Sous Vide Lemon-Oregano Chicken Thighs with Crackling Skin

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A 74°C water bath does all the work here, turning bone-in chicken thighs meltingly tender and juicy while they soak up lemon zest, garlic and oregano. Two minutes in a screaming-hot skillet at the end crisps the skin to a shattering, golden crackle. Almost impossible to overcook, and the timing is flexible enough to survive a weeknight.

Ingredients

• 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 900 g total)
• 1.5 tsp fine salt
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 0.5 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced separately
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tbsp olive oil, for searing
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Instructions

1. Set your sous vide circulator in a large pot or tub of water and heat it to 74°C / 165°F.
2. Pat the chicken thighs dry and rub all over with the salt, oregano, black pepper and lemon zest. Slide them into a zip-top freezer bag (or vacuum bag) in a single layer with the smashed garlic and 2 tbsp olive oil. Seal, pressing out the air — if using a zip-top bag, lower it slowly into the water so the pressure forces the air out through the last corner, then seal it fully.
3. Submerge the bag in the 74°C water, clipping the top edge to the side of the pot so it stays above the waterline. Cook for 2 hours (anything from 2 to 4 hours is fine — the texture barely changes).
4. Lift the bag out and remove the thighs, discarding the garlic. Pat them extremely dry with paper towels, skin side especially, and let them sit 10 minutes while you heat the skillet. Dry skin is the whole secret to the crisp.
5. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a cast-iron or heavy stainless skillet over high heat until it just shimmers. Lay the thighs in skin side down, press flat with a spatula for the first 20 seconds, and sear undisturbed for 2 to 3 minutes until deep golden and crackling. Flip for 30 seconds, then transfer skin side up to a plate.
6. Off the heat, add the butter and 2 tbsp of the lemon juice to the hot skillet, swirl for 15 seconds until glossy, then spoon over the chicken and scatter with parsley. Serve right away.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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