Sous Vide Duck Breast with Orange Glaze

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure.

Perfectly cooked to melt in your mouth, this Sous Vide Duck Breast with Orange Glaze is going to be the only way you want to make duck breasts from now on! A tender medium rare duck breast with golden skin, you'll be wishing you made more!

I am obsessed right now with this sous vide duck breast! This duck recipe is restaurant quality with its skin is crisped up exquisitely and topped with a simple but delicious orange glaze (like this roasted duck), you'll never guess how shockingly easy it is to make.

Duck is one of my favorite proteins but it can be a little intimidating to work with as duck breasts are easy to overcook or undercook. Although, these duck bites came out beautifully crisp and tender and we looooove them!

Duck isn't the cheapest of proteins either so I can understand why you'd be hesitant to spend the money on it if you're unsure how to cook it.

This is why I love my sous vide. With the sous vide, we can cook the duck breasts at exactly 131F for two hours and have them come out medium rare. It's perfect for making sous vide duck confit too!

No need to worry about over or under searing it on the stove top or baked in the oven, the sous vide is game changing when it comes to duck!

Check out the sous vide duck breast story!

What is Sous Vide?

Sous vide is basically a method of cooking using what is called an immersion circulator. This immersion circulator circulates water in a temperature controlled water bath at a certain temperature to perfectly cook your food every time.

Because the temperature doesn't change, and it keeps your meat (or dessert, veggies, etc.) at the same temperature, your risk of overcooking becomes very minimal.

To learn even more about sous vide cooking, head over and read "what is sous vide cooking."

Sous vide is my new favorite way to cook meat. It works great for so many recipes, but these are some of my favorite sous vide recipes:

• Sous Vide Whole Duck
• Sous Vide Lamb Chops (with mint chimichurri)
• Sous Vide Crème Brulee (sous vide makes the most PERFECT crème brulee!)
• Sous Vide Pork Chops (with apple mustard glaze)
• Sous Vide Veal Chops (with miso mushroom sauce)

Why This Recipe Works

1. The duck itself is rich enough to not need a lot of seasoning so a little salt goes a long way. Paired with the orange glaze sauce, it doesn't overpower the flavors of the duck and compliments it perfectly.
2. This is a foolproof recipe as the sous vide part is hands off and then all you have to do is to crisp up the skin and prepare the sauce.
3. You can make yourself a fancy dinner without having to break the bank at a restaurant. Most of these ingredients are actually quite budget friendly and really help make your duck breasts shine. Serve your duck breasts up with my air fryer cheesecake to kick date night at home up a notch!

The Ingredients

Only a handful of ingredients are needed to make these impressive sous vide duck breasts with orange glaze.

Duck Breast — At the store, the most common duck breasts you might find will be the white pekin, followed by muscovy. The white pekin duck is more mild in flavored than the slightly larger muscovy. You are welcomed to use either.

Salt — A little salt goes a long way for seasoning these duck breasts.

Fennel — When raw, fennel has a fresh licorice-like flavor to it. However, when the fennel caramelizes in your pan, it turns into a sweeter flavor, making it the perfect pairing with the orange!

Orange — If you've ever had the classic French recipe, Duck à l'orange, then you'll know just how wonderfully orange pairs up with duck! Don't swap it out!

The full list of ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Tools Used

• Anova Precision Sous Vide Cooker
• 12 quart container
• Vacuum sealer
• Vacuum seal bags
• 4 ounce canning jars

Step By Step Instructions

Use a sharp knife to score the top layer of skin on the duck breast in a crisscross pattern (see above). 

Season the duck breast with salt and let it sit, uncovered, in the fridge overnight. This helps dry the skin of the duck, making it easier to get that crispy exterior when searing.

Place the duck breast in a vacuum sealed bag (or use the water displacement method explained below).

Heat the water bath to 131F degrees and add the duck. Cook it for 2 hours. 

Remove from the water bath and plunge in an ice bath for 10 minutes to slow the cooking.

Remove the duck from the bag and pat dry with paper towels.

Place it in a cold cast iron skillet and turn the heat on high, letting the pan slowly come to temperature.

Heat until sizzling, then reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 4-5 minutes, until fat has rendered and is golden brown.

Turn the heat to high and flip the duck over. Cook for about 45-60 seconds.

Remove from heat and serve with orange glaze. It goes amazing with this Instant Pot couscous as well.

To Make the Orange Glaze:

Heat the butter over medium low heat and add the shallots and fennel. Cook for about 3-5 minutes, until softened and stating to become very fragrant.

Add the wine and simmer for about 8-10 minutes.

Add the vinegar and simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Add the orange juice, orange zest and pepper and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the sauce is smooth and glossy.

Stir in the salt and add extra if needed.

Expert Tips

• If you have some duck fat in your vacuum seal bag after removing the duck breasts from the sous vide to pan sear, you can hold onto that and use it like you would use any other fat. Toss it over some potatoes, green beans, or anything that you would toss bacon fat in before cooking leads to super flavorful side dishes!
• Be sure to give your duck a couple minutes to rest before slicing so the juices can redistribute and keep your duck breasts moist.
• Don't use bottled orange juice for the glaze as you want the extra flavor from zesting the orange.

Packaging Duck For the Sous Vide

An essential part of cooking sous vide is putting ingredients in an air-tight bag or container. You can do this by using either vacuum sealing or the water displacement method.

A vacuum sealer removes all the air and seals the contents of a plastic bag through a vacuum.

Having the bag sealed airtight prevents it from floating, which can result in uneven cooking and possible contamination with bacteria. I use a FoodSaver to seal my food.

What is the Water Displacement Method?

The displacement method is where you slowly submerge a ziplock bag in water pushing the air out of the top of the bag (the bag should be slightly open at the top to allow air to escape).

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

Common Questions

Did you make this sous vide duck breasts recipe? rate it and leave a comment below to let me know how it turned out!