How to Make Tender Sous Vide Teriyaki Chicken

Lately I’ve been obsessed with making Asian dishes with the sous vide. This week I’m sharing a refined, easy-to-follow recipe for Sous Vide Teriyaki Chicken. Sous vide gives incredibly tender, evenly cooked meat, but it doesn’t crisp skin at low temperatures—so this recipe finishes the chicken under a hot broiler for a perfect, crunchy finish. Total active time is short; most of the process is hands-off.

🍗 About This Recipe

This sous vide teriyaki chicken uses skin-on pieces—whole leg quarters, thighs, or drumsticks work well. Using skin-on cuts allows you to crisp the skin at the end under the broiler for texture contrast: tender meat from the sous vide and caramelized, crispy skin after broiling.

Marinate the chicken at minimum 40 minutes; up to about 4 hours is fine if you prefer deeper flavor. I avoid marinating much longer than that since the sauce can concentrate and become overly salty. For marinating, I recommend placing the chicken and sauce in a zipper-lock bag and removing as much air as possible by hand; vacuum sealers can sometimes draw off liquid and make a mess.

🧂 Ingredients

• Chicken: 4 skin-on chicken legs (or 4 thighs or drumsticks). Use skin-on pieces so you can broil the skin at the end.
• Teriyaki Marinade: 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon mirin. Optional: 1/2 teaspoon white or yellow miso (for added umami). If using miso, press it through a fine sieve so it dissolves easily.
• Cornstarch: 1 teaspoon to make a slurry for thickening the sauce into a glossy glaze.
• Neutral oil: A little oil for brushing the skin before broiling (vegetable, canola, or light olive oil).
• Garnish and serving: Cooked rice and lemon wedges, for serving and brightness.

🔪 Instructions

1. Make the sauce: In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the soy sauce, sugar, and mirin. If you’re using miso, press it through a fine sieve into the mixture and whisk until dissolved. Stir continuously until the sugar has melted, then remove from heat and let cool for about 5 minutes.
2. Marinate: Place the chicken pieces in a zipper-lock bag and pour in the cooled teriyaki sauce. Seal the bag, pressing out excess air, and refrigerate for at least 40 minutes and up to 4 hours.
3. Preheat the water bath: Set your immersion circulator to 150°F (65.5°C). Submerge the sealed bag in the water bath and cook for 1 to 4 hours. Shorter times give tender meat; longer times render more fat and develop a silkier texture.
4. Prepare to broil: When the sous vide cook is complete, preheat your oven broiler to its highest setting (often around 500°F). Carefully cut a small corner of the bag and pour the cooking liquid into a small saucepan; reserve the liquid to make the glaze. Remove the chicken from the bag and pat the skin thoroughly dry with paper towels—dry skin crisps better under the broiler.
5. Thicken the sauce: Bring the reserved cooking liquid to a boil over medium-high heat. Make a slurry by mixing 1 teaspoon cornstarch with 1 teaspoon water, then whisk it into the sauce. Cook until the sauce thickens to a glaze that coats the back of a spoon. If it becomes too thick, add a little water to reach the desired consistency.
6. Broil for crisp skin: Arrange the chicken skin-side up on a roasting rack set over a baking sheet. Lightly brush the skin with a thin layer of neutral oil. Broil for 2–3 minutes, watching closely, until the skin browns and crisps. Remove from the oven, let rest a few minutes, then serve over rice with lemon wedges and the teriyaki glaze drizzled on top.

📋 Recipe Details

Ingredients (summary)

• 4 chicken legs, skin-on (or thighs/drumsticks)
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon mirin
• 1/2 teaspoon miso (optional)
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• Neutral oil for brushing, lemon wedges and rice for serving

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

• Calories: 373 kcal
• Carbohydrates: 16 g
• Protein: 23 g
• Fat: 24 g
• Sodium: 979 mg

Nutrition values are estimates calculated from ingredient data and should be used as a guideline only.

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