Baking duck breast - step by step

Perfectly cooked duck breast: a step-by-step guide

Learn to cook duck breast to perfection with this simple, clear guide. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced cook, this method produces juicy, flavourful duck breast with deliciously crisp skin every time.

• frying pan
• lid
• carving knife
• kitchen tongs
• chopping board

• 2 duck breasts
• Salt (to taste)
• Pepper (to taste)

1. Take the duck breasts out of the fridge about 1 hour before cooking to reach room temperature.
2. Score the skin in a diamond pattern without cutting into the meat. This helps the fat render and the skin turn crisp.
3. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
4. Heat a frying pan over a medium heat and put the duck breasts skin-side down in the dry pan. No butter or other fat is needed.
5. Cook on the skin for 6-8 minutes, depending on thickness and desired doneness, until crisp. Keep the heat from getting too high so the skin does not burn too quickly.
6. Before turning, pour most of the fat into another pan.
7. Turn the breasts over and cook the other side for another 3-6 minutes, depending on thickness, desired doneness and how pink you want them.
8. Remove from the pan and rest under aluminium foil for 5-10 minutes before slicing.
9. Slice thinly and serve.

The meat in the photo was taken out of the fridge an hour beforehand.

It cooked for almost 7 minutes on the skin and 3 minutes on the other side.

It then rested in aluminium foil for almost 10 minutes.

Main course

Belgian, French, Swedish

duck breast