Seared Duck Breast

Name: Seared Duck Breast
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 2 duck breasts (8 ounces each, boneless, skin-on); 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder; 3 tablespoons dry red wine; Pinch Diamond Crystal kosher salt; Pinch black pepper; 1 garlic clove (minced); 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

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With beautifully browned skin, a nice layer of fat, and juicy meat, pan-seared duck breast is a restaurant-level delicacy that's surprisingly easy to cook at home. Ready in just under an hour (and this includes resting the cooked meat), this recipe is quite suitable for a weeknight dinner.

Duck breast, sliced, is served on a white plate.

Seared duck breast is one of those entrees you typically find on fancy restaurant menus, and you would think it was a complex recipe. But cooking duck breast in a skillet is easy. I don't usually add a sauce. I'd much rather appreciate the flavors of the duck itself. It's fatty and marvelous and deserves my full attention. But if you'd like a sauce, I give you that option, too.

Ingredients

You'll only need four ingredients to make this recipe. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:

Duck breasts: I make this recipe for two, so I use two of them. You can order them online, or if you're lucky like me and your supermarket carries them, you should be able to find them at the butcher's counter. This is the brand I use:

To season: Kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. The addition of garlic is nontraditional, but since I don't typically add sauce, the garlic enhances the flavor of the meat.

For the optional wine sauce: Dry red wine, salt and pepper, minced garlic, and unsalted butter.

Instructions

As mentioned above, cooking duck breast at home is surprisingly easy. The detailed instructions for making this recipe are included in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of the steps:

You start by scoring the skin with a sharp knife in a tight but shallow diamond pattern.

Season the skin side with salt and pepper. Season the flesh side with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Place the duck breasts, skin side down, in a cold cast-iron skillet. Place another heavy pan on top. This will ensure the skin has full contact with the pan and help prevent the edges from curling.

Heat the pan over medium-low heat. The fat will start rendering and bubble in the pan - you want it to gently bubble throughout the cooking process.

The fat bubbles in the skillet around the duck.

Cook the duck breasts until the skin is browned, for about 15 minutes. Flip them and cook them for about 2 minutes on the other side. Then, cook the edges.

Check the temperature with an instant-read thermometer. It should read 130°F for medium-rare or 140°F for medium. (However, the USDA recommends cooking duck to an internal temperature of 165°F.) Remove the duck breasts to a cutting board. Let them rest for 10 minutes, then slice thinly and serve.

Optional Sauce

If you'd like to serve the duck breast with sauce, here's a simple pan sauce that I sometimes make.

Once the duck is cooked and resting, pour the remaining fat out of the skillet. Add 3 tablespoons of dry red wine, increase the heat to medium, and use the wine to deglaze the bottom of the pan. Add one minced garlic clove, plus salt and pepper to taste (I add a pinch of each).

Cook over medium heat, stirring, for about 2 minutes to slightly reduce the wine. Add 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter and continue cooking for about 2 more minutes until the butter melts and the sauce thickens. Don't let the sauce boil to prevent it from separating - reduce the heat to medium-low if needed.

Serve the sauce alongside the duck.

If you prefer not to use wine, you can use chicken broth instead (omitting the salt) and add a teaspoon of red wine vinegar.

Expert Tips

When scoring the skin, be careful not to nick the flesh. Make a tight but shallow diamond pattern. This will ensure the fat is rendered and the skin crisps up, but some tasty fat remains. The deeper you score, the less fat will remain.
While cooking, ensure the fat keeps its gentle bubble and adjust the heat accordingly as needed. You don't want the fat to splatter. That would mean the pan is too hot. You also don't want it to go silent - that means the pan is too cold. In other words, this is one of those recipes that requires constant vigilance and monitoring.
Twice during cooking, carefully pour the rendered fat into a measuring cup, strain it, and save it in the fridge for later use, or discard it in the trash once it's cooled. Don't pour it down the drain; it will clog your sink.

Recipe FAQs

What duck breed should I use?

Pekin duck is the most popular breed. It's mild-flavored and has a thick layer of fat. But I typically buy the Moulard duck, a cross between Pekin and Muscovy (a large, lean, and bold-flavored breed). Moulard duck has dark red meat and a nice layer of fat. As I cook it, I make sure to leave some of that tasty fat on.

Why do you score the skin?

Scoring the skin ensures the fat will be rendered and the skin will crisp up. Deeper scoring will render more fat, while shallow scoring (my preferred method) will keep more fat on the duck after it's cooked.

Should I add oil to the pan?

There's no need to add oil to the pan. The duck will release plenty of fat as it cooks - so much of it, in fact, that you'll need to periodically pour some of it out.

Why do you start with a cold skillet?

Starting with a cold pan and cooking the duck on medium-low heat allows the fat to render.

If you start with a hot pan, it will seal in the fat, and while that's often a good thing, in this particular recipe, it's not. You want the fat to slowly render out and crisp up the skin.

Should I finish this dish in the oven?

Some recipes instruct you to finish cooking this dish in the oven. But the method outlined here, of cooking low and slow, ensures that the duck is evenly cooked, so there's no need for the extra step of placing the skillet in the oven.

Serving Suggestions

Since this recipe requires constant vigilance to ensure the pan maintains a gentle bubble of the fat, I prefer to serve duck breast with a side that I can make ahead and serve cold. So, I often serve it with one of the following salads:

Last night, as shown in the photo below, I served it with a simple salad made with tomatoes, olives, sliced hearts of palm, and cilantro. The dressing consisted of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.