Learn how to make Duck Breasts with Orange Sauce - probably the best duck recipe you will find! With the most delicious tart & sweet orange sauce, this is a dish you'll be making over and over again.
Afraid to cook duck? Don't be! This Duck with Orange Sauce is one of the easiest "fancy" dishes you can make - and perfect to prep ahead.
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I'm a lazy cook and I love my simple comfort foods - there's honestly not much fancy cooking going on in my kitchen. For dinner parties I always go one of two ways: a risotto, or this duck with orange sauce.
Why? They're both super easy to make - and never fail to impress.
Why you will love this recipe
- It's easy - there are a few steps involved in making duck with orange sauce, but they're simple and I go through them in detail below
- It's delicious and the sweet & tart orange sauce is the best sauce to serve with duck
- A rich sauce you will want to eat by the spoonful
- Sure to impress your guests,which I bet you don't mind
- Perfect to prep ahead so you can mingle with your guests, and still serve a great meal
- Easy to make for a crowd - just change the number of servings in the recipe card below and sear in batches if needed
What you need to make it
Ingredient notes & substitutions
- Duck breasts - make sure they're boneless and the skin-on kind
- Whole duck: You can also make this recipe using a whole duck. Season the duck inside and out with salt and pepper, then stuff the cavity with orange wedges, fresh rosemary and garlic cloves. Roast duck in the oven at 350°F (175°C) for 1.5 hours, until internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C). Then make the sauce as suggested below using the drippings.
- Oranges - we're just using the juice, so in a pinch you can sub in store bought orange juice. Or use another sweet citrus - like clementines.
- Liquid honey - regular honey works as well
- Rosemary can be swapped for thyme
- Orange zest can be added to the sauce if you want more of orange taste and a touch of bitterness
How to make Duck with Orange Sauce
Making Duck with Orange Sauce has 5 main steps, and I will go through them all in detail below:
- Prep the duck breasts
- Render off the fat
- Make the orange sauce
- Finish the duck breasts in the oven
- Let them rest
If you want to prep this dish ahead of time complete step 1-3 above to prep, and then 20 minutes before dinner follow with step 4-5. Then heat up the orange sauce just before serving.
- Start by bringing out your duck breasts and patting them dry
- Make sure to dry them on both sides
- Then score skin in a crosshatch pattern. Do this by cutting all the way through the skin and fat, without cutting into the duck meat. This is easiest done with a really sharp knife - with just light pressure the sharp knife will glide easily through the skin and fat, but meet resistance when it reaches the meat.
- This is what the skin should look like - see how the cut is straight through the skin, but hasn't touched the meat
- Season the skin-side with salt & pepper
- Flip and season on the other side
- Place breasts with the fat side side down in a cold frying pan or skillet without any butter or oil. Then place it over medium heat. Now render off the fat until there's not so much fat coming out from the skin anymore, and the skin is crisp and golden brown. There will be a lot of fat - so you will need to pour it off a few times while rendering. Pour it into a bowl and set aside for now.
- When you're done rendering off the fat, turn duck breasts with the meat side down and sear for about a minute. Then sear quickly on all other sides as well, before moving the duck breasts from the pan to an oven-safe dish.
- To start the sauce, place the same pan back over the heat and add back some of the rendered duck fat in the bottom of the pan
- Pour in the orange juice
- Add garlic cloves and sprigs of rosemary
- Pour in the honey
- Mix
- Bring to a simmer and simmer 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally
- The sauce should reduce by half, and get a bit sticky - then it's done
- Turn off the heat and remove the garlic cloves and sprigs of rosemary
- Glaze the duck breasts with a bit of the orange sauce on all sides and then place duck breasts skin side up in a roasting pan. Insert a thermometer halfway into one of the breasts.
- Roast in the middle of the oven for 5-10 minutes at 350°F (175°C), until the internal temperature has reached your set point. it should be 149°F (65°C) for well done, 137°F (58°C) for medium-rare and 128°F (53°C) for rare.
- Wrap each duck breast in foil and let it rest for at least 5 minutes
- Place on a cutting board and slice. Serve on a serving platter, with orange sauce in a gravy boat on the side, or on plates topped with the sliced duck breast topped with orange sauce.
Tips & tricks
- Use a really sharp knife to score the skin
- Render off the fat - it really is worth the time
- Always start with a cold pan when rendering off the fat
- Don't pour the fat straight down the drain as this might clog it - instead, pour it into a bowl to cool and either use to cook other things in (duck fat potatos are delicious), or:
- Place it in the fridge to cool and solidify, then throw in the trash
- Soak up with paper towels and throw them in the trash
- Know your temperature point - do you like it rare, medium or well-done? In the recipe card below you can see which temperature you should aim for depending on your preference.
- Use an oven thermometer to get your duck to just the right temperature
- Always take your duck out at a few degrees below the target temperature - in the recipe card below you will find suggestions for at what temperature to bring it from the oven as well
- Store leftover in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days - great cold or heated, as well as added to pastas, salads and thai curries
- Freeze leftovers to keep them for up to 3 months
Recipe FAQ
Duck goes great with orange and other citrus flavors as well as earthy flavors like cabbage, beets, pumpkin and potatoes.
To prepare duck breasts in advance, score the skin, season them, render off the fat and sear them ahead of time. Then place covered in an oven-safe dish (in room temperature if just for a few hours, otherwise in the fridge).
20 minutes before you want to eat, place the duck in a preheated oven with an oven thermometer and cook to your set point - and don't forget to let the duck breasts rest at least 5 minutes.
For this specific recipe, I recommend making the orange sauce in advance as well, and heating it up just before serving.
The best way to ensure your duck breasts are perfectly cooked is to allow them to rest. While resting, the temperature will rise just a few degrees which makes it less likely to overcook them.
So you basically take them out when they're not really done, and let them finish cooking in foil. The temperature won't rise more than 2-5 degrees even if you let them rest for longer.
Resting duck - like any type of meat - also allows for the juices to settle back in, which gives you a juicier meat.
Simple side dishes to serve with Duck in Orange Sauce
I love potatoes with duck in orange sauce. Especially crispy, cheesy smashed potatoes or roast potatoes, mashed potatoes or potato wedges, but it's also delicious with a Hasselback Potato or Homemade Tater Tots. For a veggie, why not go for garlic roasted broccoli, classic steamed or boiled haricot verts or an earthy Roasted Beetroot Salad with Feta Cheese.
To make it easy for you I put together a whole post all about what to serve with duck. Check out the best side dishes for duck!
More easy dinner party recipes
Looking for more easy recipes to serve at your next dinner party?
- Creamy Risotto with Shrimp & Asparagus
- Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Garlic & Parmesan
- Rum-spiked Smoked Salmon Tartare
- Salmon Risotto with Leeks & Lemon
- Mushroom Risotto with Truffle Oil
- Creamy Red Wine Chicken Pasta
Did you love this recipe? Rate it five stars!
...and let me know what you loved about it in the comments.
Recipe
Duck in Orange Sauce
Print RateIngredients
- 2 large duck breasts with skin
- ½ teaspoon fine table salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ cup duck fat
- 5 oranges juice only
- 4 garlic cloves peeled and slightly crushed, but in one piece
- 10 sprigs of rosemary
- ½ cup honey
To serve
- sea salt flakes optional
Instructions
Prep & stovetop cooking (20 minutes)
- Bring out the duck breasts and pat them dry. Turn them skin-side up and carefully cut a criss-cross pattern in the skin. Take care not to cut into the duck meat, but still cut as deep into the skin as you can. Season with salt and black pepper on both sides.2 large duck breasts with skin, ½ teaspoon fine table salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Place the duck breasts skin-side down in a cold pan without any oil or butter, then place the pan over medium heat. Allow the fat to render off until skin is crisp and golden and the fat has stopped seeping out of the duck skin. This takes 10-15 minutes. Pour off excess fat regularly while cooking and save for later.
- Raise the heat to medium-high, flip the breasts over and sear skin-side up for 1 minute. Then sear quickly on the other sides of the duck breast and transfer them to an oven safe dish.
Orange Sauce (10 minutes)
- Place the pan back over the heat and pour in some of the duck fat you rendered off. Add the orange juice, honey, sprigs of rosemary and garlic cloves. Bring to a simmer and let simmer until a bit sticky and reduced by half, this takes 5-10 minutes. Stir occasionally.¼ cup duck fat, 5 oranges, 10 sprigs of rosemary, ½ cup honey, 4 garlic cloves
- Turn off the heat and remove the garlic cloves and sprigs of rosemary, then set aside for now.
Finishing the duck breasts in the oven (5-10 minutes if starting with a hot oven)
- Heat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Glaze the duck breasts with the orange sauce on both sides, then place skin-side up and stick in a meat thermometer. Place uncovered in the middle of the oven and cook for 5-10 minutes until internal temperature has reached your desired set point (see notes below for what temperature to aim for as well as a note on food safety).
- Wrap the cooked duck breasts in aluminum foil and let rest for at least 5 minutes. Meanwhile, heat up the orange sauce.
- Slice the duck breasts and serve topped with orange sauce and sea salt flakes.sea salt flakes
Equipment (may contain affiliate links)
Video
Notes
Note on cooking temperatures and food safety:
The USDA recommends that all poultry, including duck, be cooked to at least 165 F (74 C). This is the asbolutely safest option when it comes to protecting against food borne illnesses. However, for best result regarding taste and texture, it should be cooked until pink (medium option below). Which option you choose is up to you. I always cook according to the medium option, but I also live in a region where duck is generally quite safe to consume. If you choose to cook it below 165 F (74 C) you do need to be aware of the risk.Suggested cooking temperatures:
- Rare: Cook to 53 C/128 F and let rest to reach 56 C/133 F
- Medium: Cook to 58 C/137 F and let rest to reach 62 C/144 F
- Well-done: Cook to 65 C/149 F and let rest to reach 70 C/158 F
Ingredient notes & substitutions
- Duck breasts - make sure they're boneless and the skin-on kind
- Oranges - we're just using the juice, so in a pinch you can sub in store bought orange juice. Or use another sweet citrus - like clementines.
- Liquid honey - regular honey works as well
- Rosemary can be swapped for thyme
- Orange zest can be added to the sauce if you want more of orange taste and a touch of bitterness
Tips & tricks
- Use a really sharp knife to score the skin
- Render off the fat - it really is worth the time
- Always start with a cold pan when rendering off the fat
- Don't pour the fat straight down the drain as this might clog it - instead, pour it into a bowl to cool and either use to cook other things in (duck fat potatos are delicious), or:
- Place it in the fridge to cool and solidify, then throw in the trash
- Soak up with paper towels and throw them in the trash
- Know your temperature point - do you like it rare, medium or well-done? In the recipe card below you can see which temperature you should aim for depending on your preference.
- Use an oven thermometer to get your duck to just the right temperature
- Always take your duck out at a few degrees below the target temperature - in the recipe card below you will find suggestions for at what temperature to bring it from the oven as well
- Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days - great cold or heated, as well as added to pastas, salads and thai curries
- Freeze leftovers to keep them for up to 3 months
Nutrition
Nutritional information is approximate and automatically calculated, and should only be viewed as an indication.
Bill Robinson
Great recipe and easy.
Hanna
I have just tried this recipe after having tasted it during our vacation in Bavaria, Germany. This dish came out amazing. The only modification I made was reducing the amount of rosemary and honey, and adding a little sea salt and black pepper to the orange sauce. Thanks for the recipe!!
Cynthia Finley
When roasting a whole duck, how much rendered fat is needed to make the sauce?
Emmeline Kemperyd
Hi Cynthia, you need 1/4 cup of duck fat for the sauce. /Emmeline
Stephen Humphreyson
How much orange juice do you use when not using oranges
Emmeline Kemperyd
Hi Stephen! About 1.5 cups. /Emmeline