Pan-Seared Duck Breast with Cherry-Port Sauce

Name: Pan-Seared Duck Breast with Cherry-Port Sauce
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 1 serving
Cuisine: Home cooking
Ingredients: Duck breast — 140 g; Frozen sour cherries — 70 g; Dry red wine — 35 ml; Honey — 8 g; Butter — 8 g; Salt — 2 g; Ground black pepper — 1 g

Tender duck breast with crispy skin and a tangy-sweet cherry-port sauce. A small, elegant hot dish perfect for holiday appetizers or sides.

Time: 35 min
Serving: 435 kcal
Ingredients: ≈ $5.16
Protein: 28 g

Premium

Pan-Seared Duck Breast with Cherry-Port Sauce

Ingredients

1 Duck breastpack 400 g ≈ $11.00Not in every store: Walmart, Kroger, Costco, Target, Trader Joe's, Safeway, Whole Foods 140 g
2 Frozen sour cherriespack 300 g ≈ $3.50 70 g
3 Dry red winepack 750 ml ≈ $9.00 35 ml
4 Honey 8 g
5 Butterpack 180 g ≈ $1.58 8 g
6 Salt 2 g
7 Ground black pepper 1 g

Grey rows are pantry staples: salt, oil, spices. They are not counted in the serving price.

Method

Score the duck¹ breast skin in a shallow crosshatch pattern without cutting into the meat. Season generously with salt and pepper.
Place the breast skin-side down on a cold skillet and cook over medium heat for 6–8 minutes until the fat renders and the skin turns golden.
Flip the breast and sear the meat side for 1 minute.
Transfer the breast skin-side up to a baking dish and finish in a preheated 375°F (190°C) oven for 8 minutes. Let rest 7 minutes.
In the same skillet with some of the rendered fat, add the cherries, port, and honey. Simmer 5–7 minutes until slightly thickened.
Remove the sauce from heat, stir in the butter⁵, slice the duck¹, and serve with the sauce.

Tips

Why it works: Score the skin so it doesn't curl while frying and lies flat and browns evenly. Without the cuts, the skin may puff up or crack unevenly.
Substitutions: Use fresh or thawed berries instead of frozen, but reduce to 50 g, as they release more juice. Dry white wine works instead of red, but the sauce will be lighter.
Common mistakes: If the breast is still pink inside, it's undercooked. Cut into it: if the juice is clear, cook for 2–3 more minutes at 190 °C.
Storing and reheating: Keep in the fridge for 2 days. Reheat in the microwave for 1–1.5 minutes with the sauce, covering the plate. Don't freeze: the sauce will separate.
Serve with: Serve with boiled potatoes in their skins or basmati rice to soften the acidity of the sauce and add a neutral side.

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Nutrition

Per serving and share of 2000 kcal

Calories	435 kcal	22%
Protein	28 g	37%
Fat	25 g	36%
Carbs	16 g	6%
Per 100 g	165 kcal

Cost

≈ $5.16per serving

Average supermarket prices, BLS (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics), October 2026. Your store will differ: products come in packs and each chain sets its own prices. The priciest item here is duck breast.

You will need

Stove, Oven

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