If there is a bedrock duck breast recipe, it is this one.
One of the most common requests I get from readers is for step-by-step instructions on how to cook a duck breast properly. And this same technique works for goose breasts, as well as any other dark meat bird breasts, like pigeons, sharp-tailed grouse and the like.
I know, many of you are thinking, “I know how to do this already, Hank.” To you I apologize; what’s more, my method is idiosyncratic and is likely to be different from yours — but it works.
For the rest of you, here goes. Be sure to have breasts with skin on them. Skinless breasts require a different set of instructions. I go over those instructions in my cookbook on cooking ducks and geese, Duck, Duck, Goose: Recipes and Techniques for Cooking Waterfowl, Both Wild and Domesticated.
Detailed, and I mean very detailed, instructions are below in the recipe. Follow them and you will soon be able to cook a duck breast in your sleep.
For me, this is the duck breast recipe I follow almost exclusively: I really don’t think a nice fat pintail or mallard or wood duck needs more than salt, pepper and a squeeze of citrus or vinegar or a dash of Worcestershire.
But if you want more seasoning for your duck breast, here are some of my wild game sauce recipes. And I have an entire page of duck breast recipes, most of which use this technique.
How to Cook a Duck Breast
Ingredients
- 4 duck breasts (breasts from two ducks)
- Salt
- 1 teaspoon duck fat or olive oil
Instructions
- STEP ONE: Take the meat from the fridge. If you are using a domestic duck or a very fat wild duck, score the skin (but not the meat) in a cross-hatch pattern, making the cross-hatches about 1/2 inch across; this helps the fat render and will give you a crispier skin. Salt it well on both sides, then let it stand on a cutting board or some such for at least 15 minutes and up to 45 minutes for a goose breast. It is far easier to control the internal temperature with a room-temperature breast than an ice-cold one.
- STEP TWO: Pat the duck breasts dry with paper towels. If you are cooking a domestic duck or a very fat wild duck, put 1 teaspoon of duck fat or cooking oil in a large pan; don't use non-stick pans, as they don't allow you to sear meat as well as steel or cast iron. Lay the breasts skin side down and use them to smear the fat all over the surface of the pan. Turn the heat to medium-high. Yes, you read that right: Don't preheat the pan. You want as much fat to render out as possible, so start with a cool pan. If you are working with normal wild duck breasts, i.e., skinny ones, heat the pan over high heat for 1 minute, then add 2 tablespoons of duck fat, butter or some other oil. Let this get hot, but do not let the fat smoke. Only then do you lay the duck breasts in the pan, skin side down. Either way, once the duck breasts start cooking, you will notice the "tails" of skin and fat from the head and the tail side of the fillet contract immediately. As the skin contracts, you will sometimes get a little oval patch on the tail end of the breast that curls up and doesn't make contact with the pan. Use your tongs to press down on this part for 30 to 60 seconds. This gives you a more even sear.
- STEP THREE: Let the pan do its job. Cook at a jocular sizzle -- not an inferno, not a gurgle. Think about how bacon sounds in the pan when you cook it, and you have the right idea. How long? It depends. I like my duck medium-to-medium-rare. To do this with small ducks like teal or ruddy ducks, you need only about 3 minutes on the skin side, and you might want to keep the heat higher. Medium-sized ducks like wigeon, gadwall or wood ducks need 3 to 5 minutes. Mallards, pintail, canvasbacks and domestic ducks need between 5 and 8 minutes. If you are cooking a goose breast, you will want the heat on medium-low and you'll need to cook the skin side a solid 10 to 12 minutes. The key is to let the breast do most of its cooking on this side -- it's the flattest, and will give you that fabulously crispy skin we all know and love. Again, I repeat: When you cook a duck breast, 3/4 of the total cooking time is on the skin side.
- STEP FOUR: Turn the breasts over. When? Follow the guidelines above, but also use your ears: You will hear the sizzle change; it will die down, just a bit. That's when you turn. Now -- this is important -- lightly salt the now-exposed skin immediately. Doing this seems to absorb any extra oil and definitely gives you an even yummier, crispier skin. Let the ducks cook on the meat side for less time. I recommend: 1 to 2 minutes for small ducks; 3 to 4 minutes for medium ducks; 4 to 6 minutes for large wild ducks and domestic duck; 5 to 7 minutes for geese. More than mere time, however, you need to just use The Force to know when your duck is ready. Not in tune with The Force? The next best thing is the finger test for doneness. Use this to determine when you're almost ready. My advice is to go to the next step when your duck breasts are rare.
