Simple Sous Vide Chicken Drumstick Recipe and Master Guide

As I've grown up I've generally gotten better manners at a lot of things...but eating chicken legs is not one of them! I still get so much joy from grabbing a sticky, sauced drumstick and gnawing on it. Luckily, I usually stick to eating them at home, where my wife is used to it!

Legs aren't too hard to cook traditionally because they are very forgiving, but making sous vide drumsticks allows you to use a lower temperature, resulting in meat that is much more moist. Plus I know it's perfectly cooked and completely safe every single time!

Quick Links

• Chicken Leg Temperatures and Times
• Best Simple Sous Vide Chicken Drumstick Master Recipe
• Other Chicken Drumstick Recipes
• How to Sous Vide Chicken Legs
• Can You Sous Vide Frozen Chicken Drumstick
• Reheating Chicken Drumstick with Sous Vide
• Can you Overcook Chicken in Sous Vide?
• Simple Sous Vide Chicken Drumstick Recipe

How to Sous Vide Chicken Drumsticks

Dark meat is handled very similarly to the white meat except for a slight increase in temperature and cooking time. My recommended sous vide chicken leg temperature is 148ºF (64.4°C) and I cook it for 4 to 6 hours. This turns out moist and tender, but still has a lot of bite to it.

If you want shredded legs then the more tender, but less moist result of 165ºF (73.9°C) for 8 to 12 hours, should work very well.

Due to the moisture present in sous vide cooking any skin that was in the pouch can be difficult to make crispy. If you really want skin that is crunchy, then it's ideal to take it off the leg before cooking the meat sous vide. Then before serving place the skin on a baking pan and place it into a 375ºF oven for a few minutes to crisp it up.

Best Simple Sous Vide Chicken Drumstick Master Recipe

Sous vide chicken drumsticks are tender and juicy every time. Following this simple recipe will ensure you can have perfectly cooked chicken drumsticks whenever you want them.

Recipe Info

• Published: 2021-10-29
• Prep Time: 18 Minutes
• Cooktime: 4 to 6 Hours
• Total Time: 4 to 6 Hours
• Serves: 4
• Calories: 394 Calories
• Tags: sous vide drumstick, sous vide chicken drumstick, chicken drumstick, chicken, sous vide, easy, simple

Ingredients Needed

• For the Chicken Drumstick
• 2 pounds chicken drumstick
• 1 to 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoons spice rub or herbs (optional)
• To Assemble
• Sides (optional)
• Sauces (optional)
• Garnishes (optional)

Recipe Instructions

Preheating: Preheat a water bath to 148ºF (64.4ºC) or your desired temperature.

Prepare the chicken drumstick: Lightly salt the chicken then coat with the spices.

Seal the chicken drumstick: Place the chicken drumstick in a sous vide bag and then seal.

Cooking the chicken drumstick: Add the bag to the preheated sous vide water bath. Let the chicken cook until it is heated through and tenderized, about 4 to 6 hours.

Dry the meat: Take the sous vide bag out of the water and remove the cooked chicken. Dry it off thoroughly using paper towels or a dish cloth.

Sear the drumstick: Heat a heavy pan with some oil in it over medium-high to high heat until it just starts to smoke. Add the chicken drumstick and sear quickly, about one minute per side. You want the chicken drumstick to just brown but not overcook any more.

Plating: Place the meat onto a plate with any salads or sides then serve.

Can You Sous Vide Frozen Chicken Drumstick

Of course! Just add an extra 30 to 45 minutes and your frozen sous vided chicken legs should turn out great! They may try to float though, so be sure to weight them down.

Reheating Chicken Drumstick with Sous Vide

One of my favorite uses of sous vide chicken legs is to pre-cook them, then chill them and reheat them as needed. They are easy to just sauce and through on the grill or under the broiler, making getting dinner on the a snap.

You can also reheat them in the sous vide machine, it should only take 30 to 60 minutes as long as they are in a single layer.

Simple Sous Vide Chicken Drumstick Recipe

My favorite way to cook sous vide chicken legs is to finish them with a sweet and sticky sauce. First season the drumksticks with salt and any spice rub you may want. Then place them in the sous vide bag and seal it.

Place the bag in a water bath set to 148°F (64°C) or whichever sous vide chicken leg temperature you decided on. Let them cook for 4 to 6 hours until pasteurized and slightly tenderized.

Remove the cooked drumsticks and dry them off well. Place them on a wire rack and let sit in the refridgerator for several hours, or over night.

Apply a flavorful sauce to your chicken legs - I really like my bourbon bbq sauce or chili pepper bbq sauce but anything thick and sticky will work great, even a honey sriracha glaze.

Heat a grill to high, or pre-heat your broiler. Place the drumsticks on the grill and cook under the sauce begins to caramelize. You can usually turn the drumsticks and apply another layer of sauce before they will be fully heated back through.

At this point, the drumsticks and done and you can dive in!

New to Sous Vide?

I'd like to invite you to join my FREE Sous Vide Quick Start email course. It will help you make perfect meats, master searing, and discover the sous vide times and temperatures you need to make everyday food amazing...and impress your friends and family.
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Do you have experience cooking drumstick? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Looking for more chicken? Check out the sous vide chicken time and temperatures for all the sous vide information you need.

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