I love using sous vide to cook bone-in chicken, especially these chicken drumsticks. It’s a great way to achieve that delicious fall off the bone texture without running your oven for hours.
This post covers a range of times and temperatures for different results. 165 degrees F for 6 hours is my favorite when I have the time!
Sous vide is also an excellent way to make sure the chicken is fully cooked, something that can be tricky with traditional methods and bone-in meat.
A great tip I’ve discovered is to sous vide the chicken legs before deep frying them for the ultimate fried chicken experience. If you wan to try this, make sure to check out my Sous Vide Buttermilk Fried Chicken recipe, also in my cookbook, Sous Vide Meal Prep.
Marinades and Seasoning Ideas
Get creative when it comes to giving your chicken legs flavor! There’s no shame in store bought marinades and seasonings (I love Yoshidas as a marinade), but you can also DIY it – I have lots of marinade and rub recipes here on the blog and in my cookbook, Sous Vide Meal Prep.
One of the cool things about sous vide cooking: you can cook the chicken legs right in the marinade, and the marinade also makes a great sauce! Since you cook the marinade, too, there’s no risk of contamination.
If you want to keep things simple, go with salt and pepper. I always use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
Time and Temperature for Sous Vide Chicken Legs
When cooking chicken legs sous vide, you can take a couple of different approaches to get different texture results. I love chicken legs that are just beginning to pull away from the bone but are still nice and juicy. 165 degrees F for 6 hours is my favorite when I have the time!
For bone-in chicken legs, you should always cook them for at least 2 hours. That pesky bone means it takes a little longer to ensure the drumsticks are completely cooked through.
| Result | Temperature | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Very juicy and firm | 150 degrees F 65 degrees C | 2-4 hours |
| Juicy, mostly tender | 155 degrees F 68 degrees C | 2-4 hours |
| Juicy and completely tender | 165 degrees F 74 degrees C | 2-4 hours |
| Fall off the bone texture | 165 degrees F 74 degrees C | 6 hours |
Finishing Options
When it comes to getting the skin crispy, you have a few different options:
- Broil. Preheat the oven to broil on high. Line a baking sheet with foil and arrange the legs on the sheet. Broil for 2-3 minutes until golden, flip, and repeat.
- Grill. Preheat your grill on high. Grill the chicken legs for 3 minutes on each side, until golden brown.
- Pan fry. Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add enough canola oil to the skillet so there’s 1/4 inch of oil. Cook on one side for 1-2 minutes and rotate until completely golden brown. Remove to a paper towel lined plate.
Toss them in buffalo sauce, serve with a dip like ranch, or just eat them as is. No matter what, they’re going to be delicious!
Get the Recipe:
Sous Vide Chicken Legs (Tender or Fall Off the Bone)
Ingredients
- 8 chicken drumsticks
- Seasoning of choice or salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat a water bath using an immersion circulator to your desired temperature.150 degrees F for firm and juicy legs.155 degrees F for juicy, mostly tender legs.165 degrees F for juicy, completely tender legs or fall off the bone legs (time varies for each result).
- Season the legs with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper or your favorite seasoning blend, or marinate for at least 3 hours prior to sous viding.
- Add the drumsticks to a vacuum seal bag and remove the air, or use another air removal method.
- Add the bag to the preheated water bath and keep submerged with sous vide magnets or by placing a ceramic plate over them. Cook for 2-4 hours. For fall off the bone legs, cook for 6 hours at 165 degrees F.
- When done, remove the bag from the water bath. To crisp up the skin, you have a few options:Broil. Preheat the oven to broil on high. Line a baking sheet with foil and arrange the legs on the sheet. Broil for 2-3 minutes until golden, flip, and repeat.Grill. Preheat your grill on high. Grill the chicken legs for 3 minutes on each side, until golden brown.Pan fry. Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add enough canola oil to the skillet so there's 1/4 inch of oil. Cook on one side for 1-2 minutes and rotate until completely golden brown. Remove to a paper towel lined plate.
excellent method
One thing to note is that when cooking chicken this way, often the bones and the juices will be red/pink.
IT IS NOT BLOOD.
It is Myoglobin, and will not change color when cooking Sous Vide.
The chicken is still done, you just have to get over that mental hurdle.
I liked the 150 degree, 2 hour best as I like a little bite. Turned out great with just a little lemon pepper.
In another note, the pictures are of drumsticks, not chicken legs. A chicken leg consists of the thigh and leg attached like a leg quarter but the backbone on the thigh is removed.
Thank you
I am widowed and want to cook two drumsticks at a time. At 165 how long should I sous vide them. Thay are large looking from Costco.
Same amount of time!
I did a bag of 6 drumsticks at 165 degrees for four hours and couldn’t ask for better chicken! My short cut was to use seasoned drumsticks from Costco as is but I will be doing a personal seasoning in the near future.