- STEP FIVE: Now "Kiss" the thick side of the breasts by standing two halves against each other. You will notice that duck and goose breasts plump up and contract as they cook. One side of the fillet will be wider than the other, and this side will need some heat. You can see the wider side in the picture. Just tip the breasts on their sides and cook for 30 to 90 seconds, just to get some good color.
- STEP SIX: Take the duck off the heat and let it rest on a cutting board, skin side up. Teal need only need a minute or two rest, while big Canada geese might need 10 minutes. Everything else benefits from about a 5 minute rest. A duck breast is just like a steak: If you don't rest it, the juices will run all over your cutting board -- and not down your chin, where they should be. You can slice the breast from either end, either side up. You can get thinner slices by starting at the meat end, but you lose a little of the crispiness of the skin. If you are serving a whole breast, always serve it skin side up, with its sauce underneath.
Nutrition
That’s it. This may sound like a long process, but it all comes together in a few  minutes, once you start cooking. Still a little foggy on things? Here is a video I did on how to cook a duck breast.
How have you cooked duck legs this way too? Can this method be used but more time on each side? TIA!
Sonnie: No. They will be too tough. Duck legs need long, slow cooking, usually in something wet, like water, broth, wine or even oil or fat.
What a great, easy to follow recipe! Thanks!!
Hi Hank, Any guidance on cooking the duck breasts with the bone-in or do I need to de-bone them? Thank you.
Villy: I always bone them. They are much trickier to cook on the bone.
Had a dinner party that requested duck… bit of a panic… but followed your instructions and it turned out perfect… thank you!!!
Delicious
THANK YOU! This recipe is perfect. It may sound like hyperbole, but it has changed my life. I love duck, and my local coop has started regularly selling locally raised duck breasts. Your recipe is delicious, simple, and foolproof. I make it for special occasions, special people, and a quick weeknight meal. Wow. It’s the best thing since sliced bread. And it goes very well with a crusty, toasted slice of good sourdough to soak up those yummy juices!
Thank you so much, the breast turned out just PERFECT. I made a salad with arugula, oranges, tiny potatoes (cooked them in duck fat while the breast was cooking), soy sauce and honey and pumpkin seeds. It’s SO tasty, restaurant-quality meal. Thanks for the guide, it’s impossible to spoil.
Wow, thanks, this is a great ‘how to guide’, can’t see anyone making a mistake with this. perfect crispy skin duck breast first time.
I want to try this recipe. It seems the best recipes all have the skin on.
However the Duck I have been given is skinless.
How can I adapt the recipe account for this?
April: A skinless duck breast is pretty much a steak. So cook it exactly as you would a piece of beef.
After the duck breast is done what kind of sauce can I add on top for more taste
Maria: I have a whole section on sauces here: https://honest-food.net/wild-game/sauces-for-wild-game/
Followed recipe and knocked out it or of the park! My husband was delighted.
OMG- This recipe was simple and soooo delicious! This wa my first time cooking duck breast and I wanted a simple recipe that would highlight the duck. It came out perfect and was the most beautiful dark golden brown! I wish I had taken a photo but I scarfed it down so fast! I served it with risotto and duck-fat braised brussels sprouts. Heaven!!
Great instructions thanks for the great tips duck comes out perfect.
We have a holiday home in the Dordogne, the heart of French duck country, famous for foie gras and with many local markets full of duck products. I thought it was time I learned to cook duck, and followed your technique with perfect cuisson resulting. While the meat was resting, I threw out most of the fat from the pan, deglazed with red wine, juniper berries and garlic, then put through a seive to make a small volume of sauce. Many thanks
Threw out the duck fat? I’m weeping ?
It was perfectly cooked! Thanks! It was better than when I had it at the Russian Tea Room in NYC. I did add a little sage in the pan, though. Sorry. I like my fresh herbs.
Crispy skin and perfectly medium rare. Hard to beat duck cooked like this!
Spot on technique. Perfect results. My new go to recipe.
Hey next time you do a recipe, make it where young hunters like me (12 years old) can easily cook it for lunch.
Salting and resting…finally crispy skin
Used Dartagnan Duck breast which were pretty large; with med-high heat 9 min on fat side and 5 min on the other but it still came rare (bloody) in the middle. So next time I will 1) let stand out of fridge 45 min 2) cut breasts in half to make smaller pieces, 3) trim some fat off in places as there was 1/2 in deep fat in the pan which looked to be too much and 4) apply pressure during cooking. Salt pepper and roasted garlic. Tasted good.