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Spiced Duck Breasts with Sticky Clementine Sauce Recipe

★★★★★

4.9 from 57 reviews
  • Author: Hailey
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 2 servings 1x

Description

A flavorful and aromatic recipe featuring spiced duck breasts cooked with a sticky clementine sauce, apricots, and honey. The duck is air-fried to achieve a crispy skin while the accompanying sauce combines sweet and citrusy notes for a deliciously balanced meal perfect served with rice or creamy mashed potatoes.

Ingredients

Scale

Duck and Spice Rub

  • 2 boneless duck breasts
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ground ginger
  • ½ tsp fine sea salt

Sauce and Garnish

  • 1 small onion, sliced
  • 2 clementines, sliced
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 50g dried apricots, chopped
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 175ml warm chicken stock

To Serve

  • Rice or creamy mashed potatoes

Instructions

  1. Prepare the Duck: Pierce the duck skin all over with a skewer to help render fat during cooking. Mix the ground cinnamon, ground ginger, and ½ tsp fine sea salt together, then rub this spice blend evenly over the duck breasts. Leave the duck at room temperature for 20 minutes to absorb the flavors.
  2. Cook Onions and Clementines: Preheat the air fryer to 200°C. Place sliced onions and clementines into a small casserole dish, toss them with 1 tsp olive oil, and cook in the air fryer for 5 minutes to soften and release their flavors.
  3. Air Fry the Duck: Pat the duck breasts dry with kitchen paper to ensure crisping. Arrange the duck breasts skin-side up on top of the onion and clementine mixture in the casserole dish. Cook in the air fryer for 10 minutes, stirring the onions and clementines halfway through to coat them in the duck fat released during cooking.
  4. Add Sauce Ingredients: Reduce the air fryer temperature to 190°C. Mix together the chopped apricots, honey, and warm chicken stock, then pour this mixture into the casserole dish. Continue cooking for 5 minutes until the duck skin becomes crispy. Remove the duck breasts carefully and place them on a warm plate to rest for 5 minutes.
  5. Finish the Sauce: Cook the sauce in the casserole dish for a final 5 minutes to allow it to thicken and intensify in flavor.
  6. Serve: Serve the duck breasts sliced or whole with the sticky clementine and apricot sauce spooned over, alongside fluffy rice or creamy mashed potatoes for a wholesome, comforting meal.

Notes

  • Piercing the duck skin helps render out fat, resulting in a crispier texture.
  • Resting the duck after cooking allows juices to redistribute, keeping the meat moist.
  • Using an air fryer speeds up cooking and reduces added fat while still providing crispiness.
  • Warm chicken stock helps integrate flavors and speeds up sauce thickening.
  • If you don’t have an air fryer, this recipe can be adapted to oven roasting at 200°C, adjusting cooking times accordingly.
  • Prep Time: 25 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Category: Main Course
  • Method: Air Frying
  • Cuisine: European

Keywords: duck breast recipe, air fryer duck, clementine sauce, apricot sauce, spiced duck, easy dinner, citrus duck, festive duck recipe

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Find it online: https://letscookitnow.com/spiced-duck-breasts-with-sticky-clementine-sauce-recipe/