duck breast

Cooking duck breast at home is as easy as one, two, three. First, score the skin so the fat can quickly render away. Second, cook it low and slow for tender meat and a crispy skin. Third, use the tasty browned bits that develop during cooking to make a quick pan sauce to top it all off.

Pan-Seared Duck Breast Recipe

duck

Kosher salt

dry white wine (4 fluid ounces; 120 milliliters)

chicken stock stock gelatin

unsalted butter (2 ounces; 60 grams)

(60 milliliters) orange

orange zest

black pepper,

With a sharp knife, gently score duck breast skin in a tight crosshatch pattern, keeping the scores 1/8 inch apart. If you prefer a little fat left on the breasts after cooking, just barely score the skin; to render more fat, score more deeply, taking care not to expose the flesh.

Season duck breasts with salt, heavily on the skin side and lightly on the flesh side.

Place duck breasts, skin side down, in a large, cold sauté pan. Place pan over low to medium-low heat. To keep the edges from curling up, press duck breasts down with the help of a smaller sauté pan. After about 5 minutes, the fat should begin to gently bubble. If the fat is either silent or spitting, adjust heat accordingly. Maintain the gentle bubble of fat, pouring out excess rendered fat throughout the cooking process, until much of the fat has rendered, skin is golden brown, and duck's internal temperature is 125°F (52°C), about 15 minutes. 

Increase heat to medium and further brown skin if needed, about 1 minute, before flipping and cooking on the flesh side. For medium-rare meat, cook until breast registers 130°F (54°C) on an instant-read thermometer, about 1 to 2 minutes. Continue cooking until duck registers 140°F (60°C) for medium or 155°F (68°F) for well-done. Remove duck from pan and set aside to rest.

For the Pan Sauce: Over high heat, deglaze sauté pan with white wine. Scrape up any brown bits stuck to pan and let wine reduce until pan is almost dry and only 1 to 2 tablespoons remain, about 2 minutes. Add chicken stock and let reduce by half, until sauce is sticky and rich, about 2 minutes. Remove sauce from heat and swirl in butter until melted and evenly incorporated. Season sauce with orange juice and zest, salt, and black pepper. Serve with duck breast. 

Who says you can only serve lingonberries with Swedish meatballs? This perfectly seared duck breast with lingonberry sauce is a simple and beautiful meal.

Seared Duck Breast with Lingonberry Sauce

potatoes

ricotta cheese

½ cup whole milk (plus more, as necessary)

butter

½ teaspoon nutmeg (plus more as desired)

white pepper

Salt (to taste)

duck breasts

Salt and pepper

duck fat

butter (divided)

shallot

lingonberry jam

lemon (juiced)

sugar

water

arugula

Cover the diced Yukon gold potatoes with water and add salt. Bring to a boil and cook for 25 minutes until very soft. Drain into a colander and transfer to a large bowl.

Add the ricotta, milk, butter, nutmeg, and white pepper to the bowl and use a hand mixer or potato masher to blend until smooth and creamy. If desired, add a few splashes more of milk until desired consistency is reached. Taste and season with salt. Add more nutmeg or white pepper to taste, as desired. Keep the potatoes warm as you prepare the rest of the meal.

Prepare the Potatoes:

Place the duck breasts, skin-side down, in a skillet (ensuring that there is enough room for both of them without them touching each other). Turn the heat to medium-low and cook for 10-15 minutes until the skin is very deep, golden brown and the fat has rendered out. As you cook the duck skin, use a spoon to remove some of the duck fat and transfer to a heat-proof bowl.

Flip the duck breasts and cook an additional 7-10 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer reaches 140ºF when inserted at the thickest part of the duck breast. Transfer to a wooden cutting board and cover with foil. Rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Start the Duck:

While the duck is cooking, prepare the lingonberry sauce. Heat 1 tablespoon butter and two teaspoons of the reserved duck fat in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook for 2-3 minutes until softened.

Add the lingonberry jam, lemon juice, ¼ water, and sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes until thickened. Once thickened and reduced, turn off the heat. Mount the butter into the sauce and stir until emulsified and glossy. Set aside.

Prepare the Lingonberry Sauce:

Immediately after the lingonberry sauce is cooked, prepare the arugula. Remove all but a tablespoon or two of duck fat from the skillet and transfer to the heatproof bowl.

Turn the skillet to medium heat and add the sliced shallot. Cook for 2 minutes until softened.

Add the arugula and cook for 3-4 minutes until mostly wilted. Turn off the heat and allow the residual heat to cook the arugula the rest of the way. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook the Arugula:

Divide the mashed potatoes between shallow bowls. Pile the arugula on top and arrange the sliced duck breast on top. Spoon the lingonberry sauce on top. If you like, sprinkle a touch of nutmeg on top of the mashed potatoes and garnish with just a hint of flaky sea salt on top of the lingonberry sauce. Enjoy!

