Sous Vide Turkey Thighs
Tender, moist, flavorful and stress-free - that's sous vide turkey thighs glazed with maple, balsamic, Dijon and orange zest. Just 20 minutes of hands-on time, and even white meat lovers approve.
Servings (change as needed): 3 -4
Ingredients
- 1¾ pounds boneless turkey thighs, with or without skin, Note 1 (1.5-2.0 pounds/0.68-0.9 kg total)
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning or thyme
- salt and black pepper, to taste
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
- OPTIONAL BRINE: salt, peppercorns, sugar, Note 2
Glaze
- 2 tablespoon Maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon good Balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon orange zest, divided
- ½ teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary (or fresh thyme)
- ⅛ teaspoon each, salt and pepper
Turn Glaze into Sauce
- ½ cup turkey juices from sous vide bag (or chicken broth)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- GARNISH: sea salt, chopped parsley, extra orange zest
Instructions
- BRINE TURKEY THIGHS (OPTIONAL): Note 2
- PREPARE SOUS VIDE BATH: Fill water in a large pot, container or sous vide machine as per manufacturers instructions. Set the temperature of immersion circulator (or sous vide 'oven') to 150F/65.6C and allow water to heat to that temperature.
- PREPARE TURKEY FOR SOUS VIDE: Mix oil and poultry seasoning in a small bowl. Rub mixture all over turkey thighs and tuck edges under to make an even roll. Place small sprig of fresh rosemary under each thigh or sprinkle some dried rosemary on thighs. Don't put in too much rosemary or the flavors will be overpowering.
- SOUS VIDE TURKEY: Place thighs side by side in freezer zipper-lock bag. Slowly lower bag into water. The pressure of the water will press air out of bag. When bag is just above water line and air is mostly out, seal (zip up) bag. This is the water displacement method. Alternatively, place thighs in sous vide bag and seal with vacuum sealer. Cooking time is minimum 2 1/2 hours and a maximum of 4 1/2 hours. (If thighs are fairly large, I cook them for 3 1/2 to 4 hours). Remove from water bath. Take thighs out of bag and remove skin if there is any. Reserve juices for sauce. Pat turkey dry with paper towels.
- MAKE GLAZE/SAUCE: In a small bowl or cup, whisk together all Glaze ingredients including 1/2 teaspoon orange zest. Half of glaze will be used to glaze thighs - the rest to make the sauce. To make sauce, add remaining half of glaze, cornstarch, turkey juices or broth, 1/2 teaspoon orange zest and salt and pepper to taste to a small sauce pan. Heat on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until slightly reduced and thickened. Taste and adjust seasonings (syrup, salt, orange, etc).
- FINISH AND SERVE: To brown for a nice presentation or to get crispy skin (if using thighs with skin), place thighs on foil lined baking sheet, (skin side up if using skin), brush with glaze all over and broil for 2-3 minutes (no need to turn over) 6 inches/15 cm from heat at top. Remove and brush with glaze again. Add garnish of orange zest and parsley if desired. Slice and serve with sauce drizzled on top or on the side.
Notes
- Turkey thigh options and how to debone:
- Bone-in turkey thighs - just note that cooking is less even than boneless and slicing for presentation is trickier. Set your sous vide immersion circulator to 148F/64C and increase the cooking time to 4- 4.5 hours.
- Boneless turkey breast. Here's our go-to sous vide turkey breast recipe for succulent turkey.
- Deboning: Here's a video on deboning a turkey thigh.
- To brine turkey thighs (optional): I buy kosher turkey, already brined, but you can easily brine thighs yourself to add flavor: Fill ziplock bag with 3 cups room-temperature water, 3 tablespoons kosher salt, 1 tablespoon sugar, 6-8 peppercorns. Massage to dissolve salt and sugar. Place thighs in bag, seal and let sit in fridge for about 1-2 hours. Don't brine too long as boneless thighs are not very thick.
- Final step option - pan sear instead of broil: Heat 2 tsp vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet to medium high heat. Glaze thighs and sear on skin side (or rounded side) in hot pan for 1 minute for a nicely browned finish. No need to sear on second side.
- To Make Ahead:
- To prepare ahead: You can vacuum seal (or zipper lock) and refrigerate the thighs for a few days before cooking.
- To cook ahead same day: The sous vide process can be done ahead of time (or just leave the sealed bags in the water an extra 30-60 minutes). Glaze and broil the cooked thighs just before serving.
- To cook it a couple of days ahead, sous vide the turkey, cool it down for 10-15 minutes in a large bowl of ice water, then place bag with the turkey in the fridge. To warm the turkey (retherm it), place in water bath at 140F/60C for 45 minutes to an hour. Then pat dry and sear if desired.
Calories: 430kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 43g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 141mg | Sodium: 1272mg | Potassium: 608mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 18IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 4mg