Air fryer duck breast

Posted by Gary

Dear Reader,

I recently replaced my toaster oven with an air fryer. I thought I’d try duck breast for my first meal in the appliance.

Recipe

Equipment

  • Air fryer
  • Microwave radiation oven

Ingredients

  • Duck breast
  • Salt – iodised cooking salt.
  • Pepper – freshly ground.
  • Garlic powder
  • French onion soup Buderim ginger marmalade reduction sauce
  • Brown rice
  • Leftover pressure cooker cooked carrot

Instructions

Duck

  1. The day before cooking the duck, dry brine the duck.
  2. Season the breast with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
  3. Place the breast on some paper towel on a plate and then refrigerate it uncovered overnight.
  4. The next day before cooking, cut some hash marks in through the skin and fat to help the fat render more evenly when cooking.
  5. Take some of the French onion soup Buderim ginger marmalade reduction sauce out of the refrigerator and heat it using microwave radiation.
  6. Cook at 200 °C (400 °F) for 10 minutes in the air fryer and then remove the rack.
  7. Brush some sauce onto the skin and cook at 200 °C for 5 minutes.
  8. Remove the duck from the oven and allow the oven to cool down. Cleaning cool metal is safer.
  9. Slice the duck with a sharp knife.

Rice

  1. Cook the rice according to the instructions on the packaging. Yes, I use microwave radiation rice because I’m a lazy man.
  2. Fluff the cooked rice in a bowl to remove clumps.

Carrot

  1. Brush the carrot pieces with some of the sauce.
  2. Add the leftover carrot pieces to the rack with the duck when it returns for its final five minutes at 200 °C.

Plating up

  1. Place the rice on the dinner plate and place the duck breast on it.
  2. Add the carrot and then spoon over the warmed sauce.
  3. Give thanks to the Lord.
  4. Eat with a fork or chopsticks.

Thoughts on the meal

I typically cook duck breast in a heated water bath and then sear the skin. The air fryer is a quick and easy method. I’ll cook as I see fit. One of the advantages of sous vide is that I can cook meals well in advance to accommodate my work schedule. Pulling out a cooked bag of meat and enjoying it without too much fuss is easy.

For people who do not have a similar work schedule, I can see how the air fryer would be a great option.

Photographs

Dry brined duck breast
Dry brined duck breast
Dry brined duck breast
Air fryer duck breast
Air fryer duck breast
Air fryer duck breast with brown rice and carrot drizzled with French onion soup and Buderim ginger marmalade reduction sauce
Air fryer duck breast with brown rice and carrot drizzled with French onion soup and Buderim ginger marmalade reduction sauce
Air fryer duck breast with brown rice and carrot drizzled with French onion soup and Buderim ginger marmalade reduction sauce
Air fryer duck breast with brown rice and carrot drizzled with French onion soup and Buderim ginger marmalade reduction sauce
Air fryer duck breast with brown rice and carrot drizzled with French onion soup and Buderim ginger marmalade reduction sauce
Air fryer duck breast with brown rice and carrot drizzled with French onion soup and Buderim ginger marmalade reduction sauce

13 Responses

  2. smile Why bother with extra kitchen paraphernalia when shallow-frying, baking or steaming in a hundred tasty ways take but 12-20 minutes with exciting differences every time . . . !!!

    Reply

    2. huge laugh Then why not share yours!!! There have to be reasons for ‘your way’ I cannot see . . . so, why not teach !!!

      Reply

    1. Hi Katharine,
      I know the feeling. I resisted the air fryer urge for many years. I recently bought one for my mother to replace her toaster oven and it made a big difference to what she could cook. Funnily enough, I had the same model toaster oven from more than a decade ago. It was reliable and fulfilled my needs but it was caked in baked on organic material that I could not remove, so on Saturday, I decided if I dispose of it, I’d have space for an air fryer.

      Reply

    2. This is really a reply to your reply kaitiscotland, Gary, but I don’t see how to properly attach it. I’m so curious about air fryers. In particular, I’m interested in the differences between them and convection toaster ovens. I’d love it if you could talk about some of the differences that you’ve discovered.

      Reply

      1. Hi Jeff,
        I think the comparison isn’t meant to be with conventional toaster ovens. I think, air fryers are sold as an alleged healthful alternative to deep and shallow frying. In that sense, they do a good job of brassica vegetables, potatoes for chips and wedges, and some others. For meat, it’s good for fish like salmon fillets with the skin attached and small parts of animals like chicken wings and drumsticks. I don’t think I’d ever try to air fry an entire bird or joint of mammal meat.
        For me, the newer air fryers which are more designed to look like toaster ovens give the advantage of small bench top units with fan forced oven cooking for a small joint or small bird (if I want to). It will make a better alternative than the standard oven which I hate cleaning for bones and vegetables when making a small amount of stock. I have a small refrigerator and I live alone, so everything is downsized. I essentially never invite people to my place, so I’m always eating alone. It works out well for me.

        Reply

  4. That looks great! We have an air fryer that we hardly use, but when we do, we’re really happy with the results.

    Reply

  5. Looks excellent, Gaz. I love our air fryer. We didn’t buy a big one because I made a fuss about it taking up room in our limited kitchen space, but now I wish we had one with more capacity.

    Reply

    1. Hi Emma,
      Thanks. I went with a multifunction device to roast small joints and toast bread. And air fry various small morsels. 😊

      Reply

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