To Serve:

Consider using this cured duck, adapted from "Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing," by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn, as a garnish for salad; as a canapé, on a bit of toasted bread spread with Dijon mustard; or sautéed like pancetta.

Duck Prosciutto

Weigh breasts individually so you can check their progress toward curing. With a sharp knife, score skin of each breast in a crisscross pattern. Put about 1 cup salt (a half-inch layer) in a nonreactive baking dish that will just hold the breasts without touching. Nestle breasts on top of salt, skin side up. Pour more salt over breasts so that they are completely covered. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate 24 hours.

Remove duck from salt, rinse thoroughly and pat dry with paper towels. The flesh should feel dense and its color will have deepened. Dust breasts with pepper on both sides.

Wrap each breast in cheesecloth and tie with string. Hang for about 7 days in a cool (50 to 60 degrees is optimal), humid place, like a garage, a basement or in an unlit fireplace. After curing, the flesh should be stiff but not hard throughout; the color will be a deep rich red. If they still feel raw in the center, hang for a day or two longer. Generally, dry-cured products are ready when they have lost 30 percent of their original weight.

Remove cheesecloth, wrap duck in plastic and refrigerate until ready to use. It will keep several weeks or more.

Once you know the technique, cooking a large Muscovy duck breast is no more difficult than cooking a steak. Fragrant five-spice powder — a heady mix of Sichuan pepper, fennel, clove, star anise and cinnamon — is the perfect duck seasoning, and juicy blackberries make this a brilliant summertime dish. Muscovy duck is found at better butchers, from online sources or even at some farmers' markets. Grill the duck if you prefer, but make sure to keep dripping fat from igniting and scorching the meat. The breast meat is quite lean despite its fatty skin, so it is best cooked to a rosy medium rare or it will be dry. Serve it warm, at room temperature or cold.

Five-Spice Duck Breast With Blackberries

Muscovy duck breasts,

Salt

Chinese five-spice powder

ginger,

garlic cloves, smashed

shallot, finely diced

sherry vinegar

brown sugar

blackberries

chicken broth

Trim duck breasts as necessary, removing extraneous fat or gristle. Score the skin side of the breast diagonally with a sharp knife.

Season both sides of the duck breasts with salt, then sprinkle both sides evenly with five-spice powder. Mix together ginger and garlic and use it to slather the breasts. Cover and let marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature. (Alternatively, wrap and refrigerate for several hours, or even overnight; bring back to room temperature before cooking.)

Place a cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. When pan is hot, lay duck breast in it skin-side down. Let sizzle gently for 7 minutes, until skin is crisp and golden, adjusting heat as necessary to keep from getting too dark too quickly. Turn breast over and cook 3 to 5 minutes more. An instant-read thermometer should register 125 degrees for medium rare. Remove from pan and let rest for 10 minutes on a warm plate. Drain fat from pan (reserve for another use if you wish).

Make the sauce: Over medium heat, add shallots to same pan and cook until softened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add sherry vinegar, brown sugar and half the blackberries, stirring until sugar is dissolved and berries have released their juice. Add chicken broth, raise heat and simmer rapidly until liquid is reduced by half and a bit syrupy. Strain the contents of the skillet into a small saucepan and keep warm.

To serve, slice duck breast thinly across the grain on a diagonal and arrange on a platter. Spoon the sauce over the meat and garnish with the rest of the blackberries.

Dressed in honey and soy, this fragrant Asian duck salad makes a luxurious meal idea.

Asian-style duck salad

(about 500 grams) duck breast

peeled,

snow peas, trimmed, thinly sliced lengthways

sugar snap peas, trimmed

red chilli, deseeded, thinly sliced lengthways

Chinese cabbage, finely shredded

bean sprouts, ends trimmed

green shallots, ends trimmed, halved, thinly sliced lengthways

coriander leaves

flaked almonds

Coriander sprigs, to serve

tsp finely grated fresh ginger

garlic cloves, finely chopped

milliliters (1/4 cup) fresh lime juice

tsp sesame oil

tbsp wheat-free tamari sauce

tsp honey

If you want to try curing your own meat, this salted duck breast is easy, flavourful and will make you feel like a true kitchen pro

Duck Ham

thyme

tsp black peppercorns

cloves

garlic

bay leaf

flaky sea salt

golden caster sugar

duck breast (about 250 grams)

Using a pestle and mortar, roughly crush the thyme, peppercorns, cloves, garlic and bay. Tip into a bowl with the salt and sugar, and mix everything together thoroughly. Lightly score the skin on the breast in a criss-cross pattern.

