Sous Vide Duck Breast with Crispy Skin
on Oct 16, 2023, Updated Nov 21, 2023
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These Sous Vide Duck Breasts have crispy skin on the outside and deeply rich and tender meat on the inside. Sous vide method will have you cooking like a pro, simply cook them at 135°F for 2 hours, and you’ll make the restaurant-quality medium-rare duck breasts at your own home!
This foolproof sous vide recipe allows you to cook the meat to the precise temperature you set. It’s so succulent and rivals some of the best steaks. No more over-cooked chewy duck breast! Serve with red wine sauce on potatoes or tortilla tacos for a mouth-watering dinner, and impress your guest this holiday season!
What is sous vide?
Sous vide means ‘under vacuum’ in French. It’s a low and slow cooking technique where the food is vacuum-sealed in a bag, and then cooked to a precise temperature in a warm water bath. Sous vide duck breast guarantees the perfect tender and juicy texture!
Why Sous Vide Duck Breast
Unlike chicken breast, the breast of the duck is a rich and dark meat, covered by a thick layer of fat. Low and slow is the preferred method to produce the most tender duck meat, making it an ideal candidate for sous vide cooking.
You may think the skin is too fat and thick, but searing after sous vide can turn the skin into a thin and crispy crust, so don’t trim it off. Scoring the skin so that the fat will render away easily while cooking.
This is a no-fail, stress-free way to cook your duck breast. You’ll have a guaranteed result every time!
Equipment You’ll Need
- Sous Vide Machine: My favorites are Anova and Joule.
- Vacuum Sealer and Bags: If you don’t have one, use a zip-loc bag, and seal the bag with the “water displacement” technique.
- A Large Pot or Container
- Skillet
- Kitchen Tongs
Ingredients
You only need duck breast and your favorite seasonings! Here are the ingredients I used for this recipe
- Duck Breasts: fresh or frozen
- Kosher Salt
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Red Wine Sauce for Serving (optional)
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Score duck breasts
Place the breast on a cutting board skin side up. Score the skin in a crosshatch pattern (as shown below), making sure not to cut through to the meat. Scoring helps to render the fat from the skin during cooking.
Step 2: Season the breast
Season the skin side with salt only (no pepper, as I like the clean look of the skin). Then flip the breast, and season the flesh side with salt and pepper.
Step 3: Sous vide cook
Place seasoned duck breasts in a vacuum bag or zip-lock bag. Vacuum seal the bag and cook in the sous vide warm water bath at 135°F (57°C) for about 2 hours.
Step 4: Finish for crispy skin
Sear the sous vide cooked duck breasts skin-side down until the skin turns golden crispy. Flip and sear the flesh side for 30 seconds. Let the breasts rest for 3-5 minutes; slice and serve.
Tips For Making Tender And Juicy Duck Breasts
- Score the skin before sous vide cooking. Keep the scores about 1/2 inch apart and make sure to cut all the way through the edges. This will prevent them from curling up during searing.
- Vacuum seal the meat without a vacuum-sealer: If you don’t have a vacuum-sealer, you can seal the bag using the water displacement technique. Simply seal all but one corner of the bag, and then slowly place it into a large pot of water. Make sure everything below the zip-line is covered by water, then seal the rest of the bag.
- After sous vide cooking, pat dry duck breasts thoroughly, any moisture left on the skin will interfere with the proper searing, making the skin less crispy.
- Don’t throw away the rendered fat from duck breasts. It’s considered one of the healthiest animal fats. Frying potatoes in this fat is a classic French approach to duck.
Temperature And Doneness Chart
Unlike other types of poultry, duck can safely be cooked to a lower temperature. Our preferred doneness is medium-rare when the breast is cooked to 135°F (57°C). Remember that the temperature will rise slightly when searing in the pan later. This recipe produces duck meat that’s extremely tender with a silky-smooth texture. If you’d like to cook your duck to a different doneness, follow the chart below:
| 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) |
How Long Does It Take To Sous Vide Duck Breast
It’s best to cook the duck breast in the warm water bath for 1.5 hours to 2 hours. You can take it out after 1 hour if you are in a hurry, or cook it for as long as 4 hours. If cooking from frozen duck breasts, you’ll need to add half an hour to the cooking time.
Can You Cook Duck Breasts To Medium Rare?
Yes, absolutely. It’s safe to consume medium-rare duck meat, as it has been cooked for a long time in the sous vide water bath. The perfectly cooked medium-rare duck breasts have a moist and juicy texture and are so delicious.
