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Sous Vide Fried Chicken is crispy and crunchy 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.
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4.80 from 5 votes

Crispy and Tender Sous Vide Fried Chicken Recipe

Sous Vide Fried Chicken is crispy and crunchy 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!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time2 hours 5 minutes
Total Time2 hours 10 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Dinner, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: American, French
Keyword: Sous Vide Fried Chicken
Servings: 6 servings
Author: Izzy

Equipment

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

*If you cook other types of chicken, below is the guide for sous vide cooking time:
  • Chicken wings: 45 minutes
  • Chicken thighs: 1 to 1.5 hours
  • Chicken breasts: 1.5 hours

Nutrition

Calories: 309kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 144mg | Sodium: 937mg | Potassium: 412mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 423IU | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 1mg