Duck with Orange Sauce Recipe

Orange sauce poured over a rosy pan fried duck breast with crispy skin.

Duck with Orange Sauce Recipe

Welcome to another retro throwback recipe, Duck a l Orange may hark back to the 70s dinner parties, but it still has a relevant place on any dinner table if you ask me!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Anglo French

Keyword Duck a l'orange, duck breast with orange sauce, Duck with Orange Sauce, pan fried duck breast

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 20

Resting Time 10

Total Time 35

Servings Servings

Calories 755kcal

Author Brian Jones

Ingredients

2 Duck Breasts
30 g Honey 1½ tablespoon
3 Oranges
2 tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
200 ml Chicken Stock ¾ Cup + 1 tablespoon
30 g Butter 2 tablespoon
1 Star Anise
1 tablespoon Cornflour (Cornstarch in the US)
½ teaspoon Salt
¼ teaspoon Pepper

Instructions

Zest all three oranges.
Cut two of the oranges in half and juice them.
Top and tail the final orange, then place it on a cutting board and cut off the skin working in a "barrel shape". Then take a sharp knife and remove the segments by cutting along the thin white membranes.
Score the skin of the duck breasts in a diamond or cross-hatch pattern, making sure you do not go through the flesh, then season the duck with salt and pepper on both sides.
Place the duck in a cold frying pan or skillet (28cm or 11") on the hob (do not use a nonstick pan). Turn the heat to a low-medium temperature.
Allow the duck to cook for 8-10 minutes, pushing down occasionally to prevent curling at the corners, and when the skin is crispy and golden, flip over and cook for another 5-6 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches the required level of "doneness".
See my FAQ section for different temperatures. These timings result in a pink duck breast that is just over "rare".
Remove the duck and set it aside, covered with foil and allow it to rest for the time it takes to make the sauce.
Drain the fat from the pan (DO NOT THROW IT AWAY, use it to roast potatoes). Then return the pan to a high heat and add the butter.
When the butter is foaming, add the star anise, chicken stock, red wine vinegar, honey, orange zest and orange juice, keeping back 1-2 tablespoons. Reduce the sauce over a high heat by at least half.
Whilst the sauce is reducing, mix together the cornflour with the orange juice and mix to form a slurry, then stir the cornflour slurry through the sauce to thicken slightly.
Add the orange segments, and stir to heat slightly.
Finally, carve the duck breast, adding any resting juices to the sauce and serve it topped with sauce.

Video

Nutrition