Secrets For Crispy Skin: Scoring + Searing
If you prefer to have a perfectly tender and juicy duck with crispy skin, you’ll need to score the skin before sous vide cooking, and sear after sous vide.
After removing the duck breasts from the water bath, make sure to pat the cooked duck breasts COMPLETELY dry with paper towels.
Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add duck breasts with skin-side down in the pan. Cook for about 3-5 minutes. If you find there’s too much water coming out of the breast, you can pat dry it one more time, and drain the liquid in the pan. Then continue searing. Flip the breast and quickly sear the flesh side for about 30 seconds.
How To Serve Sous Vide Duck Breast
Serve the breast with potatoes or green vegetables, thinly slice the meat and drizzle with red wine sauce or berry sauce. I’d pair it with:
How To Store Cooked Duck Breasts
First, allow duck breasts to cool to room temperature. Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
How Long Does Sous Vide Duck Breast Last?
Sous vide duck breasts can last for up to 3 days in the fridge. Always check to see whether they are spoiled before eating.
FAQs
Should I score the duck skin before cooking?
Scoring the duck skin before cooking is a popular technique with traditional cooking methods, and it’s also great for sous vide cooking. This process helps to render fat, especially if you want to achieve crispy skin.
Should you sear duck breast before sous vide?
There’s no need to sear duck breast before sous vide. You can sear it if you want, but as long as you score the fat before cooking, you can skip the pre-searing step.
How to seal the bag without a vacuum sealer?
If you don’t have a vacuum sealer, you can use the water displacement method to seal the bag with a ziploc bag.
First place the seasoned duck breasts in the bag, leaving half of the top unsealed. Slowly lower the bag into the water. The water pressure will force air out of the bag. Once the air is out, seal the bag tightly.
More Sous Vide Recipes
If you tried this recipe, let me know how your Sous Vide Duck Breasts turn out in the comments below!
Crispy Skin Sous Vide Duck Breast Recipe (+Video)
Ingredients
- 2 duck breasts, skin-on (about 6 ounces each)
- kosher salt, to taste
- ground black pepper, to taste
optional:
- red wine sauce or berry sauce, for serving
- rosemary, for garnishing
Instructions
- Add water to the sous vide container or a large pot, set the Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 135°F (57°C). This is my preferred doneness with medium-rare meat, and if you’d like to cook it more or less, follow the temperate guide in the post above.
- Score Duck Breasts: Place the breast on a cutting board skin side up. Using a sharp knife, score the skin in 1/2 inch intervals with a crosshatch (diamond) pattern. (Be sure to cut through the fat, but not the meat.)
- Season the breast: Season the skin side with salt only. Then flip the breast, and season the flesh side with salt and pepper.
- Sous vide duck breast: Place the seasoned duck breast in a zip-lock bag, vacuum seal it using “water displacement” technique: seal all but one corner of the bag, and slowly place it into a container with water. Make sure everything below the zip-line is covered by water. Then seal the rest of the bag. (If you use a vacuum sealer, seal the bag on the dry setting.)
- When the water has reached the set temperature, lower the bag slowly into the water bath and make sure the breasts are fully submerged.
- Cook for 2 hours. (This is my preferred cooking time, but you can reduce it to 1 hour if you are in a hurry, or cook as long as 4 hours.)
- Sear duck breasts: When the timer goes off, remove the duck breasts from the bag and carefully pat dry with paper towel. (Make sure that you pat dry the breast very well, otherwise it will interfere with the searing.)
- Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add duck breasts with skin-side down in the pan. Remove from heat when the skin is evenly browned, about 5-8 minutes. It’s ok if you find the center of the meat still pink. (If you find there’s too much water coming out of the breast, you can pat dry it one more time, and drain the liquid in the pan. Then continue searing.)
- Flip the breast and quickly sear the flesh side for about 30 seconds.
- Let duck breasts rest for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Slice the breast, serve with potatoes, and drizzle with red wine sauce or berry sauce.
Notes
- No need to add oil during searing if you use a non-stick pan. The duck breast will render a lot of fat.
- Don’t throw away the rendered fat from duck breasts. It’s considered one of the healthiest animal fats. You can fry some potatoes in this fat, or pour it in an airtight jar. Store it in the fridge for later use.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate only and will vary based on ingredient brands and cooking methods used.
This was delicious and easy to make! It was a huge hit with my hubby too!
5 STARS!!! Loved how this came out!
This was simple, delicious and in many ways better than what I have had in restaurants.
The Duck Breast were delicious 😋