How much to bake duck breast. Juicy duck breasts: simple cooking recipes

Doctors specializing in proper nutrition say that meat should be included in the daily diet. Therefore, many are interested in the question of how to cook the most tender duck breast in the oven, slow cooker or in a pan so that it is soft and juicy. We have compiled a collection of the best recipes for you.

Recipes for soft and juicy duck breast

Duck breasts are prepared in many different ways. Therefore, we offer for your consideration recipes for cooking in the oven, in a pan, in a slow cooker. Choose your favorite option and enjoy!

No. 1. Duck breasts baked with potatoes: "classic"

potatoes - 1 kg.
duck breasts - 4 pcs.
garlic cloves - 5 pcs.
onion - 1 pc.
mayonnaise sauce - 100 gr.
carrots - 1 pc.

1. Line a baking sheet in advance with foil and additionally grease with oil to prevent burning. Wash the breasts, dry, rub with your favorite spices and a mixture of pepper and salt. Leave for a third of an hour in a dry marinade.

2. Lay the breasts on a baking sheet. Chop the carrot into thin halves of the circles, sprinkle the meat with them. Chop the onion, also send to a baking sheet.

3. Rinse potato tubers. If they are small, do not peel, cut into plates and put side by side. In the case of large potatoes, they cut it into a cube and spread it between the brisket.

4. Again, sprinkle all the contents with spices. Dilute mayonnaise with water in equal proportions, squeeze garlic into this sauce. Pour over the breasts and the entire contents of the pan.

5. Before cooking duck breast according to this recipe, preheat the oven to 180 degrees. To make it soft and juicy, cover the baking sheet with a sheet of foil, send to bake for 50-60 minutes. After this time, remove the foil, cook the duck for another 20 minutes.

No. 2. Duck breast in honey and soy sauce

breast - 600 gr.
soy sauce - 70 ml.
liquid honey - 40 gr.
sunflower oil - 60 ml.
lemon juice - 45 ml.
garlic cloves - 5 pcs.

Below we will give a step-by-step instruction on how to cook the most delicious duck breasts. According to tradition, they are first fried, then baked in the oven. Juicy pieces of meat just melt in your mouth.

1. Rinse the brisket, dry it, start making the marinade. To this end, combine lemon juice, soy sauce, oil, honey. Squeeze the garlic in here. Don't salt.

2. Take a sharp knife, make several even and deep enough cuts on the breasts. Lubricate the bird with marinade, leave in the bag for 1-1.5 hours.

3. After the allotted time, take a dry non-stick frying pan. Lightly oil it, place the brisket skin side down. Cover with a lid to create a light press. Roast 8 minutes.

4. Then preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Lubricate the baking sheet, move the breasts on it in the same position. Bake 30 minutes. Determine the readiness by puncturing, a translucent liquid should come out of the meat.

Here is such a simple recipe for how to cook a duck breast (or several). Remember, in order for it to be soft and juicy, you must first soak the meat in the marinade.

Number 3. Fried breast with cranberries and apples

cranberries (or other berries) - 0.1 kg.
apples "Simirenko" - 2 pcs.
breast - 500-600 gr.
spices - to your taste

1. Before frying a delicious duck breast, the bird must be prepared. Remove the skin, rinse the meat and pat dry. Make a few cuts on the meat with a knife.

2. Rub the surface with spices mixed with vegetable oil. Send the brisket in a bag and wait an hour.

3. After the allotted time, take a non-stick pan, place the meat on it with the flesh down. Cover with lid and cook for about 5 minutes.

4. Turn over, fry for another 3-4 minutes. Then add enough water so that it rises 3 cm. Turn the bird over again, cover, wait for the liquid to evaporate (about 20 minutes).

5. During this time, fry apple slices with lingonberries in another pan. Serve the bird basting with this mixture.

No. 4. Duck breasts with sauce in a slow cooker

brisket - 3 pcs.
ginger root (grate) - 40 gr.
honey - 50-60 gr.
mustard (liquid) - 25 gr.
cognac - 45 ml.

Duck breasts fried in a pan or baked in the oven are definitely a delicious dish. But you have not yet tried the bird with sauce in a slow cooker.

1. Before cooking the duck breast, it must be washed, dried, grated with a mixture of peppers or other favorite spices. To make it soft and juicy, the meat is aged in a dry marinade for half an hour.

