Name: Crisped Sous Vide Duck Breast Recipe (Step-by-Step Guide)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: PT-481548H2M1S
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 2 duck breasts skin-on (about 6 ounces each)▢kosher salt to taste▢ground black pepper to tast; ▢red wine sauce or berry sauce for serving; ▢rosemary for garnishing

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Every time, this sous vide duck breast recipe cooks the duck to juicy, tender perfection.

When served with fluffy garlic mashed potatoes and braised leeks simmered in thyme and white wine, you’ll feel like a gourmet chef (but it’s easy and fun, I promise).

WHY SOUS VIDE DUCK BREAST?

Table of Contents

Recommended:

WHAT YOU’LL NEED FOR THIS RECIPE?

In reality, all you need is duck breast and your favorite seasonings! The following are the ingredients I used in this recipe.

Fresh or frozen duck breasts
Koshar Salt
Black pepper, freshly ground
Serving Red Wine Sauce (optional)

HOW TO COOK SOUS VIDE DUCK BREAST?

Score duck breasts by placing the breast skin side up on a cutting board. Score the skin in a crosshatch pattern (as shown below), being careful not to cut all the way through to the meat. Scoring aids in the rendering of fat from the skin during cooking.

Season the breast only on the skin side with salt (no pepper, as I like the clean look of the skin). Then, season the flesh side of the breast with salt and pepper.

Cooking duck breasts sous vide: Place seasoned duck breasts in a vacuum bag or zip-lock bag. Vacuum seal the bag and cook for about 2 hours in the sous vide warm water bath at 135°F (57°C).

Sear the sous vide cooked duck breasts skin-side down in a skillet until the skin turns golden crispy. For 30 seconds, flip and sear the flesh side. Allow the breasts to rest for 3-5 minutes before slicing and serving.

PACKAGING DUCK FOR THE SOUS VIDE

Putting ingredients in an airtight bag or container is an important part of sous vide cooking. This can be accomplished through the use of either vacuum sealing or the water displacement method.

A vacuum sealer uses a vacuum to remove all of the air and seal the contents of a plastic bag.

Keeping the bag airtight prevents it from floating, which can lead to uneven cooking and bacteria contamination. To seal my food, I use a FoodSaver.

TIPS FOR MAKING TENDER AND JUICY DUCK BREASTS

Before sous vide cooking, score the skin. Keep the scores about a half-inch apart and cut all the way through the edges. This will keep them from curling up during the searing process.

Vacuum seal the meat without a vacuum sealer: If you don’t have a vacuum sealer, you can use the water displacement technique to seal the bag. Simply seal the bag except for one corner and slowly place it in a large pot of water. Make sure that everything below the zip-line is submerged in water before sealing the rest of the bag.

Pat dry duck breasts thoroughly after sous vide cooking; any moisture left on the skin will interfere with proper searing, making the skin less crispy.

Do not discard the rendered fat from duck breasts. It is regarded as one of the healthiest animal fats. Frying potatoes in this fat is a traditional French way of preparing duck.

TEMPERATURE AND DONENESS

Duck, unlike other types of poultry, can be safely cooked at a lower temperature. When the breast is cooked to 135°F (57°C), we prefer it medium-rare.

Keep in mind that the temperature will rise slightly later when searing in the pan. This recipe yields extremely tender duck meat with a silky-smooth texture.

If you want to cook your duck to a different level of doneness, refer to the chart below:

Duck Breast Internal Temperature	Doneness
130 °F / 54 °C	Rare
135 °F / 57 °C	Medium-rare (tender and juicy)
145 °F / 63 °C	Medium (less juicy, but still tender)
155 °F / 68 °C	Well-done (More chewy)

WHAT IS THE WATER DISPLACEMENT METHOD?

The displacement method involves slowly immersing a ziplock bag in water and pushing the air out of the bag’s top (the bag should be slightly open at the top to allow air to escape).

Clip the bag to the side with a clip (I use binder clips) to keep it from floating and letting air and/or water inside.

HOW TO SERVE SOUS VIDE DUCK BREAST?

