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!
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe 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.
>>>>See all of my recipes here<<<<
🥡 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
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
Prepare the Duck
- Rinse your 12 oz duck breast halves under cool water and then pat them dry with paper towels.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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.
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