2. For the specified time, you need to make the sauce. Combine mustard with honey, cognac, ginger. Make a few oblong cuts in the meat, rub the breasts with this marinade and wrap in a bag. Set aside 2 hours.

3. Prepare the multicooker for work. Grease the bottom of the bowl with oil, lay the breasts with the pulp down. Set the "Frying" function for 4 minutes.

4. After a while, pour the rest of the liquid marinade into the multi-bowl and add a little water. Turn on the "Extinguishing" mode, set the time - 40 minutes.

5. After the timer signal, soak the breasts inside for 10-20 minutes. During the tasting, pour the rest of the sauce from the multibowl over the meat.

No. 5. Duck breast with orange sauce

oranges - 4 pcs.
breasts - 2 pcs.
soy sauce - 240 ml.
dry white wine - 200 ml.
granulated sugar - 30 gr.
chicken broth - 250 ml.

Before cooking duck breast, make sure you have the right ingredients to keep it soft and juicy.

1. Rub the meat with your favorite spices and salt. Leave to marinate for a while. To prepare the sauce for duck breast, squeeze the juice from citrus fruits, mix with broth and wine. Boil the ingredients.

2. Add sugar to the sauce, simmer until thickened. Fry the meat in a skillet until golden brown. There is no need to use oil. Drain off the fat that came out while frying the duck. Pour soy sauce into the pan.

3. Simmer the meat with the lid closed over a lazy fire for about 8 minutes. After that, cut the duck into slices and put on a dish. Drizzle meat with orange sauce and serve.

No. 6. Duck breast with curry sauce

onion - 1 pc.
curry - 5 gr.
garlic - 2 cloves
duck breast - 650 gr.
rice - 250 gr.
flour - 35 gr.
meat broth - 240 ml.
tomato paste - 70 gr.

It is easy to understand how to cook a delicious duck breast in a pan. A unique sauce will complement the dish with unusual notes.

1. Fry the meat on all sides until golden brown in olive oil. Next, the duck must be baked in the oven at a temperature of 180 degrees. The procedure will take about 12 minutes.

2. In parallel, fry finely chopped garlic and onion in the oil where the breast was cooked. Pour in the broth, stir in the flour and pasta. Simmer on a lazy fire for 4 minutes. Mix everything thoroughly.

3. Since it is not difficult to cook duck breast in this way, try to make it soft and juicy. In the prepared sauce, add curry, salt and, if desired, a pinch of ground ginger. Wait another third of an hour.

4. In the meantime, start cooking the steamed rice. Salt the water to taste. Remove the breasts on a baking sheet from the oven and fill them with the prepared sauce.

5. Return the dish to the oven. Cook another 10-12 minutes. Next, arrange the side dish on serving plates. Top with meat with sauce.

No. 7. Duck breast in currant marinade

butter - 100 gr.
duck breasts - 4 pcs.
honey - 140 gr.
clove buds - 3 pcs.
marjoram - 4 sprigs
red currant - 330 gr.
ginger root - 10 gr.

The unique marinade for duck breast makes the dish expressive with a delicate taste and aroma. Great choice for a celebration.

1. Make small cuts on the meat and fry on all sides in olive oil until golden. Melt the honey in a saucepan and add the butter, mix.

2. Enter ground spices and grated ginger root into the liquid mass. Wait for the caramelization of the ingredients. Gradually start introducing currants. Bring the smooth sauce to a boil.

3. After that, pour the mixture into the duck and mix. Simmer for a while on a lazy fire. Serve garnished with marjoram.

If you didn't know how to cook a really tasty duck breast before, it's time to try it. Make a unique poultry delicacy. Prepare various sauces to keep it soft and juicy!

25.11.2018

Chicken meat is a very popular product, but most housewives are wary of duck. Indeed, if you do not know some culinary subtleties, then you can cook dry, fresh and completely tasteless poultry meat. Today we will talk about how to properly cook duck breast in the oven. Take note of the recipe.

Subtleties of cooking duck meat

Whole duck carcasses are prepared exclusively for the festive table. After all, the process of its preparation is too long. Firstly, duck meat is marinated for one day. Secondly, the heat treatment lasts at least two hours. With all this, the duck has an amazing taste.

But why do many bypass such a product on the market? The thing is that under the influence of high temperature, fat is rendered from the duck, as a result of which the meat dries out. But this disadvantage can be easily eliminated. There are two options. You can periodically look into the oven and baste the duck breast on top of the fat that comes out. Or use marinade, sauce.

