Description
A quick and elegant recipe for crispy duck breast with a tangy cherry sauce, ready in just 30 minutes. Perfect for weeknights or special occasions.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 duck breasts (about 6–8 ounces / 170-225g each), skin-on, boneless
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 cup fresh or frozen cherries, pitted (150g)
- 1 small shallot, finely chopped (about 30g)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (30ml)
- ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth (120ml)
- 1 tablespoon honey (15ml)
- 1 tablespoon butter (14g)
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (optional)
Instructions
- Pat the duck breasts dry with paper towels. Score the skin in a crisscross pattern without cutting into the meat. Season both sides generously with salt and pepper. Let sit at room temperature.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat without oil. Place duck breasts skin-side down and cook for 8-10 minutes until the skin is golden brown and crispy. Flip and cook for another 3-4 minutes for medium-rare. Remove and let rest tented with foil.
- Pour off most of the duck fat from the skillet, leaving about 1 tablespoon. Add chopped shallot and sauté for 2 minutes until softened. Stir in garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add cherries, balsamic vinegar, chicken broth, and honey. Simmer for 4-5 minutes until cherries soften and sauce thickens slightly.
- Stir in butter and thyme leaves, simmer for another minute, then remove from heat.
- Slice duck breasts thinly against the grain. Arrange on plates and spoon cherry sauce over the top. Serve with roasted vegetables or a light salad.
Notes
Pat the duck skin dry before cooking and score it to render fat and achieve crispy skin. Let the duck rest after cooking to keep it juicy. Save rendered duck fat for roasting vegetables. Use fresh or frozen cherries; thaw frozen cherries before use. If balsamic vinegar is unavailable, red wine vinegar can be substituted.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 duck breast with s
- Calories: 520
- Sugar: 12
- Sodium: 450
- Fat: 38
- Saturated Fat: 12
- Carbohydrates: 18
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 35
Keywords: duck breast, cherry sauce, skillet-seared, crispy duck, easy duck recipe, weeknight dinner, balsamic vinegar, quick sauce