Sous Vide Chicken Wings With Peri Peri Sauce

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Take your appetizer game to the next level with these Sous Vide Chicken Wings! They’re juicy, tender and fall-off-the-bone delicious!

We love wings in our house! And we love variety. Whether we’re binge watching Netflix or having friends over, wings are our go-to appetizer.

a plate of crispy chicken wings with red sauce for dipping in a bowl

Some of our favorites include these crispy Cajun wings, crispy baked BBQ chicken wings, pok pok wings, or spicy glazed Asian wings.

And now these sous vide chicken wings have a permanent place on our appetizer menu. Not only do they have the perfect tender texture and crispy skin, but the peri peri sauce adds the most amazing spicy, garlicky and tangy flavor.

You’ll definitely want extra sauce for dipping!

Why this recipe works

The chicken wings won’t dry out as they cook. The sous vide water bath cooks them low and slow, giving them enough time to tenderize as the vacuum sealed bag locks in all the juices and moisture.
It’s a healthier way to enjoy chicken wings as they aren’t deep fried in oil. And it’s less messy. The sous vide keeps all the juices in and you don’t have to worry about oil splatters from deep frying.
You can prepare the wings and the peri peri sauce in advance so game days and parties are made a little easier!

What is Sous Vide?

Sous vide is basically a method of cooking using what is called an immersion circulator. This immersion circulator circulates water in a temperature controlled water bath at a certain temperature to perfectly cook your food every time.

Because the temperature doesn't change, and it keeps your meat (or dessert, veggies, etc.) at the same temperature, your risk of overcooking becomes very minimal.

To learn even more about sous vide cooking, head over and read "what is sous vide cooking."

What is the Water Displacement Method?

The displacement method is where you slowly submerge a ziplock bag in water pushing the air out of the top of the bag (the bag should be slightly open at the top to allow air to escape).

Use a clip (I use binder clips) to clip the bag to the side to keep it from floating and getting air and/or water inside.

Tools Used

Other sous vide recipes to try

Sous Vide Veal Chops with Miso Mushroom Sauce
Sous Vide Whole Chicken Lemon Beurre Blanc
Sous Vide Duck Breast with Orange Glaze
Sous Vide Lamb Chops with Mint Chimichurri
Sous Vide French Dip Sandwiches with Horseradish sauce

Ingredients

The full list and amounts of each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

You’ll need 2 pounds of chicken wings for this recipe. You can go with all wingettes or drummettes or a mix of both. If you buy full wings, you’ll want to make sure to split them before cooking them.

You can buy peri peri sauce, but I highly recommend making your own. It might require a few ingredients but I promise it’s not that hard to make!

For the sauce, you’ll need two roasted red peppers (instructions below on how to roast them), a small red onion and 6 cloves of garlic (for all the garlicky flavor!)

Peri peri sauce is a little tangy, and that’s thanks to fresh lemon juice, lemon zest and white vinegar.

It’s also a little spicy, which comes from the Thai chilies that are added to the sauce!

You’ll round out the recipe with oil, smoked paprika, oregano, salt and pepper.

Step by step instructions

Heat a sous vide water bath to 160F degrees.

Coat the chicken wings in 1 ½ tablespoons of salt and let them sit out while preparing the peri peri sauce (see below).

Put ⅓ cup of the peri peri sauce (before you cook it) in a vacuum seal bag (or ziplock freezer bag if using the water displacement method described above) with the chicken wings and squeeze to coat.

red sauce coated chicken wings in a sous vide vacuum seal bag

Use a vacuum sealer to seal the bag.

Place the bag in the water bath and cook for 2 hours. **Check periodically to ensure the bag is not floating.

Remove the bag from the water bath and place the chicken wings on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Place under the broiler for 4-7 minutes, until the skin has crisped and browned. Be sure to watch them carefully so they don't burn.

Serve with a side of peri peri sauce for dipping.

browned chicken wings with a bowl of red sauce

How to make peri peri sauce

Combine all the ingredients (see recipe card below), except the ⅛ cup of lemon juice, in a blender or food processor and pulse until a smooth sauce is formed.

Place ⅓ cup of the sauce in the bag with the chicken wings (see above).

Place the remaining sauce in a skillet and heat to a light simmer over medium heat.

Cook, stirring periodically, for about 7-8 minutes at a simmer.

red sauce in a skillet with a wooden spoon

Remove from heat and stir in the ⅛ cup of reserved lemon juice.

Add additional salt to taste if desired.

How to red roast peppers

Remove the stem and seeds from the peppers.

Place on a grill, under the broiler, or over a lit gas stove and char the skin on each side.

Remove and set aside to cool. Once cooled, use your hands to peel the charred skin off. **It's ok if a little char is left on the peppers, it gives it a nice smoky flavor.

Expert tips

Removing the air from the bag is important as you don't want bacteria entering the bag while the chicken wings cook.
If you use other cuts of chicken for this recipe like thighs or breasts, just remember that they all have different cooking times so you will need to adjust the temperature of your water bath.
To ensure even cooking, make sure you arrange the wings in a single layer in the sealable bag.
Remember to check on the chicken in the water bath to make sure it isn’t floating, which can lead to undercooked chicken.
If you’re having issues with floating, weigh the bag down with a wet towel or something else heavy (I use my mortar sometimes) or use sous vide weights.
The peri peri sauce can be made ahead and stored for up to 5 days in the fridge.
The chicken wings can be left in the fridge overnight (uncovered) after they have been salted for maximum flavor. This will also help draw out the moisture so when you finish the chicken wings off in the oven they get ultra crispy.
I use the broiler on the low setting to avoid burning the wings, but you can use the high setting as well if you watch them. Using the high setting reduces the chance that you will dry out the wings.

Common questions

What temperature do you sous vide chicken wings at?

You’ll want to sous vide your chicken wings in a water bath set to 160F degrees.

How long do you sous vide chicken wings?

In a 160F degrees water bath, it will take 2 hours for the collagen to break down and for the chicken wings to tenderize.

Can you sous vide frozen chicken wings?

Yes, you can cook frozen chicken wings in the sous vide water bath. Just add another hour to the cooking time.

Do you need to broil the chicken wings at the end?

Yes, this is essential for crispy chicken wings. While the sous vide fully cooks the wings, you’ll want to brown and crisp them up underneath the broiler before serving. You can also grill them, fry them in some oil on the stovetop or even air fry them.

Make ahead instructions

You can make the peri peri sauce in advance and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.

You can also cook the chicken wings in advance and store them in the fridge.

To do this, once the bag of wings is removed from the water bath, place them in an ice bath to quickly cool them down. Keep them in the vacuum sealed bag and store them in the fridge for up to 4 days.

When ready to serve the wings, reheat them in the water bath on 160F degrees until warmed through and broil them as per the recipe instructions.

Other appetizer recipes to enjoy

We love making a meal on appetizers, so here are a few others to go with these sous vide chicken wings:

Did you make this recipe? Leave a comment below and let me know how it turned out!