On a note! You will never get a dry duck breast baked in a sleeve or in aluminum foil.

If you cut the brisket from a whole duck, then cut the rest of the parts right away and do not forget to remove the rump. It is from him that a specific repulsive smell emanates, which spoils the overall impression of this bird.

Many people do not like duck meat due to its excessive fat content. But if you bake the brisket in the oven, then you have a chance to cook an incredibly healthy and low-calorie treat.

Now for the marinade. To date, dozens of various marinades for duck meat are used in culinary practice. But among such a huge variety there are the most popular.

Types of marinades:

soy;
mustard;
orange;
apple;
wine;
honey;
lingonberry-cranberry;
sour cream;
mayonnaise.

It is much easier to rub the duck breast with mayonnaise and send it to the oven. Such a sauce will not allow the meat to dry out during cooking. But if you decide to cook an amazing treat for the festive table, then you should pay attention to more sophisticated marinades. Citrus juices are in perfect harmony with the bird. You can even add a few orange slices or tangerine pieces.

it is advisable to choose a duck breast chilled so that it turns out juicy;
if the product has been frozen, then it must be left for natural thawing in the refrigerator for 8-10 hours;
the longer you marinate duck meat, the juicier and more tender it will turn out;
add potatoes, carrots and onions, roast vegetables at the same time as duck breast.

By the way, a vegetable addition to duck meat is a good idea. You will immediately prepare both a meat treat and a side dish for it. It is worth noting that most often the vegetables are laid out on the bottom of the form, creating a kind of pillow, and the meat on top. But when baking duck meat, it is better to spread the vegetables on top of the brisket to keep it juicy.

If you prefer to soak the bird in its own juices, be sure to use a roasting sleeve or aluminum foil.

On a note! An unusually tasty duck brisket baked in dough is obtained. Prepare regular unleavened dough using selected chicken egg, high-grade wheat flour and filtered water. The dough will serve as a shell in which the meat languishes in its own juice.

Oven duck breast recipe
We suggest you prepare a simple dish that turns out to be hearty and complete. Bake duck breast with potato garnish. Experienced housewives advise cutting the vegetables into large pieces, and during the baking process, do not forget to look into the oven and pour over the products with the released fat.

On a note! If there is little fat, you can combine filtered water with mayonnaise and add just such a sauce to the dish.

Ingredients:

fresh-frozen duck breast - four pieces;
mayonnaise - one table. a spoon;
ground pepper mixture - one table. a spoon;
potato tubers - 12 pieces;
bulb - one head;
garlic cloves - six pieces;
salt - 2 table. spoons;
carrots - 1 root crop.

Cooking:

On a note! Duck breast can also be baked with other vegetables. For example, with zucchini, eggplant, broccoli and cauliflower. To make the duck cook faster, cut the fillet into portions.

Meat dishes should be included in the daily diet as a source of complete protein. Therefore, many housewives are interested in recipes for pork, beef or poultry. Also, many are concerned about the question of how to cook duck breast deliciously, because this type of meat is not so popular among our compatriots.

To make duck meat really soft and tender, we advise you to read our tips and try out the recipes we have collected.

It is believed that not everyone will like duck meat: both the meat is harsh, and the aroma is peculiar, and there is too much fat. But to get an excellent result, it is important to choose and prepare the bird correctly. In addition, it is not at all necessary to use the same recipe every time - start with a simple one, and then experiment! Besides, we already

Features of cooking duck meat

In order for the meat to turn out tasty, you need to choose and prepare it correctly.

If you buy a bird in a supermarket, then give preference not to a frozen carcass, but to packaged chilled meat. In appearance it is gray-maroon, but it does not look like a light chicken, but also far from red beef. Pay attention to the expiration date and integrity of the package.

Cut the skin before baking

How to cook tender and soft duck? Use the following tips from chefs.

The marinade will give softness and tenderness to the duck, but it also needs to be cooked correctly. First, it should not be too sour. Fruits are ideal, from which both marinade and sauce are prepared for the finished dish.

Secondly, the meat should not be overexposed in the marinade, otherwise it will become overdried.

