Sous Vide Chinese 5 Spice Chicken Thighs

These juicy, melt in your mouth Sous Vide Chinese 5 Spice Chicken Thighs are great on their own but when added to other dishes like, Vietnamese Style Garlic Noodles they are over the top delicious.

Chinese 5 Spice is a blend of spices that add a unique flavor to whatever it is used to season. Traditionally made up of cinnamon, star anise, anise seed, ginger and cloves, this combination lends a strong, warm flavor to meats and vegetables. These Sous Vide Chinese 5 Spice Chicken Thighs are flavorful enough to stand alone but when paired with Vietnamese Style Garlic Noodles, they really shine. The addition of some fresh ginger and garlic add to the depth of flavor and help hold the 5-spice powder on the chicken. This is one of the few times using those tubes of prepared garlic and ginger paste is best.

Sous Vide Chinese 5 Spice Chicken Thighs

Ingredients

• 1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken thighs

• 1-2 tablespoons of garlic paste

• 1-2 tablespoons of ginger paste

• 3-5 tablespoons of Chinese 5 Spice Powder

• Kosher Salt & Pepper to taste

• 1 tablespoon butter

• 1 tablespoon Olive oil

• 1-2 tablespoons natural oil, such as peanut or canola oil

Directions

1.     Trim up your boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Remove any excessively large pieces of fat or membrane.

2.      Once trimmed, season with salt and pepper. Use kosher salt so you can see that the chicken is well seasoned. Allow to rest for 5 minutes.

3.     Rub chicken with enough garlic and ginger paste to cover about 1 to 2 tablespoons of each. This will act as a binder to hold the Chinese 5 Spice Powder to the chicken.

4.     Liberally dust the chicken thighs with Chinese 5 Spice until full covered.

5.     Add chicken to a sous vide safe vacuum seal bad, add butter and olive oil. Seal bag and add to a Sous Vide water bath set to 167°F for one hour. Alternatively, once sealed the bag can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours to marinate the chicken.

6.     After one hour remove the bag for the sous vide and allow to cool slightly. Meanwhile heat natural oil in a pan over medium high heat. Pat chicken dry to remove extra liquid without removing the coating of Chinese 5 Spice. Once oil is hot, pan fry until the outside of the chicken has browned and developed a crust. You may have to cook the chicken in batches so you don't overcrowd the pan. Once all browned serve while still warm.

These tasty, flavorful Sous Vide Chinese 5 Spice Chicken Thighs are a great way to chance up your regular weeknight chicken or add to other Asian inspired meals, like Vietnamese Style Garlic Noodles. Try these Sous Vide Chinese 5 Spice Chicken Thighs tonight, because life is too short to eat bad food.