Serve the chicken breast with potatoes or green vegetables, thinly sliced, and drizzled with red wine or berry sauce. It would go well with:

Broccoli Steamed
Asparagus
Carrots
Beans, Green

EXPERT TIPS

If you have any duck fat left in your vacuum seal bag after removing the duck breasts from the sous vide to pan sear, keep it and use it like any other fat. Tossing it over potatoes, green beans, or anything else you’d use bacon fat on before cooking results in super flavorful side dishes!

Allow your duck to rest for a few minutes before slicing to allow the juices to redistribute and keep your duck breasts moist.

You don’t want to use bottled orange juice for the glaze because you want the extra flavor that comes from zesting the orange.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How long should you sous vide duck breast?

Duck breast is an excellent candidate for sous-vide cooking because it is best served medium rare. Cooking it at 130°F for two hours softens and renders out much of the fat under the skin, while the proteins begin to set, making it easier to crisp without shrinking on the stovetop just before serving.

How long can I sous vide duck?

It’s best to cook the duck breast for 1.5 to 2 hours in a warm water bath. If you’re in a hurry, take it out after 1 hour, or cook it for up to 4 hours.

How do you make duck breast more tender?

As with steak and chicken, it’s critical to cut the duck breast against the grain, which shortens the muscle fibers and makes the duck feel more tender when chewed. I cut it into quarter-inch thick slices for a meaty bite.

Why is my duck breast chewy?

To begin, the breast of the duck is a rich, dark meat covered by a thick slab of fat. Duck meat is dry and chewy when cooked like a chicken breast, and it’s covered in a half-inch piece of blubber.

Crisped Sous Vide Duck Breast Recipe (Step-by-Step Guide)

(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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5 from 2 reviews

Author: Jamasine J
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours and 15 minutes
Yield: 2 servings 1x

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Description

The skin on these Sous Vide Duck Breasts is crispy on the outside and the meat on the inside is deeply rich and tender. The sous vide method will have you cooking like a pro, producing restaurant-quality duck breasts at home!

Ingredients

Scale

2 duck breasts skin-on (about 6 ounces each)▢kosher salt to taste▢ground black pepper to tast

Optional:

▢red wine sauce or berry sauce for serving
▢rosemary for garnishing

Instructions

Fill the sous vide container or a large pot halfway with water, and set the Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 135°F (57°C). With medium-rare meat, this is my preferred doneness; if you want to cook it more or less, refer to the temperate guide in the post above.
Score Duck Breasts: Place the breast skin side up on a cutting board. Score the skin in 1/2 inch intervals with a sharp knife in a crosshatch (diamond) pattern. (Make sure to cut through the fat rather than the meat.)
Season the breast with salt only on the skin side. Then, season the flesh side of the breast with salt and pepper.
Sous vide duck breast: Place the seasoned duck breast in a zip-lock bag and vacuum seal it using the “water displacement” technique: seal all but one corner of the bag and slowly place it into a container filled with water. Make certain that everything below the zip-line is submerged in water. Then, seal the remainder of the bag. (If you’re using a vacuum sealer, use the dry setting.)
When the water has reached the desired temperature, slowly lower the bag into the water bath, making sure the breasts are completely submerged.
2 hours in the oven (This is my preferred cooking time, but you can reduce it to 1 hour if you’re in a hurry or cook for up to 4 hours if you’re in a hurry.)
Sear the duck breasts: When the timer goes off, carefully remove the duck breasts from the bag and pat dry with a paper towel. (If you don’t pat dry the breast thoroughly, it will interfere with the searing.)
Melt butter in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, place the duck breasts skin-side down in it. Remove from the heat when the skin has browned evenly, about 5-8 minutes. It’s fine if the center of the meat is still pink. (If there is too much water coming out of the breast, pat it dry again, drain the liquid in the pan, and then continue searing.)
Flip the breast over and sear the flesh side for 30 seconds.
Allow 3 to 5 minutes for the duck breasts to rest.
Slice the breast and serve with potatoes and a red wine or berry sauce.

Notes

If you use a nonstick pan, there is no need to add oil while searing. The duck breast will produce a large amount of fat.

Do not discard the rendered fat from duck breasts. It is regarded as one of the healthiest animal fats. You can use this fat to fry potatoes or store it in an airtight jar. Refrigerate it until ready to use.

Category: Duck
Method: Sous Vide
Cuisine: French