Reduce the cooking time if possible: prolonged cooking will dry out the meat.
Pre-frying before baking will “seal” the liquid inside, and the rendered fat will soak the meat, making it more juicy.
When cooking a bird with the skin, it must be cut, otherwise the meat will shrink. And if the duck is planned to be cooked without skin, then it must be removed before heat treatment.
Since duck meat is already fatty, you should not use a lot of oil when frying, or even completely abandon the use of fat.

in the marinade

Duck in the oven in a pear marinade is ideal for a festive table! Sweet pear cider combined with honey will make the meat tasty, soft and tender.

Products for 4 servings:

skin-on duck fillets - one per serving
pear cider - one glass
meat broth - 200-220 ml
a couple tablespoons of melted butter
a tablespoon of runny honey
ground black pepper
salt to taste

Cooking

Prepare the marinade for the duck breast: in a bowl, mix honey, cider, black pepper and salt to taste.

For softness, marinate the meat before baking: place the breasts skin-side down in the prepared marinade. A couple of hours in the refrigerator will be enough to pre-prepare the meat.

While the meat is marinating, preheat the oven to 180’C and prepare a spacious baking sheet or form.

We take the duck out of the refrigerator, make incisions on the skin (so that the meat does not shrink) and put it on a baking sheet. Bake until done, about 60 to 80 minutes. We check the readiness as follows: we pierce the thickest place with a knife or fork and look at the juice - if it is transparent, then the bird is ready.

By the way, during baking in the oven, any meat should be watered with the juice that stands out. And if there is no need for a golden crust, then it is better to wrap the meat in foil.

Now let's make the sauce. We pour the marinade in which the duck was in a saucepan, mix it with broth and put it on the stove - it must be reduced by half.

Before serving, cut the finished meat into pieces, pour over the sauce. And finely chopped greens will give an appetizing appearance.

Products for 4 servings

duck breasts - 4 pcs
olive oil - 4 tbsp.
½ teaspoon dried basil and oregano mixture
salt - also half a teaspoon
so much paprika
ground black pepper - 1/2 teaspoon

for the sauce:

egg yolks - from 4 eggs
freshly squeezed lemon juice - about 50-60 ml
teaspoon of Tabasco sauce
half a teaspoon of dry mustard
olive oil - 95-105 ml
vegetable oil - 220-240 ml

The method of cooking meat in this recipe is not original. We will fry the breasts in a pan, but the veus and flavor of the meat will be given by the original sauce, which we pour over the meat before serving.

Cooking

We will fry the duck meat on the grill, after greasing it on both sides with oil and spices. We already have the oil, so after spreading it on the breasts, we set them aside and start with the mixture of spices.

In a bowl, mix the oregano, basil, salt, paprika and pepper and sprinkle the breasts with this mixture.

Preheat the grill and fry the pieces of duck on all sides for 15 minutes.

While the breasts are frying, prepare the sauce by combining the following ingredients: lemon juice, egg yolks, mustard and tabasco sauce. To make the sauce homogeneous, pour in the vegetable oil with constant stirring in a very small stream.

Put the fried pieces of duck on a dish, pour over half the sauce, and serve the remaining half in a gravy boat.

With peach sauce

Products for 4 servings:

800 g duck breast
Peaches - 4 fresh or canned
50 ml olive oil
250 ml dry white wine
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons of sugar
dill greens
4 sprigs thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Cooking steps

We pre-wash the meat and make diagonal cuts with it. Now grease with a mixture of olive oil and cinnamon and carefully rub the breasts with this marinade. Set aside and let soak for 10 minutes.

We heat the oven to 220 ° C, put the breasts in a baking dish with the skin down (this is important) and set to bake for 20 minutes. On the other hand, also brown, also 20 minutes.

Let's make a delicious sauce from peaches. Wash fresh peaches and cut into slices. And if canned ones are used, then drain the liquid and knead with a fork. We spread the pulp in a saucepan, pour wine with sugar and boil for 10 minutes. Then cover with a lid and set aside to infuse.

We take out the ready-made duck breasts baked in the oven from the mold and wrap them directly hot in foil - this will prevent them from becoming dry and cold.

The juice that stood out after roasting the meat should be strained into a saucepan and add the strained peach broth to it. Now we put all this mixture on the stove and cook until the volume of the sauce is reduced by half. Then we place the reserved pieces of peaches in the sauce and heat for another minute.

Before serving, we will cut the appetizing duck meat into slices, put it on portioned plates and pour over the peach sauce. And chopped herbs and thyme will give the dish a complete look.

