This duck with orange sauce (duck a l'orange) is a classic French recipe of pan-seared duck breasts and orange sauce! Juicy duck breasts are scored on their fatty side, seared to perfection, then oven-finished until they reach the perfect medium-rare temperature. You'll be amazed by this homemade restaurant-quality duck recipe!
Easy Orange Sauce For Duck
When I get bored with typical chicken and pork dishes, I love mixing up my dinners with some fantastic game meat recipes! One of my favorite duck recipes lately is this easy-to-make duck with orange sauce.
The orange sauce itself is simple to prepare yet absolutely delicious. When paired with tender and flavorful duck breasts, it's a winning flavor combination!
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🥘 Ingredients
Duck
- Duck - 12 ounces of duck breast halves.
- Salt - ½ teaspoon of salt, to taste.
Orange Sauce
- Duck Fat - Reserve ¼ cup of duck fat from pan-searing the duck breasts.
- Orange Juice - The juice from 5 large oranges, which is about 1¼ cups.
- Garlic - 4 cloves of slightly crushed garlic.
- Rosemary - 10 sprigs of fresh rosemary, or you can try a rosemary substitute.
- Honey - ½ cup of honey.
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 Instructions
Even if you've never prepared duck before, this recipe is completely beginner-friendly! All you will need is a sharp knife, your measuring utensils, a large skillet, and a baking dish.
This recipe will make enough duck with orange sauce for 2 servings, but it is very easy to scale up for more people!
Prepare the Duck
Step 1: Rinse the duck. Rinse 12 ounces (340 grams) of duck breast halves under cool water and then pat them dry with paper towels.
Step 2: Score. Place the skin side up and use a very sharp knife to score the skin in a diamond crosshatch pattern. You'll want to avoid cutting so deep that you slice the meat.
Step 3: Season. Generously season all sides of the duck with ½ teaspoon (3 grams) of salt (to taste). Then, place the duck breasts into a cold, large skillet and place it over low heat.
Step 4: Sear. Let the duck cook over low heat for 3 minutes before increasing the heat to medium. Once the duck begins to sizzle, leave it to cook with the fat side down for 6-8 minutes.
Step 5: Drain. Drain the duck fat, making sure to reserve ¼ cup of it. Transfer the duck to an oven-safe baking dish.
Prepare the Orange Sauce
Step 6: Add. Using the same skillet over medium heat, add ¼ cup (59 milliliters) of reserved duck fat, 1¼ cups (296 milliliters) of orange juice, 4 cloves (12 grams) of garlic, 10 sprigs (1 gram) of fresh rosemary, and ½ cup (118 milliliters) of honey.
Step 7: Simmer. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until it has reduced by half and thickened, about 5-10 minutes.
Step 8: Remove. Turn off the heat and remove the garlic cloves and rosemary sprigs.
Bake, Rest, and Serve
Step 9: Preheat. Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C/Gas Mark 6).
Step 10: Baste. Baste both sides of the duck breast with the orange sauce and have it skin side up in the baking dish, setting the remaining sauce aside.
Step 11: Bake. Bake for 4-6 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 130°F (54°C).
Step 12: Rest. Remove the duck from the oven and loosely cover it with aluminum foil. Allow it to rest for 5-10 minutes while you warm up your remaining orange sauce.
Step 13: Serve. Slice the duck and top it with your prepared orange sauce. Serve immediately.
Serve with any of my duck sides you can find here!
💭 Tips & Notes
- Scoring the duck's skin helps to properly render the fat and make the skin ultra crispy.
- To properly score the skin, you'll want to slice it without cutting so deep that you are scoring the meat.
- Use fresh orange juice (from about 5 oranges) for the best flavor.
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🥡 Storing & Reheating
Let your duck cool completely before storing it. Once cool, you can store any leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Freezing
Additionally, you can freeze your duck a l'orange. Let it cool, and then place it into an airtight bag or container. Then, freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge when ready.
Reheating
Reheat your duck in the oven at 300°F (150°C/Gas Mark 2) for 5-15 minutes, depending on how much you are reheating. The sauce can be reheated in a saucepan over medium heat.
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📖 Recipe Card
Duck with Orange Sauce (Duck a L'Orange)
Ingredients
Duck
- 12 oz duck breast halves
- ½ teaspoon salt (to taste)
Orange Sauce
- ¼ cup reserved duck fat
- 1¼ cups orange juice (fresh, about 5 large oranges)
- 4 cloves garlic (slightly crushed)
- 10 sprigs fresh rosemary
- ½ cup honey
Instructions
Prepare the Duck
- Rinse your 12 oz duck breast halves under cool water and then pat them dry with paper towels.12 oz duck breast halves
- Place the skin side up and use a very sharp knife to score the skin in a diamond, crosshatch pattern. You'll want to avoid cutting so deep that you slice the meat.
- Generously season all sides of the duck with ½ teaspoon salt. Then, place the duck breasts into a cold, large skillet and place it over low heat.½ teaspoon salt
- Let the duck cook over low heat for 3 minutes before increasing the heat to medium. Once the duck begins to sizzle, leave it to cook with the fat side down for 6-8 minutes.
- Drain the duck fat, making sure to reserve ¼ cup of it. Transfer the duck to an oven-safe baking dish.
Prepare the Orange Sauce
- Using the same skillet over medium heat, add ¼ cup reserved duck fat, 1¼ cups orange juice, 4 cloves garlic, 10 sprigs fresh rosemary, and ½ cup honey.¼ cup reserved duck fat, 1¼ cups orange juice, 4 cloves garlic, 10 sprigs fresh rosemary, ½ cup honey
- Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally until it has reduced by half and thickened, about 5-10 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and remove the garlic cloves and rosemary sprigs.
Bake, Rest, and Serve
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C/Gas Mark 6).
- Baste both sides of the duck breast with the orange sauce and have it skin side up in the baking dish, setting the remaining sauce aside.
- Bake for 4-6 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 130°F (54°C).
- Remove the duck from the oven and loosely cover it with aluminum foil. Allow it to rest for 5-10 minutes while you warm up your remaining orange sauce.
- Slice the duck and top it with your prepared orange sauce. Serve immediately.
Equipment You May Need
Notes
- Scoring the duck's skin helps to properly render the fat and make the skin ultra crispy.
- To properly score the skin, you'll want to slice it without cutting so deep that you are scoring the meat.
- Use fresh orange juice (from about 5 oranges) for the best flavor.
- Let your duck cool completely before storing it. Once cool, you can store any leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Additionally, you can freeze your duck a l'orange. Let it cool and then place it into an airtight bag or container. Then, freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge when ready.
- Reheat your duck in the oven at 300°F (150°C/Gas Mark 2) for 5-15 minutes, depending on how much you are reheating. The sauce can be reheated in a saucepan over medium heat.
Nutrition
Angela is an at home chef that developed a passion for all things cooking and baking at a young age in her Grandma's kitchen. After many years in the food service industry, she now enjoys sharing all of her family favorite recipes and creating tasty dinner and amazing dessert recipes here at Bake It With Love!
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