Crispy Seared Duck Breast With Orange Sauce
Easy, tender duck breast with crispy skin and a lightly sweet red wine orange sauce.
Servings: 2 duck breasts
Ingredients
- 2, 1 lb. duck breasts
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- 1 cup red wine dry
- 1 cup chicken stock
- juice of 1 orange
- 2 tablespoons honey
Instructions
- Score duck fat, making a grid shape along the fat, taking care to not cut through to the duck meat. Season well with salt and pepper.
- Place duck, fat side down, in cold pan. Pan must absolutely be cold - do not preheat.
- Let fat reduce and crisp on medium-high heat, about 15-18 minutes, until golden brown and crispy.
- Flip duck breast and cook through to medium rare, another 4-5 minutes.
- Rest duck for at least 10 minutes, skin side up. Drain fat, but do not discard - save for frying potatoes later!
- While duck is resting, combine wine, stock, juice from 1 orange, and honey in pan, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to a boil, then reduce, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced, about 5 minutes.
- Slice duck in thin slices and top with orange sauce.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Score the skin carefully: Use a sharp knife to lightly score the fat in a crosshatch pattern without cutting into the meat. This helps the fat render and creates crispy skin.
- Start in a cold pan: This is key. Placing duck breast skin-side down in a cold pan allows the fat to slowly render, giving you that golden, crispy finish.
- Cook skin-side down longer: About 70-80% of the cooking time should be on the skin side for maximum crispiness.
- Drain excess fat as it cooks: Spoon off rendered fat to help the skin crisp instead of frying in too much fat (and save it-it’s amazing for potatoes!).
- Don’t overcook: Duck breast is best at medium-rare to medium (130-140°F). Overcooking can make it tough.
- Rest before slicing: Let the duck rest 5–10 minutes so the juices redistribute and stay in the meat.
- Slice against the grain: This keeps the duck tender and easy to eat.
- Use fresh orange juice for the sauce: It makes a huge difference in flavor compared to bottled.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 612kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 58g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 310mg | Sodium: 461mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 20g
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