Description

This recipe features succulent spiced duck breasts cooked with a fragrant blend of cinnamon and ginger, complemented by a sticky clementine and apricot sauce. The dish is prepared in an air fryer, which crisps the duck skin perfectly while softening the onions and clementines to create a vibrant, flavorful sauce. Served with rice or creamy mash, it’s a delightful balance of savory and sweet flavors with a tender texture.

Ingredients

Scale

Duck and Spice Rub

2 boneless duck breasts
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp fine sea salt

Sauce and Cooking

1 small onion, sliced
2 clementines, sliced
1 tsp olive oil
50g dried apricots, chopped
1 tbsp honey
175ml warm chicken stock

To Serve

Rice or creamy mash

Instructions

Prepare the duck: Pierce the duck skin all over using a skewer to help the fat render during cooking. Combine ground cinnamon, ground ginger, and fine sea salt in a bowl, then rub this spice mixture evenly all over the duck breasts. Allow the duck to rest at room temperature for 20 minutes to absorb the flavors.
Cook onions and clementines: Preheat your air fryer to 200°C. Place the sliced onions and clementines in a small casserole dish, drizzle with olive oil, and toss to coat. Cook this mixture in the air fryer for 5 minutes to soften and begin caramelizing.
Cook the duck: Pat the duck breasts dry with kitchen paper for a crisp skin. Place them skin-side up on top of the onion and clementine mixture in the casserole dish. Return the dish to the air fryer and cook for 10 minutes, stirring the onions and clementines halfway through to coat them in the duck fat rendered from the breasts.
Add apricots and honey: Lower the air fryer temperature to 190°C. Stir the chopped dried apricots, honey, and warm chicken stock together, then pour this mixture into the casserole dish. Continue cooking for 5 minutes, allowing the duck skin to crisp and the sauce to meld.
Rest the duck: Carefully lift the duck breasts out of the casserole dish onto a warm plate and let them rest for 5 minutes. This helps retain their juices while you finish the sauce.
Thicken the sauce: Cook the remaining sauce in the air fryer for another 5 minutes to reduce and thicken to a sticky consistency.
Serve: Slice the duck breasts and serve them with the sticky clementine sauce, accompanied by rice or creamy mashed potatoes for a comforting meal.

Notes

Piercing the duck skin helps release fat and achieves a crispier texture.
Using an air fryer speeds up cooking time while delivering even heat and a crispy finish.
Resting the duck is crucial to keep the meat juicy and tender.
If you don’t have an air fryer, you can adapt this recipe to oven roasting at similar temperatures, but watch the cooking times.
For a gluten-free meal, ensure your chicken stock is gluten-free or homemade.
Pairing the dish with creamy mash or rice helps balance the rich and tangy sauce.

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Category: Main Course
Method: Air Frying
Cuisine: European

Keywords: duck breasts, clementine sauce, sticky sauce, spiced duck, air fryer duck, cinnamon ginger duck, apricot sauce, autumn recipe