duck recipe

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

Roasted duck breast with plum sauce

duck breasts

thyme

star anise

butter

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.

Crispy and juicy Chinese BBQ Duck Breast is super easy to make at home. The skin is fried till crisp and golden brown, while the Chinese BBQ Duck Breast is cooked to a perfect medium-rare filled with juices. My Chinese BBQ Duck is made with ONLY 5 simple ingredients in an Air Fryer. Get your rice ready because this recipe will blow your mind!

Chinese BBQ Duck Breast

Duck Breast

2.5 tbsp of Lee Kum Kee Oyster Sauce

tbsp of Soy Sauce

tbsp of Five Spice Powder

Honey

garlic

Pat the duck breast dry, especially the skin

Mix 2.5 tbsp of oyster sauce, 2 tbsp of soy sauce, ½ tbsp of five-spice powder, minced garlic, and 1 tbsp of honey.

Place the duck breast in the sauce and ensure that the skin isn’t touching the sauce. Let it rest in the fridge overnight (make sure it’s not shut closed and there are some air left) - poke holes over plastic wrap to allow air to flow in

Add duck in the air fryer skin side facing up and pat dry the skin one last time. Set it to 300 for 15 minutes

In a bowl, mix 1 tbsp of honey, 3 tbsp of warm water, ½ tbsp of five-spice powder.

After 15 minutes, add honey mixture all over the duck breast and fry at 400 for 10 minutes or until crispy and golden brown.

Easier to make than you might think, Allan Pickett&#8217;s confit-cooked duck rillettes make a wonderfully rich lunch or sharing starter.

Duck rillettes

high-welfare duck legs

duck fat (plus a little extra if needed)

dry white wine

For the salting mixture

rock salt

garlic cloves, finely chopped

thyme sprigs, leaves

rosemary sprigs, leaves

To serve

onions sourdough

To make the salting mixture, thoroughly mix the salt, garlic and herbs in a small bowl, crushing it together lightly. Lay the duck legs in a single layer in a baking tray, sprinkle with half the salting mixture, press it in, then turn over and sprinkle with the rest. Cover the tray, then put in the fridge for at least 12 hours.

The next day, rinse the legs in cold water to remove the salt mix and dry well with kitchen paper. Heat the oven to 130°C/110°C fan/gas ¾. Heat the duck fat and white wine in a large pan until steaming. Put the duck legs in a small roasting tin (or lidded casserole) and cover with the hot fat and wine mixture – the legs should be completely covered. If there’s a lot of duck poking out, add more melted fat or wine. Cover the duck in the tin/casserole with a sheet of non-stick baking paper, then cover the tin with foil and scrunch to seal (or put the lid on the casserole). Cook for 3-4 hours, checking halfway through to make sure the legs are covered by the fat. If any of the legs are above the fat level, turn them over. The legs are ready when the meat falls off the bone when pressed with a spoon. Remove the duck from the fat with tongs. Once the fat has cooled slightly, pour it into a jug. 

Leave the duck legs to cool, then pick off the meat (discard the skin and bones) and shred finely into a bowl. Pour some of the reserved fat onto the duck, then work it in with your hands. At first it will seem like the meat won’t accept the fat, but if you keep going, it will begin to soak in. Keep adding the fat in smallish additions until the mix in the bowl is roughly 50-50 fat to meat (or more, depending on how rich you want it). Any leftover fat can be stored for future use. 

Once the consistency is right, spoon into serving dishes (right) and chill. If storing for longer than 48 hours, cover with a thin layer of duck fat to seal. 

Remove from the fridge about an hour before you want to serve the rillettes, to take the chill off. Serve with pickles and toasted sourdough. 

A classy alternative to turkey for the festive season, can be served as a main, or used to make the classic Cassoulet.

Duck Confit (Confit de Canard)

duck legs

sea salt

kg duck fat (it has to be enough to completely cover the legs after cooking)

garlic (bruised, in skin)

rosemary

bay leaves (fresh

tsp black peppercorns

Rub the salt all over the duck legs, covering every bit of the meat.

Place on a baking tray or large plate, cover with cling film and leave in the fridge overnight.

Start the Night Before

Preheat the oven to 140˚C (275˚F/120°C Fan).

Melt duck fat up on low heat in a large, ovenproof dish. Add all the other ingredients to the fat and swirl the fat once or twice as it&#39;s melting.

Rinse the duck legs thoroughly. Then soak in cold water for a minute, drain and repeat, that is, soak, drain and rinse one more time. I find that this extra step ensures the end result isn't too salty.

Pat the legs dry and submerge them into the hot fat.Bring the duck fat up to simmering point and transfer the whole lot into the oven and cook, uncovered, for 2 and a half hours, at which point, the meat will be tender and almost falling away.

Cool everything to about room temperature.Then lift the legs out with a clean pair of tongs and place them in your clean or sterilized jar or any suitable container.

Now, strain the oil into the container and ensure that the legs are completely covered with the fat. Store in a cool, dark place or in your fridge, as I like to do. Throw away all the flavourings.

The Next Day

When you are ready to serve the duck confit, pre heat your oven to 170℃ (340℉/150℃ Fan).Bring the cold container out of the fridge and leave at room temperature for the fat to soften Gently remove the legs from the container and scrape off all excess fat. Then place them into a roasting tray skin side up.

Roast for about 15 minutes until the duck is heated through and the skin is beautifully crisp. Serve as mentioned above.

Serving Duck Confit

I’m in the Gers (SW France) and just wanted to stop by to give you a big five  star rating, this is exactly how confit should be made, well done for sharing the secret of the Gers with the world, though ultimately they can’t so easily lay their hands on our wines to pair with it! Thank you

Hi Azlin,

Sorry for the mediocre (3 star) score, but the requirement to buy 1 kg of extra duck fat detracts from the attractiveness of your recipe.  Is it really necessary, if I merely want to prepare and cook the duck a few days before it is to be eaten, store it in the 'fridge, then flash-roast it on the day of the meal to crispen the skin? Also, I've read other recipes that suggest cooking the duck legs in a small quantity of white wine; is that something you've ever done and would recommend?

This is amazing, thank you. I'm trying to cook more festive recipes this year. Really looking forward to trying this recipe, looks very doable.

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/dMhw4RUG.mp4

Duck Confit or Confit de Canard is duck that's been salted, then cooked, then preserved in its own fat for a few weeks.

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Roasted duck breast with plum sauce

Chinese BBQ Duck Breast

Duck rillettes

Duck Confit (Confit de Canard)

Top 4 duck recipe recipes from across the web

The most viewed duck recipe recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Roasted duck breast with plum sauce

Chinese BBQ Duck Breast

Duck rillettes

Duck Confit (Confit de Canard)

The most viewed duck recipe recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine