How to bake juicy duck breasts in the oven

Friends, duck breast is a highly nutritious delicacy that is loved by almost everyone. It is widely needed due to its catchy and rich taste, relative availability and versatility of use.

In this article, Savory Kitchen will tell you how to bake duck breasts in the oven so that they come out juicy and soft.

The duck breast is the leanest part of the bird, especially if all the fat is removed before cooking. Recipes for making duck in the oven are universally suitable, and almost all of them are emphasized by their unique taste.

How to cook duck breasts juicy and soft
Baked duck breasts in the oven, recipe with photos step by step
Video recipe for making duck breasts in the oven

How to cook duck breasts juicy and soft

There are not enough secrets in cooking, because the meat must be tender and soft. What do you need to know when cooking duck meat in the oven?

So, firstly, you need to soften the muscle fibers of the breasts. To do this, they are marinated for several hours, but the longer the better, you can even marinate them overnight (that is, in the dark) . As a marinade, use white wine vinegar, white dry wine, soy sauce, mustard, lemon juice, water, a few drops of cognac, vodka, etc.
The second thing that needs to be done is to give the duck fillet an additional smell and taste. To do this, the marinade is enriched with various spices and herbs, such as honey, ginger, garlic, nutmeg, etc.
Thirdly, in order for the breast to be very dietary, you should remove the skin before starting production (it contains a lot of cholesterol (Insoluble in water, soluble in fats and organic solvents.)) . This will allow the duck meat to soak better and make it juicier and softer.
The next secret to soft and juicy meat is that we quickly fry it in a frying pan just to “seal” the juice in it.
And, in the end, the ultimate secret: after quick frying, the pieces of meat must be baked in the oven, wrapped in duralumin foil.

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

Baked duck breasts in the oven, recipe with photos step by step

Ingredients:

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

Let's prepare a container in which we will marinate the meat. Pour in soy sauce, vegetable oil, add honey, mustard, ground pepper, squeeze out lemon juice and pass the peeled garlic cloves through a press. Mix the marinade well so that all the ingredients are evenly distributed.
Remove the skin from the duck breasts (if you want to get the most dietary dish, if the extra calories don’t bother you, you can leave it). Wash the meat and dry it well with a cardboard towel. Let's put it in the marinade.
Press the meat with your hands so that it is one hundred percent covered with the marinade. If there is not enough water, then pour more soy sauce, lemon juice directly on top of the breasts, or you can splash a little snow-white dry wine.
Let the meat marinate for 6 hours in the refrigerator. During marinating, the meat will acquire the lightest color and this will make the baked duck juicy and soft.
After removing the breasts from the marinade, pat them dry with a cardboard napkin and use a sharp knife to create shallow cuts in the form of a mesh on both sides, as shown in the photo.
Heat the frying pan well and add the duck breasts. They should be fried without adding oil. But if there is a need for it, then limit yourself to a small spoon. Using a silicone brush, you can lightly coat the bottom of the pan with a drop of oil.
Fry the meat on both sides until golden brown. Then bring it to readiness in the oven at 180°C for 15 minutes. To do this, wrap the duck breasts in food foil. You can also throw them in the frying pan given to us, but cover it with a tight lid (if the frying pan and the lid do not have plastic on the handle).
After this time, remove the fillet from the frying pan, leave it to “rest” for 5-10 minutes, then proceed to serving.

Baked duck breasts can be eaten alone by cutting into strips and drizzling with orange-honey dressing. But it’s very tasty to use as a luxurious addition to salads, snacks, or create stylish sandwiches.

Video recipe for making duck breasts in the oven

You can prepare delicious recipes with game in the Savory Kitchen:

How to cook duck breast correctly and a delicious step-by-step recipe for making it

It is generally believed that the tenderness of meat greatly depends on the marinade. To some extent, yes. But for duck in general and duck breast in particular, the manufacturing process is most important. It needs to be properly fried. It doesn’t matter whether you intended to bake it in the oven or not. Without preparatory frying, it is impossible to get a tasty dish. Therefore, now 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 photos.

How to properly cook duck breast

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

It is necessary to create cuts on the skin, but so as not to cut through it. Duck skin is thick, thicker than chicken, but nevertheless you need to act carefully. The breast is cut either with parallel cuts obliquely, or obliquely, but perpendicular to each other (diamonds). Why is this necessary? Firstly, during frying, excess fat will be rendered, which is located just under the skin. Secondly, if this is not done, then during frying the skin will tighten and look ugly.

Then you can marinate the breast as indicated in the recipe. Or in the most ordinary case, it’s great to rub with a lot of salt and pepper. Leave to lie down for at least 20 minutes.

We will fry in a dry, perfectly heated frying pan with a non-stick coating or metal. There will be a lot of splashing, so be prepared for it. The breast is placed skin side down in the pan. It is very comfortable to do this while wearing special silicone gloves - a pot holder; later you will need to press it to the surface of the frying pan. If you don't have gloves, use a spatula.

Fry on the skin side for 5-7 minutes. Then turn it over and on the 2nd side for another 3 minutes. If the piece is thick, then you can also put it on one side for 2 minutes and on the other side for 2 minutes.

Then remove from heat. For those who like medium rare roasting (with blood (internal environment of the body) ) - the meat is ready. For all others, there are two options for the development of events - continue cooking in a frying pan, adding 2-3 tablespoons of water, covered, over moderate heat for another 10 minutes; put in a baking dish (or directly in the frying pan given to us, if it allows), put in the oven and hold there at a temperature of 170-180°C for the same 10 minutes.

After cooking, under no circumstances should you cut the meat immediately. Remove, cover with a lid or foil and let the fried meat rest for a few minutes. During this period of time, you can prepare any sauce or side dish. By the way, the fat that melted from the breast in the frying 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 again there will be a recipe from Olga Bondas, which will contain fruits and a lot of spices.

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

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

How to cook delicious duck breast

If your meat has fat around the edges, it is best to remove it.
Then we turn it over with the skin side up and make shallow cuts without cutting right through to the meat.
Prepare the marinade. We remove the zest from the orange (only the orange layer, without the snow-white layer - it is bitter), then squeeze out the juice, pour half the juice into a bowl, put all the zest, add honey, soy sauce, reddish wine, all the spices, including star anise and ginger. The ginger will need to be peeled and grated on a small grater.
Place 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 don’t pour out the marinade, we will need it later. Fry for 5 minutes.
Turn over and another 5 minutes.
If you need meat with blood (the internal environment of the body) , then you can immediately move on to preparing the sauce. If not, put it in an oven preheated to 170°C for 10 minutes. Do not pour out the fat from the pan.
Meanwhile, cut the apples and pears and cut out the cores. Cut the fruit into quarters lengthwise.
Fry the fruit in a frying pan in the fat rendered from the breasts. Pour in the marinade and the remaining orange juice. Cook over high heat, stirring frequently, until thickened. You need to stir carefully to keep the pieces of fruit intact.
Remove the meat from the oven and leave to rest for 10 minutes.
Cut into slices diagonally. Place on a platter.
Pour over the fruit sauce, place pieces of apples and pears nearby and serve as a side dish.

Both delicious and wonderful!

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Available recipe: duck breast in the oven

They say that duck is not for everyone: the smell is typical, there is a lot of fat, and the meat is hard. Have you never eaten it, but really want to try it? Cook the duck breasts in the oven. If you appreciate the taste of the new dish, it will become a frequent guest on your table. It is not necessary to use the same recipe every time. Duck breast is prepared in the oven using various methods: there is both an everyday option and a festive one. But first, a few secrets. In order for the meat to be tasty, it is necessary to select and cook it correctly.

How to choose

It is better to take chilled rather than frozen meat.
Its color is gray-burgundy, quite black, but not light or brown.
The packaging must not be damaged.

Manufacturing secrets

Long heat treatment makes duck meat drier.
Before placing the breast in the oven, it is better to lightly fry it so that the fat melts and saturates it.
If the duck is cooked with the skin, it must be cut so that the meat does not shrink.
If cooked without skin, it is removed before heat treatment.
When frying, it is better not to use oil or use it to a minimum.
To make duck meat softer and more tender, it is marinated before baking.
It is not allowed to overexpose the breasts in the marinade, otherwise they will turn out dry.
The marinade should not be made too acidic, otherwise the meat will become inelastic.
The duck is perfectly mixed with fruits and berries, from which you can prepare both a marinade and a sauce for the finished dish.

Juicy duck breast in the oven (recipe with photos)

The preparation of the dish is very simple - see for yourself!

What to take from the goods:

600 grams of duck fillet (breast);
two teaspoons of natural honey (watery, not candied);
10 grams of garlic;
a quarter teaspoon each of salt and ground dark pepper;
100 ml soy sauce.

Wash the breast, having previously removed any remaining feathers from the skin (if there were any), and dry it with a cardboard or clean fabric towel.
Cut the skin in a mesh pattern without damaging the meat.
Crush the garlic, grate or finely chop. Mix honey with garlic, pepper and salt and rub the resulting consistency onto the duck breast.
Place the meat in a disposable dish, pour in soy sauce and leave for an hour (if longer, put it in the refrigerator).
When the time is up, place the pan with the breast in the sauce in a preheated oven for 40 minutes.
Remove the finished meat and let it drip off into the sauce and fat, which can be used to season the side dish later.
Cut the meat into pieces, serve with rice (pasta) or as a separate dish, hot or cold.

Duck breast in cognac

To make duck meat soft and juicy, it must first be kept in a marinade, which can be created using various methods. We offer a unique recipe. Duck breast in the oven will be cooked on a wire rack, and the following products will be useful for this:

one duck breast;
50 grams of cognac;
one head of onion;
a bunch of parsley and cilantro;
two cloves of garlic;
one or two bay leaves;
salt and pepper to taste.

Wash the meat thoroughly and dry with a towel.
Remove the skin and rub with pepper and salt.
Prepare a marinade of cognac, chopped onion, garlic, parsley, cilantro, and bay leaf.
Place the breasts in the marinade, cover with something languid and keep under pressure for 6 hours.
When the meat is soaked, place it in the oven on a mesh, under which place a container of water.
From time to time, water the breast with the water given to us.
In half an hour the dish should be ready.

Up your sleeve

It is very easy to prepare duck breast in the oven in the sleeve. The recipe is again a simple one, and the dish turns out savory and juicy thanks to the orange and honey, which mix perfectly with the duck meat.

two duck breasts;
half a kilogram of potatoes;
half an orange;
a tablespoon of honey;
a tablespoon of vegetable oil;
a teaspoon of salt;
the third part of a teaspoon is the consistency of peppers.

Wash the breasts and dry them with a towel.
Squeeze the orange juice and mix it with honey.
Rub the breasts with salt and pepper, pour over the marinade of honey and orange juice and leave for half an hour.
Peel and cut the potatoes into pieces, add vegetable oil and salt.
Place the breasts with potatoes in a sleeve and place in the oven.
Bake at 220 degrees for an hour.

In foil with cranberry sauce

To get fragrant and tender meat, use the following recipe. Duck breast in the oven is cooked in foil. We take products:

800 grams of duck fillet;
one medium-sized onion;
150 ml water;
60 ml wine vinegar;
ground dark pepper, salt to taste.

Wash and dry the breast, rub it with salt and pepper.
Cut the onion into rings and cover the duck fillet with it.
Mix water with wine vinegar, pour over meat, leave for two hours.
Remove from the marinade onto a napkin to drain off excess liquid.
Fry the breast on both sides, wrap in foil so that the juice does not leak out during baking.
Heat the oven to 180 degrees and place the meat there for half an hour.
Remove from the oven, cool, cut into slices (you can cut them diagonally).

One of the serving methods is with cranberry sauce, which perfectly combines the taste with duck meat. To make it you will need:

100 grams of sugar;
150 grams of cranberries.

Sort out the cranberries, wash under running water, add sugar to it, crush the berries and put on fire. When the sugar is one hundred percent dissolved, remove from heat, cool, pass through a fine strainer and pour over the duck breast pieces.

Garnish

Once you learn how to cook duck breasts, you can start thinking about suitable side dishes. We offer one of the more successful and unusual ones, the ingredients of which mix perfectly with duck meat. This is red cabbage, which must be stewed with apples and caraway seeds.

small fork of red cabbage;
two apples;
one onion;
half a teaspoon of cumin;
half a glass of reddish wine;
a tablespoon of vinegar;
pepper, salt (to taste).

Chop the cabbage and lightly fry with the juice remaining after making the duck breasts: this will give the cabbage a special taste.
Peel the apples, remove the core, and grate coarsely.
Thinly slice the onion into half rings.
Add apples and onions to the cabbage and simmer for 5 minutes, then pour in reddish wine and simmer everything together for about another 10 minutes.
After this, put cumin, pepper, salt, a tablespoon of wine vinegar into the cabbage and simmer for another 5 minutes.
Turn off the heat, cover the container with a lid, and leave for a couple of minutes to let the dish steep.
Serve with sliced breast.

Finally

If you're tired of everything and want something new, pay attention to duck breasts. Recipes for cooking in the oven are a successful choice for a celebratory dish: it looks elegant and solemn, and if you show your imagination and are not afraid of tests, you can completely create it as a signature dish.

How to cook duck breast so that it is soft and juicy: 7 recipes

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

Recipes for soft and juicy duck breast

Duck breasts are prepared in a variety of different ways. That’s why we want to offer you recipes for making them in the oven, in a frying pan, or in a slow cooker. Choose the option you like 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 with foil in advance and additionally grease with oil to prevent burning. Wash the breasts, dry them, rub with your favorite spices and a mixture of pepper and salt. Leave for a third of an hour in the dry marinade.

2. Place the breasts on a baking sheet. Chop the carrots into thin slices and sprinkle them over the meat. Chop the onion and place it on a baking sheet too.

