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Rather than pan-searing chicken thighs after sous vide cooking, is broiling in the oven an option to crisp the skin?

Sara
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Sure you can broil, however consider this: Sous vide cooking does not render any of the fat. So a quick broil might char the outside of the skin, but the fat could remain more rubbery. Some of this will depend on the nature of your chicken thighs. I've noticed that, depending on the chicken (organic v. non...brand to brand), some chicken is more fatty than others. One way to deal with this would be to do a good pre-sear, before you sous vide. Then cook sous vide. Then post-sear (or broil).

moscafj
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  • I have to disagree: it's possible to render fat at the temperatures used to cook chicken thighs https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/36638/at-what-temperature-will-the-fats-on-meat-render – Luciano Nov 11 '21 at 10:41
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Of course you can broil chicken thighs after sous vide cooking to crisp the skin. About 5 minutes before the chicken is finished, heat the broiler to high and line a broiler safe baking sheet with aluminum foil.

When the timer goes off, remove the chicken from the bag and transfer it directly to the broiler pan. Broil the chicken until the skin gets crispy and brown. I usually broil it for 3 to 5 minutes maximum.

Once I broilled the chicken thighs for about 10 minutes and it didn’t work. Also, ensure that your broiler is hot enough to crisp the skin quickly, without making it hard and rubbery.

Maria Johnson
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