Description
Duck à l'Orange is a classic French main course featuring tender duck breasts served with a tangy and sweet orange sauce. This recipe uses duck breasts for a quicker preparation while maintaining the rich flavors of the traditional dish.
Ingredients
Scale
Duck
- 2 duck breast halves
- salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon reserved duck fat
- 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon butter
Orange 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 pinch cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Gather Ingredients: Collect all the ingredients needed for the recipe, making sure everything is ready at hand.
- Prepare Duck Breasts: Score the duck skin diagonally in a crosshatch pattern almost all the way through the skin and fat. Generously season both sides with salt and rub it into each breast. Let the duck breasts rest skin-side up at room temperature for 15 minutes.
- Make Orange Sauce Mixture: In a small bowl, whisk together chicken broth, orange liqueur, sherry vinegar, orange marmalade, orange zest, and cayenne pepper until well combined.
- Dry and Season Duck: Pat the duck breasts dry with paper towels. Re-season the skin-side with salt for an extra crispy skin.
- Cook Duck Skin Side Down: Heat the reserved duck fat in a heavy skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes. Place the duck breasts skin side down in the skillet. Cook until the fat renders and the skin becomes crisp, approximately 6 minutes.
- Flip and Cook Duck: Flip the duck breasts and cook them for about 4 minutes more until the meat starts to firm up but remains reddish-pink and juicy inside. The internal temperature should read 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 degrees Celsius). Remove the duck from the skillet and let it rest on a plate. Pour any rendered duck fat into a jar for later use.
- Prepare Sauce in Skillet: Return the skillet to medium heat. Whisk the flour into the pan and cook, stirring constantly until fully incorporated, about 1 minute. Pour in the prepared orange sauce mixture and bring it to a boil. Continue cooking until the sauce thickens and reduces, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Finish Sauce: Reduce heat to low. When the sauce stops bubbling, add the butter and stir until completely melted and incorporated into the sauce, about 1 minute. Taste and season with salt as desired.
- Serve: Slice the duck breasts across the grain. Arrange on a plate and spoon the orange sauce over the top. Garnish with thin strips of orange zest for added aroma and presentation.
- Enjoy: Serve immediately and enjoy this elegant French classic.
Notes
- For best results, use fresh duck fat reserved from the cooking for authentic flavor enhancement.
- Seville orange marmalade adds authentic bitterness and sweetness; if unavailable, use regular orange marmalade but adjust sweetness accordingly.
- Make sure to not overcook the duck; medium rare to medium is ideal for tenderness and juiciness.
- Resting the duck breasts helps redistribute juices for better texture.
- This recipe serves 2 but can be scaled up by maintaining proportions and cooking times.
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
