 1 teaspoon of table salt, you’ll need 1 1/4 teaspoons of kosher salt.
Sarah says
Hi Izzy!
I think that what Yossi meant to ask is if you can make this recipe kosher, i.e. in accordance with the Jewish precept that one should not mix meat and dairy (the question has nothing to do with kosher salt). In other words, is there a way to substitute the buttermilk for some other non dairy liquid, so as to make the recipe dairy free? Maybe almond milk?
Thank you for your nice recipes!
Sarah
izzycooking says
Hi Sarah, thanks for pointing that out. You can use beaten eggs instead if you’d like to make it dairy free.
Ann says
The chicken was very good! Question:; could the chicken be air fried rather then in oil and still have the crispy coating?
izzycooking says
Hi Ann, glad that you like the recipe. It’s a great question, and I think it should be ok to cook in the air fryer rather than deep-frying, but I haven’t tried it yet. Please let me know if you ever try this. Thanks, Izzy
Popeye says
Sounds great. I printed this to try it. But I will say this, if it tastes as good as it sounds, 12 drumsticks is NOT 6 servings.
Lily says
USDA recommendation are wildly off the mark when it comes to sous vide cooking so no need to cook the chicken to 165 to be “extra safe”. Pasteurization is a function of temperature and time so cooking chicken at 155F for 2 hours is enough time to kill off any bacteria that could have been present.
If you want to cook it at 165 for a chewier texture though, it’s all good, to each their own, right? But 1 hour for drumsticks is enough. Any longer than that and you’ll probably end up with drier meat.
Izzy says
Great point, Lily. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us.
Ailie says
Has anyone tried cooking the chicken in the sous vide ahead of time and frying at the last minute?
Izzy says
Hi Ailie, you can sous vide ahead of time. Just store the chicken in the fridge until you are ready to fry it.
Rob says
The quick fry won’t be enough time to raise the temperature on refrigerated chicken, so what I do is put the chicken back into a sous vide water bath for 15 minutes so it’s hot throughout, then fry it.
Izzy says
Hi Rob, that’s a great idea!
Janet says
I’m hoping to cook this on Sunday (today is Friday), so I might not hear back on time, but I’ll try anyway…
I bought buttermilk, as I was going to cook fried chicken without sous vide. Then it hit me that sous vide might be useful for pre-cooking the meat. BUT, isn’t the point of soaking the chicken in buttermilk (often overnight) to break down the cartilege? so that the meat is tender. If that is why we soak in buttermilk, what is it’s purpose when you dredge the (presumably TENDER sous vide cooked) checken just before frying. Is it a “flavour-thing only” at this point in the process???
Izzy says
Hi Janet, with sous vide cooking, the chicken will be tender and juicy without soaking the raw chicken in buttermilk. So you can skip this step. We use buttermilk to help the coating stick to the chicken.
Michelle says
Do you know what the cooking time would be if I wanted to do chicken breast strips?
Or should I cook the breast whole, THEN cut into strips and then follow breading and frying instructions?
Renee says
Recipe sounds so good! Any way to adapt it for an air fryer?