Sous Vide Soy-Mirin Chicken Thighs with Crispy Skin

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A 74°C water bath turns skin-on chicken thighs impossibly juicy and evenly cooked, then two minutes in a screaming-hot skillet gives you skin that shatters. A quick soy-mirin-honey glaze made in the same pan pulls it together, and everything comes from a normal supermarket shop. Set the bath, walk away, and finish dinner in five minutes.

Ingredients

• 4 boneless skin-on chicken thighs (about 1.5 lb / 700 g)
• 3/4 tsp fine salt
• 1 inch piece fresh ginger, sliced into coins
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed

• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp mirin
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp neutral oil
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Fill a large pot or container with water, clip on your immersion circulator and set it to 74°C / 165°F. While it heats, pat the chicken thighs dry and season both sides with the salt.
2. Put the thighs in a zip-top freezer bag in a single layer with the ginger coins, smashed garlic, 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of the mirin. Lower the open bag into the water so the pressure pushes the air out, then seal it just above the waterline and clip the bag to the side of the pot.
3. Cook in the 74°C / 165°F bath for 1 hour 30 minutes (anything up to 4 hours is fine — the texture barely changes). The thighs come out fully cooked, silky and never dry.
4. Lift the bag out. Pour 2 tablespoons of the bag juices into a small bowl with the remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons mirin and the honey; discard the rest of the bag liquid, ginger and garlic. Take the thighs out and pat them bone-dry on both sides with paper towels — dry skin is the whole game here.
5. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over high heat until it shimmers and just begins to smoke. Lay the thighs in skin-side down, press them flat with a spatula for the first 20 seconds, and sear undisturbed for 2 to 3 minutes until the skin is deep brown and crisp. Flip and sear 30 seconds more, then move to a board, skin-side up.
6. Pour the glaze mixture into the hot skillet off the heat, return it to medium and simmer 60 to 90 seconds, swirling, until it is syrupy enough to coat a spoon. Spoon it over the chicken (not on top of the skin if you want maximum crunch — pool it on the plate instead), scatter with scallions and sesame seeds, and serve with rice.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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