Enjoy your meal!

with apricots

Duck breast cooked in the oven does not belong to the category of dietary. However, with proper preparation, it will be an excellent snack for the festive table.

Products for 4 servings:

duck breasts - 1 per serving
so many red onions
butter - 30 g
lemon
large apricots - 6-7 pcs
dried apricots - a couple of handfuls
half a teaspoon of sea salt
a pinch of cayenne pepper

for the marinade:

cloves - 2-3 pcs
juniper berries - 4-5 pcs
coarse sea salt - teaspoon
half a teaspoon of a mixture of various peppers

Cooking steps

Preheat the oven to 180°C, rinse and dry the meat.

This recipe uses a dry marinade, which you need to grate the meat pieces. To prepare it in a mortar, you need to crush the cloves and juniper berries, mix with salt and a mixture of peppers. Now with this mixture we carefully rub our breasts on all sides and set it aside for pickling.

Peel the red onions and cut in half. In a frying pan, heat all the olive oil and half the butter and fry the onion from the side of the cut. To soften the vegetable, cover it with a lid and sweat in a pan until soft.

Peel the lemon with a grater. Wash the apricots and cut them in half, removing the pit. Crush the cayenne pepper in a mortar.

When the onion becomes soft, you can remove it, and heat the remaining butter in the same pan and prepare a delicious addition of dried apricots. We will cook like this: first we spread the dried apricots, sprinkle it with salt and cayenne pepper, then add the lemon zest and mix. In order for the dried fruits to absorb the aroma and taste of the products, leave them in the pan for a couple of minutes.

Now it's the turn of the next stage - heat treatment in the oven. We spread onions on a baking sheet or in a refractory dish, on top - dried apricots and halves of apricots. Sprinkle with salt on top and put in the oven for 10 minutes.

In the meantime, let's get on with the meat. In the pan where the onions and dried apricots were fried, put the duck breasts skin side down and fry for 4-5 minutes, then turn over and fry on the reverse side for another 3 minutes. Now the meat needs to be browned in the oven: put it on a baking sheet on top of all the products and bake for 10 minutes.

We leave the finished duck meat to sweat for another 5 minutes after turning off the oven. Then put on a plate and pour over the sauce remaining after baking the breasts.

Duck meat loves the neighborhood with sweet and sour foods - apples, berries or fruit sauces. Baked duck with apples has always been considered a royal dish. And this recipe is easy to prepare and does not require a lot of costs, both financial and time.

Products for 4 servings:

a couple of duck breasts
200 g green salad
sweet and sour green apple
a couple tablespoons of olive oil
a couple of garlic cloves
sprig of rosemary
20 g pine nuts
salt and pepper to taste

for the sauce:

fat cream - 50 ml
blue cheese - 45-50 g
salt and pepper to taste

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Stages of work:

First of all, we need to prepare the sauce so that it has time to brew. Cheese rubbed on a grater with medium holes. Pour the cream into a small saucepan and bring to a boil, remove from the stove and immediately add the grated cheese. To prevent the mixture from lumping, it must be thoroughly mixed until the cheese is melted. As soon as the sauce becomes homogeneous, set it aside to cool.

Now let's take the duck: salt, pepper and fry in a frying pan heated with olive oil on each side for 3 minutes (you need to lay it out with the skin down). When we turn over, add the peeled and chopped garlic, a sprig of rosemary. Now we put the pan aside and let it stand for about 10 minutes. Cut the warm breast into thin pieces.

Let's prepare the rest of the ingredients. Wash the apples and cut into thin slices. We also wash the lettuce leaves and mix with apples, salt to taste, you can also pepper, sprinkle with olive oil and mix - the duck salad is ready.

Before serving, we put all the products on a beautiful dish: first, apple salad, meat pieces on top, pour over everything with cheese sauce, sprinkle with crushed pine nuts. Enjoy your meal!

Thai

Attention! This recipe does not apply to diet, as the dish turns out to be quite fatty and high-calorie. But it can be served without a side dish, the duck is good for a romantic dinner, and for any feast. Thai duck - a real Thai recipe!

Products for 4 servings:

duck breasts - one for each serving
sweet pepper - one red and one green
100 g carrots
red cabbage
freshly squeezed lime juice - 3 tablespoons
a couple of cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon each chili sauce and soy sauce
a tablespoon of vegetable oil
granulated sugar - 50-60 g
2 tablespoons plum jam
half cup chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste

Cooking time: 30 minutes + 3 hours marinating

Recipe

Rinse the duck breasts under running water and lay them out on a paper towel to dry. Then cut into strips.

We wash both sweet peppers, peel them from the stalk and seeds, cut them lengthwise into 8 slices.

We will prepare the duck marinade as follows: mix chopped garlic cloves, lime juice, soy sauce and chili sauce, sugar and sweet pepper cloves, add salt to taste. Coat the duck breasts with the resulting mixture and refrigerate for 3 hours.

After the specified time, we take the duck out of the marinade and fry in a pan with olive oil on both sides for 5 minutes until golden brown. Then pour in the broth and marinade and simmer for another 5 minutes.

We cut the carrots into thin slices (plates) and saute in a separate pan until soft. Red cabbage acts as an addition, so we just chop it.

Put the pieces of duck, warm carrots and shredded cabbage on a dish and serve immediately. Thai duck is ready! Enjoy your meal!

Friends, duck breast is a very nutritious delicacy that is loved by many. It is widely demanded due to its bright and rich taste, relative availability and versatility of use.

So, firstly, it is necessary to soften the muscle fibers of the breasts. To do this, they are marinated for several hours, but the more the better, you can even overnight. As a marinade, white wine vinegar, dry white wine, soy sauce, mustard, lemon juice, water, a few drops of cognac, vodka, etc. are used.
The second thing to do is to give the duck fillet additional aroma and taste. To do this, the marinade is enriched with all kinds of spices and spices, such as honey, ginger, garlic, nutmeg, etc.
Thirdly, in order for the breast to be as dietary as possible, the skin should be removed before cooking (it contains a lot of cholesterol). This will allow the duck meat to soak better and make it more juicy and soft.
The next secret of soft and juicy meat is that we quickly fry it in a pan just to “solder” the juice in it.
And finally, the last secret: after a quick roast, the pieces of meat need to be baked in the oven, wrapping them in aluminum foil.

And you will learn the rest of the nuances during the preparation of the dish, which is described below with step-by-step photos.

Baked duck breasts in the oven, step by step photo recipe

Duck breasts - 2 pcs.
Soy sauce - 100 ml
Refined vegetable oil - 30 ml
Lemon juice from half a lemon
Honey - 1 tsp
Garlic - 2 cloves
Mustard - 0.5 tsp.
Salt and pepper - to taste

Prepare a container in which we will marinate the meat. Pour soy sauce, vegetable oil, put honey, mustard, ground pepper, squeeze lemon juice and pass peeled garlic cloves through a press. Mix the marinade well so that all products are evenly distributed.
We will remove the skin from the duck breasts (if you want to get a more dietary dish, if the extra calories do not scare you, then you can leave it). Wash the meat and dry well with paper towels. Let's put it in the marinade.
Press the meat with your hands so that it is completely covered with marinade. If there is not enough liquid, then pour more soy sauce, lemon juice directly on top of the breasts, or you can splash some dry white wine.
Leave the meat to marinate for 6 hours in the refrigerator. During marinating, the meat will acquire a lighter shade and this will make the baked duck juicy and soft.
After the breast, we remove it from the marinade, pat it well with a paper towel and with a sharp knife make shallow cuts in the form of a grid on both sides, as shown in the photo.
Heat the pan well and put the duck breasts. They should be fried without adding oil. However, if there is a need for it, then limit yourself to a small spoon. You can lightly grease the bottom of the pan with a silicone brush with a drop of oil.
Fry the meat on both sides until golden brown. After we bring it to readiness in the oven at 180 ° C for 15 minutes. To do this, wrap the duck breasts with food foil. You can also leave them in the same pan, but cover it with a tight lid (if your pan and lid don't have plastic on the handle).
After this time, remove the fillet from the brazier, leave it to “rest” for 5-10 minutes, then proceed to serve.

Baked duck breasts can be eaten on their own, cut into strips and sprinkled with orange-honey dressing. But it's delicious to use as a dainty addition to salads, appetizers, or to make elegant sandwiches.

As a rule, it is believed that the softness of the meat depends very much on the marinade. To some extent, yes. But for duck breast in particular, the cooking process is more important. It must be fried properly. And it doesn’t matter if you were going to bake in the oven or not. It is impossible to get a tasty dish without preliminary frying. Therefore, today I decided to divide the post into two parts: 1) tips on how to cook duck breast so that it is soft and juicy; 2) step by step recipe with photo.

How to cook duck breast

First you need to see if there are any feathers left somewhere. If you find it, burn it over the fire. Then wash the breast and dry well with a towel.

Attention! Even if you are going to bake the breast in the oven, you still need to fry it on both sides first. They also say "fry". This forms a crust on the outside that will not release the juice from the meat.

Notches should be made on the skin, but so as not to cut through it. The skin of a duck is thick, thicker than chicken, but nevertheless it is necessary to act carefully. The breast is incised either with parallel cuts obliquely, or obliquely, but perpendicular to each other (diamonds). Why is this needed? Firstly, when roasting, excess fat is melted, which is located just under the skin. Secondly, if this is not done, then during frying the skin will shrink and look ugly.

Then you can marinate the breast, as indicated in the recipe. Or in the simplest case, rub well with coarse salt and pepper. Leave to lie down for at least 20 minutes.

We will fry in a dry, well-heated pan with a non-stick coating or cast iron. There will be a lot of splashes, so be prepared for that. The breast is placed skin side down in the pan. It is very convenient to wish this in special silicone gloves - an oven mitt, because it will need to be pressed down to the surface of the pan. If you don't have gloves, take a spatula.

Fry on the side with the skin for 5-7 minutes. Then turn over and on the second side for another 3 minutes. If the piece is plump, then you can still put it on one barrel for 2 minutes and on the other for 2 minutes too.

Then we remove from the fire. For lovers of roasting medium rare (with blood) - the meat is ready. For everyone else, there are two options for the development of events - continue cooking in a pan, adding 2-3 tablespoons of water there, under a lid, over moderate heat for another 10 minutes; put in a baking dish (or directly in this pan, if it allows), put in the oven and hold there at a temperature of 170-180 ° C for the same 10 minutes.

After cooking, in no case should you immediately cut the meat. Remove, cover with a lid or foil, and let the roasted meat rest for a few minutes. During this time, you can prepare some kind of sauce or side dish. By the way, the fat that melted from the breast in the pan is just enough to fry the potatoes.

Duck meat is very fond of sweet and sour and even sweet sauces, fruit and berry. Here, too, there will be a recipe from Olga Bondas, where there will be fruits and a lot of spices.

Duck breast with apples, pears, honey and spices - step by step recipe with photo

Ingredients:

duck breast fillet - 2 pieces;
honey - 2 tablespoons;
red dry wine 1st.l. (20 ml);
soy sauce - 1.5 tbsp. (25ml);
ginger - 5g;
orange - 1 pc;
rosemary - 1 pinch;
paprika - 0.5 tsp;
ground black pepper - 0.5 tsp;
cinnamon, turmeric - 1 pinch each;
star anise - 1 star;
salt - 1 pinch;
apples - 2pcs;
pears - 2pcs;
greens for serving.

How to cook delicious duck breast

If your meat has fat on the sides, it's best to remove it.
Then we turn the skin up and make shallow cuts, without cutting through to the meat.
We are preparing the marinade. Remove the zest from the orange (only the orange layer, without white - it is bitter), then squeeze the juice, pour half the juice into a bowl, put all the zest, add honey, soy sauce, red wine, all spices, including star anise and ginger. Ginger will need to be peeled and grated on a fine grater.
We put the breasts in the marinade and leave there for 15 minutes.
Heat the pan without adding oil. Remove the breasts from the marinade and place skin side down. We do not pour out the marinade, we still need it. We fry for five minutes.
Flip over and another five minutes.
If you need meat with blood, then you can immediately proceed to cooking the sauce. If not, put it in an oven heated to 170 ° C for 10 minutes. Do not pour out the fat from the pan.
In the meantime, cut the apples and pears, cut out the cores. Cut fruit into quarters lengthwise.
Fry the fruit in a pan in the fat rendered from the breasts. Pour in marinade and remaining orange juice. Cook over high heat, stirring frequently, until thickened. Stir gently to keep fruit pieces whole.
Take the meat out of the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes.
Cut into slices diagonally. Lay out on a platter.
Drizzle with fruit sauce, and place the pieces of apples and pears nearby and serve as a side dish.

Both tasty and beautiful!