Broiled Duck Breasts with Orange Chipotle Sauce

From the kitchen of Carly

Duck skin crisps up under the broiler while a reduced orange sauce simmers with chipotle heat, maple sweetness, and warm spice. The result is restaurant-quality richness that feels entirely achievable at home, with caramelized skin and juicy meat underneath.

Prep
n/a
Cook
n/a
Total
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Servings
4
Difficulty
medium

Ingredients

4 servings

  • 12 1/2 cups fresh orange juice
  • 11/4 cup fresh lime juice
  • 13 tablespoons maple syrup (preferably dark amber or Grade B)
  • 11 tablespoon finely chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo
  • 11 (3- to 4-inch) cinnamon stick
  • 12 whole cloves
  • 11 teaspoon salt
  • 13 (1-lb) boneless Muscovy duck breasts with skin or 6 (7- to 8-oz) Long Island (also called Pekin) duck breast halves with skin
  • 11 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 11/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1an instant-read thermometer

Instructions

  1. Boil all sauce ingredients in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, skimming foam occasionally, until syrupy and reduced to about 1 cup, 30 to 40 minutes. Let stand while duck broils.

  2. Remove rack of a broiler pan, then add 1 cup water to broiler pan and replace rack. Preheat broiler with pan 5 to 6 inches from heat.

  3. Pat duck breasts dry and score skin at 1-inch intervals with a sharp knife (do not cut into meat), then sprinkle all over with salt and pepper. Broil duck breasts, skin sides down, 4 minutes for Long Island duck or 8 minutes for Muscovy, then turn over and broil until thermometer inserted horizontally into center of a breast registers 130°F (see cooks' note, below), 8 to 10 minutes more for medium-rare. Transfer to a cutting board and let stand 5 minutes. Add any juices accumulated on cutting board to sauce and simmer until slightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes.

  4. Holding a sharp knife at a 45-degree angle, cut each duck breast into thin slices and serve with sauce.