Forget the grill. Instead, use the sous vide precision cooker to impress your friends and family with this delicious, fork tender BBQ chicken recipe. Juicy and flavorful, follow these step by step instructions for a foolproof sous vide BBQ chicken recipe.

Use the sous vide precision cooker to impress your friends and family with this delicious, fork tender BBQ chicken recipe.

Table of Contents

BBQ Chicken in the Sous Vide

I love the flavor of BBQ chicken on the grill; however, it’s cold in Indiana in the winter, and it’s not always ideal to use the grill all year long.

I have the perfect solution. Cook chicken using an immersion circulator, also called sous vide cooking. This method of cooking is very precise, meaning you’ll get juicy chicken, not rubbery, dry chicken.

Then, all you have to do is finish the chicken in skillet of barbecue sauce until you get a sticky, delicious dish, perfect all year round.

Cook chicken using an immersion circulator, also called sous vide cooking. This method of cooking is very precise, meaning you'll get juicy chicken, not rubbery, dry chicken.

Ingredients for Sous Vide BBQ Chicken

Chicken Thighs or Chicken Breasts
Salt
Black Pepper
Garlic Powder
BBQ Sauce, bottled or homemade (homemade BBQ sauce recipe found below)

Ingredients for Homemade BBQ Sauce

Ketchup
White Vinegar
Worcestershire Sauce
Yellow Mustard
Garlic Powder
Salt
Black Pepper
Brown Sugar

How to Make BBQ Chicken in the Sous Vide

Step by Step Instructions

Season chicken thighs generously with salt, pepper and garlic powder
Vacuum seal using a vacuum sealer, or using the water displacement method.
Place the vacuum seal bags in a water bath, being sure it is completely submerged.
Cook in a sous vide machine to 145 degrees F for chicken breasts or 165 degrees F for chicken thighs for 1.5 to 2 hours.
Once cooking is complete, remove to finish cooking on the stovetop as follows or place in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
To finish cooking, place BBQ sauce (either bottled, premade or homemade) in a large skillet. Blot the chicken with a paper towel to remove the excess moisture. Nestle the chicken into the barbecue sauce, turning to coat all sides with the sauce.
Bring to a simmer over medium heat, basting often.
Simmer gently until the sauce thickens.
If desired, broil for 1 to 2 minutes until the barbecue chicken glaze is sticky.
Serve with your favorite side dishes.

Storage Instructions

Let the leftovers cool completely. Transfer to an airtight container, and store in the refrigerator.

For the full ingredient amounts and recipe steps, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Forget the grill. Instead, use the sous vide precision cooker to impress your friends and family with this delicious, fork tender BBQ chicken recipe.

Recipe FAQs

I oftentimes use a pre-made BBQ sauce from the store, but on occasion when I don’t have any on hand, I whip up an easy homemade version. To do this, whisk together ketchup, vinegar (white or apple cider vinegar), Worcestershire sauce, yellow mustard, garlic powder, salt and pepper, and brown sugar.
Broiling is optional, but highly recommended. I love how it makes the glaze sticky like a traditional barbecued chicken recipe.

Recipe Variations for Sous Vide BBQ Chicken

Use any cut of chicken you prefer. I use chicken breasts, chicken thighs and/or chicken legs or chicken drumsticks.
Sometimes, I use skin-on chicken, and sometime I use the skinless chicken. Either works!
Use bone-in chicken or boneless chicken.
Season up the raw chicken with whatever you prefer. Some great options are salt free seasoning blends, onion powder, garlic powder, garlic salt, etc.
If desired, skip the stove top skillet and/or broiling step. Instead, toss them onto the smoker, baste them in BBQ sauce, and let them finish on the grill.
Don’t have a way to sous vide? Try this Grilled BBQ Chicken recipe.

What to serve with BBQ chicken?

Summer salads such as macaroni salad or potato salad
Macaroni and Cheese
Pea Salad
Corn on the Cob
Fresh Veggies and Ranch Dip

Juicy and flavorful, follow these step by step instructions for a foolproof sous vide BBQ chicken recipe.

Sous Vide Recipes

Sous Vide Pulled Pork

Discover the secret to tender and flavorful pulled pork with this easy sous vide recipe. Perfect for meal prep or a crowd-pleasing dinner, this sous vide pulled pork recipe will have you coming back for seconds.

Parmesan Chicken in the Sous Vide

Here's a method to finish the chicken a skillet to make a crispy parmesan crust to go along with the juicy chicken. Sous Vide Parmesan Chicken is a recipe to add to your weekly rotation.

Sous Vide Teriyaki Chicken

Try this tasty sous vide chicken teriyaki, perfect to serve with steamed rice and vegetables. The sous vide cooking method ensures perfectly cooked and flavorful chicken every time.

Sous Vide Glazed Carrots

Discover the secret to perfectly tender and flavorful carrots with this easy sous vide recipe. Great as a side dish for any meal!

Short Ribs (Sous Vide Method)

Make a mouth-watering dinner with this 2 ingredient sous vide beef short ribs recipe. They are tender and bursting with flavor.

Kitchen Utensils to Make BBQ Chicken in the Sous Vide

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