How Should Duck Breast be Cooked?

The key to a perfect dish featuring duck breast is knowing the proper technique to prepare it. Due to the layer of fat in its skin and texture of its meat, you will need to cook duck breast differently than you would other cuts of meat.

Different doesn’t mean difficult though. You can easily cook up a delicious duck breast by following these basic prep steps:

1. Prep the duck breast by removing the breast from the package and patting it dry with paper towel.
2. Score the skin cutting a crosshatch pattern in the skin at quarter-inch intervals. Be sure to use a sharp knife so that you can easily slice through the skin and fat without piercing the meat.
3. Season both sides of the duck breast with salt and pepper or your favorite blend of spices.
4. Place the duck breast skin side down in a cool pan over medium heat for about 10 minutes -- no cooking oil needed! This may be counterintuitive if you are used to placing cuts of meat into a searing-hot pan with olive oil to caramelize it, but starting off with a cook pan allowed the fat to slowly render out of the rendered skin, yielding a crispy, golden skin and tender meat.
5. Flip the breast over to sear the meat side for a minute or so and then remove. Be sure to reserve the rendered duck fat to use in other dishes.

Once you have prepped the duck breast, you can finish cooking it with one of the following methods:

• Sauté in Pan- Instead of removing the duck breast from the skillet, continue cooking it on medium-low heat for another 10 minutes.

• In the Oven- Transfer to a metal baking sheet skin side up and place in 350°F preheated oven and bake for approximately 5-6 minutes.
• On the Grill- Place the duck breast on a pre-heated grill skin side up for 5 minutes. Then flip duck breast and finish cooking on the skin side for 2-3 minutes.

When you are done be sure to transfer the breast to a clean cutting board and let it rest for five minutes. If you are serving it sliced, be sure to carve it at an angle against the grain.

Although preparing duck breast is a little different than other proteins, this doesn’t mean it’s difficult to cook. By following our basic tips, you can make simple work of your next duck breast dish.