Sous vide is the best way to cook a whole chicken. You won’t have to worry that it’s underdone or raw in the middle and you won’t risk drying it out. Even better, you can sous vide it ahead of time and finish in the oven to serve.
Okay, yes, I sous vide a lot of things. But I’m also a firm believer that not every cooking method is suitable for cooking every food (even if I really love that cooking method). There are things I’ve thought about cooking sous vide or even tried and decided it wasn’t the best method. And that’s okay.
But cooking a whole chicken sous vide? That’s definitely the best method. In fact, all chicken should be cooked sous vide, including chicken breasts and chicken thighs, too!
How to spatchcock a chicken
In order to sous vide a chicken, you’ll want to spatchcock it so it can lie as flat as possible in the bag. What is spatchcocking, you ask? It’s when you cut out the back bone of the chicken. It sounds scary, but it’s not. You’ll want some sharp kitchen shears to do this well. You can also use a sharp pairing knife, but shears are easiest.
Here’s a little video tutorial so you can see how it’s done!
Seasoning recommendations
You can really season the chicken however you’d like, but I’d highly recommend taking advantage of the cooking method and incorporating butter – it’ll essentially be a butter poached chicken. I don’t need to sell you on that right?
I mixed butter with kosher salt, garlic powder, and lots of Italian seasoning. After spatchcocking, I patted the chicken dry thoroughly with paper towels, then rubbed the butter mixture all over the chicken. This is easier if you’re chicken isn’t too cold, otherwise the butter will be difficult to spread.
Then vacuum seal the chicken (yes, you’ll need a fairly large bag). It’s okay if it gets squished up, just try to keep it as flat as possible.
Let’s talk about the cook
After a lot of research on chicken cook temps and times, I went for 155 degrees F for 6 hours. If you’re chicken is super small, you could cut this to 5 hours. If it’s really large, you could go as long as 8 but it’s not necessary.
When the chicken is done, you can either refrigerate it if you’re not ready to serve (I refrigerated it overnight) or finish it immediately. Throw it in a hot oven to crisp up the skin and you’ve got yourself an incredible whole chicken!
You could also finish this chicken on the grill! Since it’s already cooked and you’re just looking to crisp the skin, you’ll want to cook it over medium-high heat.
Serve this with my Crispy Potatoes and Chimichurri, you’ve got yourself an incredible meal.
Get the Recipe:
Sous Vide Whole Chicken (Spatchcocked)
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken, about 4 1/2 pounds
- 1/4 cup salted butter, softened
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat your water bath to 155°F using an immersion circulator.
- Spatchcock your chicken by removing the back bone with very sharp kitchen shears or a pairing knife. Remove the neck, loose skin, and any organs and discard or save for stock.
- Pat the chicken dry thoroughly with paper towels.
- In a small bowl, mix together the butter, kosher salt, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning.
- Rub the chicken all over with the butter mixture. Add to a vacuum seal bag and vacuum seal.
- Add the chicken to the water bath and cook for 6 hours, up to 8 hours.
- When it’s done cooking, you can refrigerate to serve later or prepare it to serve immediately.
- To finish, preheat your oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Place the chicken on the lined baking sheet and cook for 15 to 20 minutes in preheated oven, until skin is crispy and golden and chicken is heated through.
I tried this recipe for sous vide of a whole chicken and wow!! This chicken was tender juicy and delicious. Hands down the best chicken I’ve ever eaten. Thank you!!!!
Normally I buy a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, but this was way better! The chicken was flavorful, tender, and juicy. I highly recommend using the butter/seasoning combo that’s in the recipe for full flavor. I finished it in an air fryer at 400 degrees for 10 minutes and the chicken was perfectly crispy and hot.. Yum!
Does the size of the chicken affect the cook time? I have a nearly 6 pounder and am unsure if I need a longer cooktime? Thanks!
For a 6 pounder, I wouldn’t adjust! You can go as long as 8 hours if you’d like, however.
Is it ok to cook longer than 6-8 hours. If you cooked it for let’s say 12 hours would it turn out the same?
Hi Christy! It’s more likely to be a little dry and lose moisture. The texture will change some.
Is it possible to double this recipe (i.e., two whole chickens, each in their own bag)?
Yes! Wouldn’t need to change a thing.
I’ve deboned, stuffed and rolled my chicken. I sous vide for 8 hours at 60 degrees celcius. I use various stuffings. Sometimes sausage. Sometimes just spinach.
Is this time and temp fine?
I’ve never tested a stuffed chicken at this time and temp so can’t say for sure. If you try it, please report back!
Stuffing it works wonders CC. Looks really good when you slice it to serve. And you can stuff it with anything…..bacon, pancetta, roasted peppers, sundried tomatoes. It makes a really elegant dinner meal. The trick is to make sure you cling film it really tightly first. It gives it that nice shape. I then don’t even bother to vacuum seal it.
My only concern was I think 8 hours is too long. The meat is a bit too tough for my liking. I’m going to try 7 hours and down to 6 hours. I might just up the temp a little bit. Lets see how that works.
Can you sous vide the chicken, freeze it, and then thaw and grill it at a later date? I’m thinking a month or so later?
I’ve been cooking for a long time and this chicken was fabulous. I love the idea of using the air fryer at the end instead of the oven. Will try that next time. Great recipe.
So glad you liked it!
Can this revoked be used without the spatchcock method. Just a whole chicken?
No, spatchcocking is important. The cavity in the chicken would make it need a much longer cooking time. I couldn’t tell you for certain what to do as I haven’t tested it, but I highly recommend spatchcocking. It doesn’t take long!
I’m new to sous vide using the Ninja Foodi XL SmartLid. I’m encouraged that you wrote after cooking to let the chicken sit for 30 minutes, if not serving right away. The majority of recipes I’ve read say that you must put cooked foods into an ice bath. I’m all in with you if I can let my cooked sous vide sit out and then put in the fridge. Do you still feel it’s okay to let sit after you’ve cooked sous vide for many years? Thank you for your time and expertise. Apologies for such a long post!
Sous vide chicken is fantastic! However, if your plan is to eat it later, never go from the sous vide bath straight to the refrigerator or freezer! Proper food safety requires the chicken to be moved as *quickly*as possible through the temperature Danger Zone. So, you’d remove the bagged chicken from the SV container then immediately plunge it into a 50/50 ice bath until the internal temperature moves from your SV temperature 155°F. to *below* 40°F. Only then is it ready to be refrigerated or frozen.
Read Douglas Baldwin’s “A Practical Guide to Sous Vide Cooking,” free, online. 👍
I love this recipe, I use it all the time. I spatchcock mine first instead of cooking it whole, I use the rub you have in the recipe and apply to the chicken and then just throw the butter in chunks into the bag and it tastes just as good. I found that if I mixed the rub and the butter a lot of the time it got stuck on the bag or fell off the chicken anyway, so this was an easier mess free way with the same results! Thanks for the recipe