Scatter about a third of the salt mixture into a container that will hold the duck breast snugly. Lay the duck, flesh-side down, on the salt and cover with the remaining mixture. Cover tightly with cling film or a lid and leave in the fridge for 3 days.

Remove the duck from the mixture, rinse under cold water, then dry well with kitchen paper. The ham is now ready to thinly slice and serve on its own or in a salad. Wrapped in cling film, it will keep in the fridge for up to 1 month.

Treat yourself to Barney Desmazery's one-pan solo supper - with the extra bonus of next to no washing up

Simmered duck with cabbage & potato

rashers smoked back bacon

potato

Savoy cabbage

chicken stock

parsley

Heat a small saucepan (one with a lid) on a medium heat. Season the breast, lay it skin side down in the pan and reduce the heat to the lowest it will go. Leave to sizzle for about 15 minutes, uncovered, until the skin is golden and crisp and has rendered most of its fat. Don’t shake the pan or move the duck.

Remove the duck (the meat side will be raw). Pour out just over half the fat (save it for frying vegetables another time) and turn up the heat slightly. Add the bacon and fry for 2-3 minutes until starting to crisp. Add the potato, cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potato looks sticky and has just started to brown at the edges.

Tip in the cabbage and stir until glossy, then pour in the stock. Nestle the duck, skin side up, among the cabbage and potato and cover the pan. Simmer gently for 10 minutes until the veg is tender and the duck cooked. Remove the duck from the pan and stir in the parsley and garlic. To serve, spoon the veg, bacon and juice on to a plate and sit the duck on top. Pour a glass of wine and enjoy the flavours of autumn.

This easy yet impressive recipe makes a stylish main course for a special occasion

Roasted duck breast with plum sauce

star anise

shallot, finely chopped

olive oil

dark red plums, halved, stoned and cut into small wedges

demerara sugar

red wine

beef stock

For the sauce, fry the shallot in the oil for 5 mins or until softened but not coloured. Add the plums and sugar, stirring for a few mins until the sugar has dissolved. Add the red wine and stock, then simmer for about 15 mins, stirring occasionally, until softened and slightly thickened. Keep warm or leave at room temperature for up to a day before reheating to serve.

Meanwhile, heat the oven to 180C/ 160C fan/gas 4. Score the skin of the duck breasts with a sharp knife and season well with salt and pepper. Heat a non-stick frying pan and place the duck breasts in, skin-side down. Fry for 6-7 mins, then turn and add the thyme, star anise and butter. Allow this to melt, basting the duck with the juices, then transfer everything to a small roasting tin and finish in the oven for 5-6 mins for pink or 10-12 mins for well done.

When the duck is ready, baste again with the juices, then rest for 5 mins while you finish everything else.

To serve, thinly slice each duck breast on a chopping board. Arrange on each plate along with a spoon of the Creamed potatoes, some of the plum sauce and the Buttered spinach.

Spiked with crispy bacon, rosemary and spinach, these creamy beans are a great match for a crispy-skinned duck breast. A delicious comforting dinner, on your table in minutes.

Pan-fried duck breast with creamy white beans

x 250 g free-range duck breast

rashers of higher-welfare smoked streaky bacon

rosemary

red wine vinegar

x beans

spinach

Duck works brilliantly with Asian flavours. The simple steamed greens, crispy chilli, ginger and garlic, and the tangy dressing provide the perfect backdrop for a perfectly cooked duck breast.

Pan-fried duck breast with pak choi & asparagus

x 200 g free-range duck breast

ginger

red chilli

½ a bunch of asparagus (175 grams)

pak choi

soy sauce

rice vinegar

A restaurant-quality dish by Gordon Ramsay made using easily found ingredients

Pan-fried duck breast with creamed cabbage, chestnuts & caramelised pear

tsp white wine vinegar

celeriac

smoked bacon

thyme leaf

double cream

cooked chestnut pieces, sliced

pear

tbsp icing sugar

tsp balsamic vinegar

Lightly score the skin of the duck breasts, then season well. Place a non-stick pan over a medium heat, then lay the duck in the pan, skin-side down. Cook until the fat starts to come from the duck, then add the garlic and thyme. Turn down the heat, then continue to cook for 15-20 mins, depending on the size of the duck breast, until the skin is really crisp and brown. As it cooks, pour the fat into a large pan for the cabbage.

Flip the duck over, cook on the flesh side for 3 mins until browned, then turn off the heat (this will result in meat that is pink in the middle - cook for a few minutes longer if you like it well done). Leave the duck in the pan to rest.

