Sous Vide Fried Chicken

4-6 pounds chicken legs and wings
2 quarts vegetable oil, for frying

Spice blend:
kosher salt
3 tablespoons smoked paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon ground mustard
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup buttermilk
2 large egg whites

1. Season chicken with kosher salt and vacuum seal in sous vide bags. Miele vacuum sealer, vacuum level 3 / seal level 3.

2. In the Combi-Steam oven, place bag(s) on metal rack and program the oven. Operating Modes / Sous Vide / 160°F / 1 hour 30 minutes. OK. Start Now.

3. Prepare to dredge the chicken using 3 bowls. 1, combine spice mixture. 2, combine flour, cornstarch and 1 tablespoon salt. 3, whisk buttermilk, egg whites, and alcohol. Place a cooling rack over the universal tray for dredged chicken to rest.

4. Once chicken has finished cooking, remove from bags and allow to cool slightly. Season with ½ the spice mixture. Add remaining spice mixture to the flour bowl.

5. Dredge the chicken. Working with 1 piece of chicken at a time, dip in the buttermilk mixture to completely coat (some seasoning will come off in the buttermilk), then place in the flour mixture.

6. Place the coated chicken on the rack and repeat dredging the remaining chicken. Set aside at room temperature for at least 10 minutes and up to 30 minutes while you set up for frying and heat the oil.

7. Set up for frying. Place the oil in a large Dutch oven, attach a candy or deep-fry thermometer, and heat over medium-high heat until the oil is 350-370°F, about 15 minutes. Line a second Universal tray with paper towels and fit with a second wire cooling rack; this will be your cooling station.

8. Fry the chicken. Place 3 pieces of the chicken in the oil and fry, using tongs to rotate the pieces every 3 to 4 minutes and adjusting the heat as needed to maintain 340-360°F, until golden-brown. Chicken has already cooked through; we are just browning the outside coating.

9. Cool the chicken. Transfer the chicken to the rack on the second baking sheet. Make sure the oil comes back up to 350°F before frying the remaining chicken in batches. Let cool at least 10 minutes before serving.