This is a recipe for how to cook duck breast so you have lovely crispy golden skin and the flesh is cooked perfectly so it’s beautifully juicy. It’s very straight forward! Start on the stove to render out the fat and crisp the skin, then finish in the oven so this luxurious, rich meat is cooked evenly.
Duck and chicken are both poultry, but they have completely different cooking qualities. Duck is beautiful served medium rare, but undercooked chicken is chewy and rubbery!
Today, I published a Thai Red Duck Curry which I made using duck breast. The post got lengthy as I imparted tips and “why we do this” explanations for how to cook duck breast so you have lovely golden crispy skin and perfectly cooked meat! So I decided to put the detailed information in a separate recipe post for ease of reading.
Also, I figure a separate post on how to cook duck breast with crispy skin will be a handy reference!
Overview of how to cook duck breast
Duck breast is like the richer, more luxurious version of chicken breast. It is best cooked by starting it on the stove to render the fat and crisp the skin, then I like to roast it in the oven to finish cooking the flesh through evenly. Some recipes just cook it through entirely on the stove, but I find that tends to leave a thick band of overcooked flesh on the outside.
Duck skin is thicker than chicken skin and unless you render the fat out from underneath it and get colour on the skin, it tends to be quite rubbery. You can’t cook duck breast just in the oven because the meat will overcook and dry out long before the fat renders out and the skin goes crisp.
What you need to cook duck breast
Duck breasts are relatively common in large grocery stores these days (at least, here in Australia), and at butchers. They are sold with the skin on, and boneless.
Other than this, you just need salt and pepper. No oil – the duck will cook in its own fat!
When is duck breast cooked?
Duck breast is actually considered best served medium rare (ie deep pink from edge to edge) which is 54°C/130°F. This is how it is typically served at fine dining restaurants.
I personally prefer duck breast medium – a blushing pink – which is an internal temperature of 60°C/140°F.
To be honest though, you can even fully cook duck breast, like we do chicken breast (ie no pink flesh) and as long as you don’t overcook it, it is still lovely and tender to eat. Example – Chinese BBQ Duck which is entirely cooked through. Nobody has ever accused the Chinese of bland dry roast duck!!
How to cook duck breast
Here’s a step-by-step guide and explanations for the why for how I cook duck breast.
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Slash skin – Use a sharp knife to make 5 to 6 diagonal slashes across the skin of the duck, taking care not to cut into the pink flesh.
❓Why we do this: The slashes allows the fat to render out from under the skin (ie. melt) more easily than when the skin is not slashed, so the skin can become crispy. Duck skin is thicker than chicken and can be quite rubbery if not cooked to make it golden. There’s also a lot more fat under the skin than chicken. Again, not pleasant to eat if there’s too much, hence necessary to render most of it out.
💡 TIP: Don’t cut from edge-to-edge, you want the skin to stay in one piece but just make slashes in the middle.
⚠️ Take care not to cut the flesh! If you do, then the meat juices will come out as you are cooking the skin side and the water will prevent the skin from becoming crispy.
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COLD pan with NO OIL – Don’t turn the stove on yet. Place the duck skin side down in an unheated oven-proof pan without any oil.
❓Why we do this: No oil is required because an astonishing amount of fat comes out of the duck (1/4 – 1/3 cup). And by starting in a cold pan, the fat starts to melt slowly so it gradually cooks in its own fat, rather than starting in a preheated pan which would cause the skin to seize and stick.
💡 TIP: You can use any pan you want as long as it’s oven proof as the duck is best finished in the oven for the most even juicy-meat-finish. It doesn’t need to be non-stick or a well seasoned cast iron pan. Ducks render out so much fat that there’s plenty to keep it from sticking to any pan.
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Weigh down for flat skin – Place another pan on top of the duck to weigh it down, not a cast iron one though, it’s a little too heavy. Any pan is fine, just something to put a little weight on the duck so the skin stays flat.
❓Why: Because duck skin can curl and wrinkle, leaving pale rubbery patches. You could just press with a spatula until the skin has set – if you have 3 hands and the patience to stand at the stove for 5 minutes! Easier to pop a pan on top.
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Cook on low 10 minutes – Now you can turn the stove on! Low if it’s a strong stove, or medium low if it’s a weak burner. The more slowly you cook the duck, the more fat you will render out which means crispier skin. It’s low maintenance too, because it’s low heat.
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Fat starts to render – After a few minutes, take a peek and you’ll see fat has started to melt out of the duck.
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So much duck fat! At around the 5 to 7 minute mark, the entire pan will be covered in duck fat.