While the duck cooks, heat 1 tbsp of its fat in the other pan. Add the celeriac and bacon, then gently fry for 5 mins until the celeriac has browned and the bacon starts to crisp. Add the thyme, then the cabbage. Fry the cabbage for 5 mins until it starts to wilt. Add 100ml water and simmer for 5 mins until the water has evaporated and the celeriac is soft. Pour in the cream, stir to coat, then add the chestnuts and heat through. This can be done up to a day ahead - cook the celeriac in 1 tbsp vegetable oil instead of the duck fat and reheat with an extra splash of cream before serving.

Cut the pear in half and use a melon baller or teaspoon to scoop out the core. Place a star anise in the cavity of each half.

Place 3 tbsp of the icing sugar in a non-stick pan and heat to make a light amber caramel. Pour in the vinegar and bubble to make a sticky syrup. Dust the pear halves heavily with the rest of the icing sugar, then place the pan back on the heat. Cook the pear for 10 mins until brown and caramelised all over. This can be done up to a day ahead and reheated, adding a splash of water.

To serve, slice each duck breast lengthways and dress the watercress in the olive oil and vinegar. Spoon a neat mound of cabbage on one side of each plate. Place a pear half, cut-side up, on the opposite side of the plate and drizzle the sticky sauce around it. Place the outside slices of duck breast on the cabbage and fan the rest of the duck over. Scatter the dressed watercress sprigs around the sides of the plates and serve.

Duck rillettes

duck legs

g pistachios

g sultanas

shallot vinegar

Crispy-skinned Duck Breast with Roasted Plums, Cider Glaze and crispy sage- a simple elegant meal highlighting fall plums that can be made in 40 minutes! ( or sub Chicken Thighs)

Crispy Skinned Duck Breast with Roasted Plums 

oz bottle hard apple cider

tsp peppercorns

bay leaves

maple syrup

duck breasts, skin on.

salt and pepper

plums

sage leaves

Place the apple cider, stock, bay leaves and peppercorns in a small pot on the stove. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to medium, or to where it continues to simmer gently, uncovered. Reduce to ¼ of a cup, then stir in maple syrup.

Pat dry the duck, then with a sharp knife, score the duck skin just to the flesh in diagonal lines about ¾ inch apart. ( see photo).

Generously season both sides with salt and pepper.

Heat a large heavy bottom skillet on the stove, over medium high heat ( no need to add oil).

Once the skillet is hot, place the duck skin side down and let them sear. After 2-3 minutes, give the pan a shake to loosen the duck and turn heat to medium. Continue cooking for 15 minutes on the skin side.

Drain the fat ( saving for another use) turn the duck breasts over and nestle in the plums, ( leaving small ones whole, and cutting large ones in half) scatter 6-8 sage leaves in the pan, then place the pan in a 350F  oven for 10-15 minutes, until duck is cooked through to your liking and plums have softened.

To make crispy sage leaves, simple heat oil or butter in small skillet and lightly fry the leaves. Season with a touch of salt. Place on a paper towel.

Once duck is cooked to your liking, pull from the oven and pour a the cider maple glaze over top. Scatter with the sage leaves.

This was over the top amazing. Crisped the duck skin like you said ( scoring it-brilliant). Plums were so tasty.

This is a match made in heaven - the first time I've cooked duck and it was superb! The plums I had were slightly on the sour side which (to me) cut through the richness of the duck perfectly.  I cut back the cider slightly to compensate. A keeper - chef's kiss!!

This duck breast recipe comes together so easily with just a few simple ingredients using a quick pan sear method on the stove top. Served with a 10-minute cranberry maple sauce.

Pan Seared Duck Breast with Cranberry Maple Sauce

black pepper

cranberries

orange juice

Place a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat

Score the duck breasts using a sharp knife in a diagonal diamond pattern across the fat side of the breast. Score deeply but don't cut through the flesh, just the fat. Season both sides of the breasts liberally with the salt and pepper.

Once hot, place the duck fat side down into the skillet.

Sear until the fat becomes crispy and turned a deep golden brown color, about 3-5 minutes.

Flip the breasts over in the pan and sear on the other side for an additional 3-5 minutes.

Remove the duck from the skillet when the internal temperature has reached 130Â°F (medium-rare). Transfer to a plate or cutting board, cover and let rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing.

To make the cranberry maple sauce, combine all the ingredients in a small sauce pot over medium-low heat.

Bring to a simmer then reduce the heat to low. Stir and help break down the cranberries with a spatula as they cook until thickened, about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let sit (mixture will thicken more as it cools). Serve with the seared duck breasts.

Remove the duck from the skillet when the internal temperature has reached 130°F (medium-rare). Transfer to a plate or cutting board, cover and let rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing.

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Top 19 duck breast recipes from across the web

The most viewed duck breast recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Pan-Seared Duck Breast Recipe

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Duck Ham

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The most viewed duck breast recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine