Cooking duck breasts. You can cook duck breasts in a pan, on a grill/BBQ, in an oven or an air fryer! On Cooking-times.com, we help you achieve the best results without having to guess the cooking time and temperature!  Translation in French: magret de canard.
Cooking duck breast in an oven or a pan or a bbq or an air fryer

Duck breast

How do I cook duck breasts?

What to pair duck breasts with?
Duck breasts pair well with creamy mashed potatoes, wild rice, roasted carrots, roasted potatoes, Brussels sprouts, roasted sweet potatoes, corn, green beans or roasted parsnips.
Want to try something new? Serve pork roast with applesauce on the side (it’s delicious). You can also try adding prunes or pineapple to your pork roast (not at the same time of course). Consider serving duck breasts with flavorful sauces like a red wine reduction, orange glaze, or a balsamic reduction. Original: Duck breasts pair well with fruits like cherries, oranges, figs, or raspberries. Wine anyone? Opt for red wines such as Pinot Noir, Merlot, or Cabernet Sauvignon.

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Preparing duck breasts

Preparing duck breasts is really easy… just follow our instructions!
Using a sharp knife, lightly score the skin of the duck breasts in a crisscross pattern, being careful not to cut into the meat. Scoring helps the fat render and the skin become crispy during cooking. You can even cut a bit of the outside fat…
Generously season both sides of the duck breasts with salt and freshly ground black pepper. You can also add herbs and spices like rosemary, thyme, or garlic for extra flavor.
Allow the seasoned duck breasts to rest at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes before cooking. This helps them cook more evenly.

 

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Cook duck breasts in pan

Cooking duck breasts in a pan. Pan-searing is a popular method for cooking duck breasts:
1. Preheat a skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Place the duck breasts skin-side down in the hot skillet without adding any oil (the duck will release its own fat).
3.Cook for 6-8 minutes, until the skin is golden and crispy. Flip the breasts and cook for an additional 2-4 minutes for medium-rare or longer for your desired doneness.
4. Use a meat thermometer to ensure an internal temperature of 135°F (57°C) for medium-rare or 145°F (63°C) for medium.

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Roasted duck breasts

Cooking duck breasts in an oven. Oven-roasting is an excellent method for larger duck breasts:
1. Preheat your oven to 480°F (250°C)
2. Put the duck breasts in an oven-safe dish, skin-side up. Cook for 10 minutes then flip the duck breasts and cook for an additional 3 minutes.
3. Use a meat thermometer to ensure the desired internal temperature.

 

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Grilled duck breasts

Cooking duck breasts on a grill. Grilling duck breasts gives them a smoky flavor and beautiful grill marks:
1. Preheat your grill to medium-high heat.
2. Lower the gas mark and place the duck breasts on the grill, skin-side down, and cook for 10 minutes. Flip and grill for another 5 minutes for medium-rare.
3. Use a meat thermometer to reach the desired internal temperature. Allow the meat to rest for 5 minutes after cooking.

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BBQ duck breasts

Cooking duck breasts on a BBQ. If you use a charcoal barbecue, the fat might catch fire (and you don’t want that). Here are 2 options you can take to prevent that!
Option 1:
1. Cut your duck breast into 1,5-inch slices and season them well.
2. Cook for 2 minutes on each side. Serve immediately.Cooking duck breasts on a BBQ or BBQ

Option 2:
1. After scoring the fat in a crisscross pattern, cut the duck breast lengthwise… but not completely. Do the same with each half breast. Flatten the strips. You can twist them.
2. Cook on the BBQ for 5 minutes on each side. Enjoy!
Tip: You can add a little bit of honey with balsamic vinegar on your barbecued duck breasts in the last 2 minutes of cooking.

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Air fryer duck breasts

Cooking duck breasts in an air fryer. Air fry duck breasts.
1. Preheat your airfryer at 400°F (200°C).
2. Place the prepared duck breasts (scored and seasoned) in your air fryer basket skin-side up.
3. Cook for 15-20 minutes. Check the internal temperature ! Use a meat thermometer to ensure an internal temperature of 135°F (57°C) for medium-rare or 145°F (63°C) for medium.

 

Duck breasts are a cut of meat that comes from the breast area of a duck. The meat is darker and richer in flavor compared to chicken or turkey, with a distinctive, slightly sweet undertone.