Crispy Sous Vide Chicken Wings Recipe

Make juicy, tender, fall-off-the-bone wings with this recipe for Sous Vide Chicken Wings! A large batch of wings can be vacuum sealed and cooked in a sous vide for 2 hours. Finish the wings under a hot broiler or in an air fryer, then toss them with sauce for classic Buffalo-style wings or serve them dry with a dipping sauce.

One of the best reasons to use a sous vide is that you can cook meat straight from frozen without increasing the total cook time. At home, vaccuum-sealed packs of wings are often stored in the freezer and cooked directly from frozen whenever the craving hits. After a two-hour water bath the wings are cooked through and incredibly tender. Because sous vide doesn’t crisp the skin, a short finish under a broiler or in an air fryer is recommended to get a satisfying, crunchy exterior.

These wings are delicious tossed in Buffalo sauce, coated with a dry rub, or served plain with dipping sauces on the side. The seasoning blend in this recipe is simple but flavor-forward — it works equally well whether you sauced the wings or prefer them dry.

Ingredients

• Chicken wings – Use “party wings” (drumettes and flats already separated) for convenience. If you buy whole wings you can separate the drumette, flat and tip; wing tips can be discarded or saved for stock.
• Salt – for seasoning before sealing.
• Olive oil – or another neutral oil such as canola or avocado oil.
• Chicken wing seasoning – a spice blend of common pantry spices (smoked paprika, chili powder, onion and garlic powders, cayenne to taste, and salt) brings great flavor whether you sauce the wings or not.
• Buffalo wing sauce – optional for tossing the finished wings. Serve on the side if you prefer to keep wings dry or let guests sauce their own.

Instructions

Step-by-step photos are included in the gallery below to make these steps easy to follow. The recipe quantities and timings are provided in the ingredients and instructions sections.

1. Vacuum seal the wings. Place up to a dozen wings in a quart-sized vacuum bag. Season lightly with salt and seal the bag. If you don’t have a vacuum sealer, use a heavy-duty zipper freezer bag and the water displacement method: lower the bag into water up to the seal to push air out, then close.
2. Sous vide the wings. Submerge the sealed bags in a large container or pot of water. Ensure the bags are fully submerged and upright if needed so water circulates around the wings. Set your circulator to 160°F (71°C) and cook for 2 hours.
3. Remove and dry. When the timer is done, remove the bags, open them, and transfer the wings to paper towels. Pat completely dry — drying is essential for a crispy finish.
4. Season with oil and rub. Place the wings on a cutting board, drizzle a light coating of olive oil, and rub to coat. Sprinkle the chicken wing seasoning evenly and rub it into all sides.
5. Finish for crispiness. The wings are fully cooked but not crispy after sous vide, so finish them quickly by one of these methods:
   • Broiler: Arrange wings in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. Broil on high for about 3 minutes, flip, then broil another 2–3 minutes until browned and crisp.
   • Air fryer: Place wings in the basket with space around each piece. Cook at 400°F (200°C) for 3 minutes, flip, then cook an additional 3 minutes.
   • Other finishes: You can also deep-fry for 3–4 minutes, pan-fry 3 minutes per side over medium-high, or grill about 3 minutes per side on a hot grill (around 400°F).
6. Sauce and serve. If tossing in sauce, add wings to a large bowl, pour in warm or room-temperature buffalo sauce (about 1/4 cup per pound of wings), and toss with tongs to coat. Cold sauce will cool the wings, so warm the sauce first. Serve immediately with blue cheese or ranch for dipping.