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Keep the pan weight on until around the 7 minute mark when the skin has started to go golden and has “set”. While it is still soft, it can still wrinkle/curl = rubbery patches = 😭
💡 TIP: At this point, ie once the pan is entirely covered in duck fat, you can turn the heat up slightly to speed things up and making the skin golden.
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Golden crispy skin! Keep cooking until the skin because golden and crispy, around the 10 minute mark.
❓Mine takes longer! With good heat control on a stove you are familiar with and a pan with good heat distribution, it should take around 10 minutes. With an unfamiliar stove and heat fiddling (like me with induction stoves!), it could take up to 14 minutes which is fine. Remember, we start on low heat and work out way up – which means, low risk!
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Finish in oven – Once the skin is golden, turn and cook the flesh side for just 2 minutes to seal. Then transfer the pan to the oven and roast for 8 minutes or until the internal temperature is 60°C/140°F for medium (light blush of pink, pictured – this is my preference) or 54°C/130°F for medium rare (deeper pink, like steak – restaurants will default to this).
Some recipes will just use the stove for breast. I prefer to use the oven to finish it off because then you get a larger area of evenly cooked duck inside and avoid the risk of a thick band of overcooked duck on the outside before the inside cooks to your liking. I opt for this safer approach because duck is special and more expensive than regular chicken breast!
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Rest – Then place the duck on a rack set over a plate, or just a plate, and leave it uncovered to rest for 5 minutes. This step is important because it allows the meat juices to be re-absorbed back into the fibres which makes it juicier to eat.
If you don’t rest, then the meat juices will flood onto the plate when you cut into it, rather than ending up in your mouth with every bite!
Here is a close up look of duck breast cooked to medium, after resting. That’s how I like it!
As mentioned, I am posting this as part of a Thai Red Duck Curry recipe I also published today. So I don’t have other specific sauces to offer you at this time, though doing this recipe separately has prompted me to pop a duck breast recipe in the upcoming editorial calendar. I’m thinking – cherry sauce or an orange port glaze with Paris Mash and Garlic Sautéed Spinach, and Chocolate Mousse for dessert. Very restaurant worthy! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
This is just a very instructional video that I pulled out of the Red Duck Curry video. I will replace it with more serving visuals once I shoot it plated up “fine dining style” with sauces and purees!
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How to cook crispy skin duck breast
Prep: 2 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Main
Western
Servings1 duck breast
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Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan-forced).
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Score – Sprinkle half the salt and pepper on the flesh of the duck. Turn. Use a sharp knife to make 5 or 6 diagonal scores on the skin of the breast. Don’t pierce the flesh and don’t cut all the way to the edge of the skin (Note 2). Pat the skin dry with paper towels, sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper.
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Cold pan, no oil – Don’t turn the stove on yet. Use an oven-proof pan (any type). Place the duck skin side down in the cold pan, no oil required. Place another pan on top to lightly weigh the duck down (keeps skin flat). (Note 3)
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Cook 10 minutes – Turn the stove onto medium low. Cook for 10 minutes or until the skin is golden and crispy. Fat will melt out of the duck skin and it will cook in its own fat. (Note 4)
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Oven 8 minutes – Once the skin is crispy, turn and cook the flesh side for 1 minute. Then transfer the pan to the oven for 6 minutes for medium rare (internal temperature 54°C/130°F, restaurant default) or 8 minutes for medium (60°C/140°F, my preferred).
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Rest – Transfer to a rack or plate and rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve whole or slice!
Recipe Notes:
2. Tips – Slashing skin lets fat render out for better crispy skin. Avoid cutting the flesh – if you do, juice will come out and the skin won’t be fully crisp. Don’t slash skin all the way to the edge, keep it in one piece (see photos in post). If your duck has a really thick layer of fat (some American breeds do), score diagonally – extra slashes = more fat comes out.
3. Weighing down – keeps the skin flat against the base of the pan so it doesn’t curl or wrinkle which will cause rubbery / white patches. DO NOT use a very heavy cast iron pan, it’s too heavy. Use a regular pan.
4. Cooking on low heat = more fat renders out = crispier skin + less fat in end dish (too much duck fat can be rubbery and too fatty). So don’t rush this step!
5. Duck doneness – Think of duck like steak: the rarer it is, the more tender and juicy the meat! It is not like chicken which is rubbery and chewy at anything less than just-fully-cooked.
Leftovers will keep for 3 to 4 days in the fridge.
Life of Dozer
What he’s doing at this very moment as I am writing this post – nothing special, just lying there looking cute! 😂
