Simple Sous Vide Chicken Leg Recipe and Master Guide

Chicken legs are cooked one of two ways, either to be tender, or to be fall-apart confit or shreddable style. I go into a lot more detail about how to sous vide chicken legs, but below is a short summary to get you started.

Tender Chicken Legs

For tender chicken legs the temperature used is normally 141°F up to 156°F (60.6°C to 68.9°C) and I personally like 148°F (64.4°C) the best. They just don't need to be tenderized too much, if at all, so the time range is typically 4 to 6 hours, depending on how tender you want the meat, though you can get away with pasteurized them by thickness.

Shreddable Chicken Legs

For shreddable chicken legs, the range goes much higher but is often between 160°F to 170°F (71.1°C to 76.7°C). I usually split the difference and use 165°F (73.9°C). They are cooked longer as well to allow for more breakdown, usually for 8 to 12 hours.

Best Simple Sous Vide Chicken Leg Master Recipe

I'm still a child at heart, and I love a good chicken leg to pick up and eat! With this simple sous vide chicken leg recipe, you'll make sure your legs always come out at the desired temperature and are juicy and tender, just like they should be!

Recipe Info

• Published: 2021-10-29
• Prep Time: 14 Minutes
• Cooktime: 4 to 6 Hours
• Total Time: 4 to 6 Hours
• Serves: 4
• Calories: 385 Calories
• Tags: sous vide leg, sous vide chicken leg, chicken leg, chicken, sous vide, easy, simple

Ingredients Needed

• For the Chicken Leg
• 2 pounds chicken leg
• 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

Preheat the Water Bath: Set your sous vide machine to 148ºF (64.4ºC) for what I think is an ideal texture, or up to 150°F (65.6°C) for a more well done version.

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

Seal the meat: Place the leg in a sous vide bag and seal it. You can use a silicon bag, Ziploc-brand freezer bag, or a heat safe vacuum bag or zip top bag.

Cooking the meat: Cook the chicken leg until heated through and tenderized, about 4 to 6 hours.

Dry the leg: Remove the sous vide bag from the water bath. Take out the chicken leg and dry it off well. You can use paper towels or dish cloths, both work well.

Sear the leg: Sear the chicken leg quickly to add a flavorful crust. Either a heavy pan over high heat, a grill turned to high, or a sous vide blow torch all work well.

Plate the chicken leg: Plate the meat like you would a traditionally cooked version.

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Do you have experience cooking leg? 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.

What Are Some Sous Vide Chicken Leg Recipes?

Here are several of the Chicken Leg recipes that I recommend trying out.

• Sous Vide Chicken Thighs with Chipotle Mustard BBQ Sauce Recipe
• Sous Vide Chicken Legs Recipe with Honey-Sriracha Glaze

Sous Vide Chicken Thighs with Chipotle Mustard BBQ Sauce Recipe

This recipe is for my friends who love a smoky, spicy (I'm talkin' HOT) sauce. In many ways this is just a suped up BBQ sauce but it's... zestier thanks to a hit of lime juice and the chipotles in adobo, which make it so delightfully smoky and spicy.

Sous Vide Chicken Legs Recipe with Honey-Sriracha Glaze

This recipe adds flavor to chicken legs post-sous vide with a sweet and spicy honey-sriracha glaze. You can adjust the recipe to your preferred hotness! Due to the odd shape of chicken legs and thighs, I find searing them on a grill or under a hot broiler works best. Popular entree for the whole family.

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