Five spice roast duck breast
Cooking time
Ready in 30 minsSkill level
EasyServings
Serves 4Using just the duck breast rather than a whole bird makes it easier to control the cooking and get perfectly tender meat for this dead easy dinner party dish
Nutrition and extra info
Nutrition per serving
- kcalories
- 434
- protein
- 29.2g
- carbs
- 4.5g
- fat
- 33.4g
- saturates
- 9.1g
- fibre
- 0.1g
- sugar
- -
- salt
- 2.03g
Ingredients
- 4 duck breasts, look for free-range
- 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
- olive oil for frying
- 2 star anise, broken in half
- 4 bok choi, halved
- 4 spring onions, cut into lengths
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- chicken stock fresh, cube or concentrate, made up to 100ml
- 2 tsp runny honey
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Method
- Cut slashes through the skin and fat of each duck breast, making sure you don’t cut into the flesh. Rub the duck breasts with the five spice and season well. Heat a little oil in a heavy frying pan and when it is really hot add the duck breasts skin-side down. Turn the heat down a little and fry for 8-10 minutes or until the skin is very crisp and brown and the fat has started to melt out from under the skin. Tip out any excess fat.
- Turn the breasts over and add the star anise to the pan. Cook for another 5 minutes or until the duck breasts feel firm to the touch but not too solid – you want them pink in the middle. Take the duck out and leave to rest for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add the bok choy to the pan with the spring onions and cook briefly. Add the rest of the ingredients and bubble together briefly. Plate the duck, bok choy and spring onions and spoon the sauce over.
Recipe from olive magazine, September 2006
Comments, questions and tips
Comments
Lovely dish, boyfriend absolutely loved it and was asking for more.
I made the duck medium - fried skin side down for 8 minutes, then turned it over and fried for another 4 minutes, and put it in the oven at 180C for another 5 minutes or so.I served it with noodles, and although it was nice I think it would go better with rice. Make sure you make extra sauce!
So very quick and easy to make. I ended up putting the meat in the microwave for a minute after serving because it was very pink in the middle. Next time I will have the oven on stand by. I found the sauce a little sweet so will adjust next time. I served with Delia's braised red cabbage with apples. It was very nice indeed and made a lovely change to a traditional roast on Sunday.
This is a fantastic recipe. Simple, quick, fresh and open to variation I think.
I added a couple of sliced medium chilies to the vegetables to give it a bit of zing, and I think there are lot of other vegetables that would work, though the Bok Choi was perfect.
I served on a bed of plain noodles and doubled he quantity of the sauce. I was thinking of thickening the sauce at the end, but actually it was great as a thin broth around the duck and through the noodles. I think maybe a knob of butter beaten in at the end may give it richer, silkier, texture.
Duck is definitely my favourite meat at the moment.
Here is my Crispy Duck with Fried Potatoes recipe:
http://www.thenourishingroad.co.uk/2012/02/crispy-duck-with-fried-potato...
So good, and go healthy as animal fats contain vital vitamins for proper brain function and to boost immunity. Find out more here:
http://www.thenourishingroad.co.uk/2012/01/more-fat-yes-please.html
I was disappointed with this, given the fantastic reviews... I followed the recipe exactly, and although yes the sauce was nice, it wasn't very exciting. I had expected something much more special. It wasn't unpleasant though. There is another duck breast recipe on here (with plum sauce) and that is delicious in comparison.
