Sous vide turkey thigh with cranberry compote

Want a holiday dish that’s both show-stopping and stress-free? With this sous vide turkey thigh recipe, you get juicy, perfectly cooked meat with minimal effort, paired beautifully with a fresh, homemade cranberry compote.

Sous vide takes all the guesswork out of cooking turkey. No dry meat, no tough textures, just tender, flavorful results every time. Finish with a quick oven grill for that golden festive finish, and you're ready to impress.

Ingredients

• For the turkey thigh
• ±1 kg turkey thigh
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 tbsp peppercorns
• 1 tbsp sea salt

For the cranberry compote

• 2 oranges (zest + juice)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• A pinch of salt
• 1 container cranberries (approx. 340 g)

Equipment

• Sous vide stick
• Vacuum sealer
• Vacuum bags
• Sousvide waterbowls

Preparation method

1. Prepare your sous vide setup

Fill your sous vide water container with water and heat it to 70°C using the Ziva Savant sous vide stick.

2. Season the turkey

Strip the rosemary needles and thyme leaves from their stems and finely chop them. In a mortar, crush the peppercorns and sea salt, then combine with the herbs.

Rub this seasoning mixture thoroughly over both sides of the turkey thigh. Place the meat in a medium vacuum bag (20 × 30 cm) and seal it tightly with your vacuum sealer.

3. Cook sous vide

Submerge the sealed turkey in the water bath and cook for 4 hours at 70°C. In the meantime, you can prepare the cranberry compote and your side dishes.

4. Make the cranberry compote

Zest both oranges, then juice them. In a saucepan, bring the orange juice to a boil and stir in the sugar until dissolved. Add the cinnamon stick, orange zest, salt, and cranberries.

Let the mixture simmer gently for about 10 minutes, or until the cranberries have burst and the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and let cool completely.

5. Finish the turkey

After sous vide cooking, remove the turkey from the bag. If you’re not serving immediately, refrigerate and reheat later in a warm water bath or warming drawer before grilling.

To serve right away, preheat your oven to grill mode at 200°C. Place the turkey thigh on a rack and grill for about 5 minutes or until it develops a golden, crisp exterior. Be careful not to overcook it in the oven, as the meat is already perfectly done.

6. Serve

Slice the turkey into portions and serve warm, accompanied by a generous spoonful of the cranberry compote.