Sous Vide Chicken Wings: Unbelievably Easy

Flavorful – Tender Moist. Fall off the bone. Easy Peasy. Finger lickin’ – lip smackin’ – can’t get enough of ’em. Yep, that about sums up Sous Vide Chicken Wings!

Sous vide chicken wings are best when given a finishing char on the grill on in the oven!

Sous Vide Chicken Wing Recipe

Using the sous vide method of cooking is all about prep and go. Cooking the wings this way is easy and gives you perfectly cooked chicken you can finish on the grill or in the oven with the peace of mind that your chicken is cooked completely through.

Ingredients for Sous Vide Chicken Wings

• 1 bottle (12 ounces) Frank’s Hot Sauce
• 6 ounces honey
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper (optional)
• 12 chicken wings

Sous Vide Chicken Wings Instructions

1. Fill sous vide and set the temperature to 146F.
2. After the water comes up to temperature, put the wings in a large gallon-size zip lock bag or vacuum seal bag. Add honey, hot sauce, and salt and pepper.
3. Seal the bag and gently mix the contents in the bag.
4. Lower the bag into the sous vide water bath.  Keep the seal just above the water and open the seal 1 inch as you keep the rest of the bag submerged. Let out as much air as possible.  Clip the bag to the edge with a binder clip or weigh it down with a heavy object like a large serving spoon.
5. Cook the wings in the sous vide for 1-4 hours. The longer the cooking time, the more tender they will be.

Finishing the Wings

1. Take the bag of wings out of the sous vide, drain the wings, and discard the sauce. 
2. To finish on a GRILL – Get the grill hot (400F) and grill for 3 minutes on each side or until grill marks appear. 
3. To finish in an OVEN – Place wings on a wire rack over a baking sheet. Preheat oven to 425℉ or 220℃ and bake until the chicken wings get crispy skin.
4. To finish on the STOVETOP – Rub chicken wings with vegetable oil.  Sauté the wings in a skillet on high heat for 3 minutes on each side or until the skin turns golden brown and crispy.

Note: You can use either fresh or frozen chicken wings. If your wings are frozen when you put them in the sous vide, make sure they cook in the sous vide for at least 2 hours.

Sauce Variations

The recipe above is a simplified buffalo sauce, but if you like to play with different flavors give some of these a shot.

• Lemon pepper: sprinkle wings with salt, lemon pepper, and the juice of 1 fresh lemon.
• Ranch: marinate wings in your favorite ranch dressing for at least 1 hour and up to over night in the fridge.
• Italian: marinate wings in your favorite Italian salad dressing for 1 hour or up to over night in the fridge before sous viding.
• Chili lime: sprinkle with Tajin seasoning or sauce. Allow seasoning to penetrate for at least an hour before cooking in the sous vide.

What is Sous Vide Cooking?

Here’s a deep-dive explanation of what sous vide cooking is all about and why you should seriously consider doing it if you’re not already. There are a lot of affiliate links in that article but J. Kenji Lopen-Alt is a genius in the kitchen and has a way of writing that is both highly entertaining and extremely informational.

But in a nutshell, the sous vide cooking method cooks without air and uses a precision cooker to heat the water to a precise temperature that is safe and effective.

From Gross to Gorgeous

Personally, I think if you never made anything else in your sous vide but chicken wings, it would be an appliance well worth having.  Remember, after you pull them out of the sous vide they’ll look like gray wet socks.  They are going to look sick… and not in a good way. 

But don’t worry, simply finish them off under the broiler in the oven or if you want to fire up the grill, roast them over the flames.  Either way this will add a little more flavor and put some color on these bad boys.  

Cook with Confidence

Bone in chicken can be somewhat dicey.  There is nothing worse than biting into a beautifully roasted bird or a super double crunchy fried drumstick only to see something that looks even the merest bit bloody.  Gross!!! 

By cooking it gently in the sous vide for 2 to 4 hours, lets you fry, broil, and grill without fear.  When it looks done it is done!  Because it was done when it went into the oven, grill, and fryer.

Easy Entertaining

Anything that can make cooking easier in my book is a home run.  Let’s face it, I didn’t start cooking because I loved cooking.  I started cooking because I love to EAT!  I learned to love cooking because everyone in my family likes to eat and they gave me huge kudos for doing it.

My hat goes off to any home cook or chef who can whip a meal up, carry on multiple conversations, stay sane in the process, and not burn the meatloaf! 

But because we love to entertain, I had to find recipes I could make the day before, and then bring back to life when the kids or company came over the next day so I could enjoy their company without stress.

Make Ahead Sous Vide Chicken Wings

Freezer

Sous vide your chicken wings first. Keep them in the bag with the marinade and freeze them for up to 3 months. When you are ready to serve them, thaw them out and finish them off in the oven, grill, or stovetop.

Can I freeze meat that has already been frozen? Yes, IF YOU COOK IT FIRST. Never refreeze frozen meat.

Even though it is SAFE to refreeze raw meat, there is a loss of quality due to the amount of moisture lost and the risk of freezer burn. Both the refrigerator and the freezer dehydrate food.

Refrigerate

Drop them in the sous vide the night before and then refrigerate them until you’re ready to pop them in the oven or grill. 

More Sous Vide Recipes

Try this sous vide method before deep frying your next batch of chicken!

Fried Chicken Salad

A final word on sous vide chicken wings

Lastly, one of the best things about this recipe is how versatile it is.  Toss your wings in a ziplock with either of the 2 sauces below or your own favorite chicken sauce or simply some fajita seasoning or some Italian seasoning or a bag of Lipton onion soup mix.  You get the picture.  Play with it and have fun!