3. Rinse the potato tubers. If they are small, do not peel them, cut them into slices and place them nearby. In the case of large potatoes, chop them into cubes and place them between the breasts.

4. Sprinkle the entire contents with spices again. Dilute mayonnaise with water in equal proportions, squeeze garlic into this sauce. Baste the breasts and the entire contents of the pan.

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

No. 2. Duck breast in honey and soy sauce

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

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

1. Wash the briskets, dry them, and start creating the marinade. For this purpose, combine lemon juice, soy sauce, butter, honey. Squeeze the garlic here. Don't add salt.

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

3. After the allotted time, take a dry non-stick frying pan. Lightly oil it and place the breasts skin side down. Cover with a lid so that it makes a light press. Fry for 8 minutes.

4. Then preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Grease a baking sheet and place the breasts on it in the same position. Bake for 30 minutes. Determine readiness by piercing the meat; a translucent liquid should come out of the meat.

Here is the usual recipe for how to cook duck breast (or several). Remember, to keep it soft and juicy, you need to soak the meat in the marinade beforehand.

No. 3. Fried breast with lingonberries and apples

Lingonberry (or other berry) - 0.1 kg.
“Simirenko” apples – 2 pcs.
breast - 500-600 gr.
spices - to your taste

1. Before you fry a savory duck breast, the bird needs to be cooked. Remove the skin, wash the meat and dry. Make several cuts on the meat with a knife.

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

3. After the allotted time, take a non-stick frying pan and place the meat on it, flesh side down. Press the lid on and fry for about 5 minutes.

4. Turn over and 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 water to evaporate (about 20 minutes).

5. During this period of time, fry apple slices with lingonberry berries in another frying pan. Serve the bird, basting with the mixture given to us.

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

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

Duck breasts, fried in a frying pan or baked in the oven, are certainly a tasty dish. But you haven’t tried poultry with sauce in a slow cooker yet.

1. Before cooking duck breast, you need to wash it, dry it, rub it with a mixture of peppers or other favorite spices. To keep it soft and juicy, the meat is kept in a dry marinade for half an hour.

2. In the designated time, you need to create the sauce. Combine mustard with honey, cognac, ginger. Make several oblong cuts in the meat, rub the breasts with this marinade and wrap in a bag. Time it for 2 hours.

3. Prepare the multicooker for use. Grease the bottom of the bowl with oil and place the breasts, flesh side down. Set the “Roast” function for 4 minutes.

4. After a while, pour the remaining watery marinade into the multibowl and add a little water. Turn on the “Extinguishing” mode and set the time to 40 minutes.

5. After the timer signal, soak the briskets inside for 10-20 minutes. While tasting, drizzle the remaining sauce from the multibowl over the meat.

No. 5. Duck breast with orange sauce

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

Before you cook duck breast, make sure you have the right ingredients to ensure it is tender and juicy.

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

2. Add sugar to the sauce, simmer until thick. Fry the meat in a frying pan until golden brown. There is no need to use oil for this. Drain off the fat that was released while frying the duck. Pour soy sauce into the pan.

3. Simmer the meat with the lid closed over low heat for about 8 minutes. After this, cut the duck into slices and place on a plate. Pour the orange sauce over the meat 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's not hard to figure out how to cook savory duck breast in a frying pan. The 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 needs to be baked in the oven at 180 degrees. The procedure will take about 12 minutes.

2. At the same time, fry finely chopped garlic and onion in the same oil where the breast was cooked. Pour the broth into the fry, stir in the flour and pasta. Simmer over low heat for 4 minutes. Mix everything thoroughly.

3. Because it is not difficult to cook duck breast in this way, try to create everything so that it is soft and juicy. Add curry, salt and, if desired, a pinch of ground ginger to the prepared sauce. Wait another third of an hour.

4. Meanwhile, start cooking the steamed rice. Salt the water to taste. Remove the breasts on the baking sheet from the oven and pour the prepared sauce over them.

5. Return the dish to the oven. Cook for another 10-12 minutes. Next, place the side dish on serving plates. Place meat and sauce on top.

No. 7. Duck breast in currant marinade

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

The unique marinade for duck breast makes the dish expressive with a narrow taste and smell. A good option for a celebration.

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

2. Add ground spices and grated ginger root into the watery mass. Expect caramelization of the ingredients. Start adding currants evenly. Bring the sauce to a smooth consistency.

3. After this, pour the mixture into the duck and stir. Simmer for some time on a lazy fire. Serve the dish topped with marjoram.

If you previously didn’t know how to cook duck breast in a truly delicious way, now is the time to try it out. Make a unique poultry delicacy. Prepare different sauces to make it soft and juicy!