Description
Duck à l'Orange is a classic French dish featuring succulent duck breasts cooked to perfection and served with a tangy and sweet orange sauce. This recipe simplifies the traditional whole duck preparation by using duck breasts, making it quicker and easier while retaining rich flavors and a crisp skin.
Ingredients
Scale
Duck
- 2 duck breast halves
- salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon reserved duck fat
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
Sauce
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons orange liqueur (such as Grand Marnier®)
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Seville orange marmalade, or more to taste
- 2 teaspoons grated orange zest
- 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
- Gather ingredients: Assemble all ingredients to have them ready for the cooking process.
- Prepare duck: Score duck skin diagonally in a crosshatch pattern without cutting through the meat. Generously season with salt, rubbing it into each breast. Let rest skin-side up at room temperature for 15 minutes.
- Mix sauce ingredients: In a small bowl, whisk together chicken broth, orange liqueur, sherry vinegar, orange marmalade, grated orange zest, and cayenne pepper until well combined.
- Dry and re-season duck: Pat duck breasts dry with paper towels and season the skin-side again with salt.
- Cook duck skin-side down: Heat reserved duck fat in a heavy skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes. Place duck breasts skin-side down in the skillet and cook for about 6 minutes until the fat renders and the skin is crisp.
- Cook duck on the other side: Flip the breasts and cook for about 4 minutes until the meat is firm but still reddish-pink and juicy inside (internal temperature of 140°F/60°C). Transfer duck to a plate to rest, and pour rendered fat into a jar.
- Make sauce: Return skillet to medium heat and whisk in flour, cooking until fully incorporated, about 1 minute. Pour in the orange sauce mixture and bring to a boil. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes until the sauce thickens and reduces.
- Finish sauce: Reduce heat to low, and when the sauce stops bubbling, stir in butter until fully melted and incorporated. Season with salt to taste.
- Serve: Slice duck breasts across the grain, arrange on a plate, spoon over the orange sauce, and garnish with thin strips of orange zest. Serve immediately.
Notes
- This duck breast variation significantly reduces cooking time compared to a whole duck while maintaining rich flavors and crispy skin.
- If duck fat is unavailable, use a high-smoke-point oil like grapeseed oil for rendering the skin.
- Adjust the amount of orange marmalade and cayenne pepper to suit your sweetness and spice preferences.
- Resting the duck after cooking helps retain its juiciness.
- Use an instant-read thermometer to ensure perfect doneness without overcooking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 354 kcal
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 593 mg
- Fat: 21 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 15 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 20 g
- Cholesterol: 130 mg
