Maple Glazed Duck Breast Recipe
Sweet, savory, and oh-so-good. This recipe for Maple Glazed Duck Breast sets the rich and slightly gamey flavor of duck with warm spices and the caramelized sweetness of maple syrup. It’s perfect for the cooler months when served with hearty seasonal vegetables like sweet potatoes and beets or you can lighten it up for the hotter seasons by serving it with a delightfully fresh salad. Easier than you think, duck is a great way to bust out of the protein rut and find yourself in a flavor-filled paradise.
Maple Glazed Duck Breast Recipe
PrintIngredients
Method
Photos
- 2 to 4 duck breasts
- ¼ cup (60 ml) maple syrup
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tsp. ginger
- 1 tsp. clove
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 2 tsp. (10 ml) rice vinegar
- Optional. The night before, set your duck breasts onto a rack over a rimmed baking sheet and season with salt. Place the duck into the fridge and allow it to dry, uncovered, overnight.
- When you are ready to cook, place a cast iron frying pan onto your barbecue and light the grill, setting the burners below the frying pan to medium-low, around 350°F (180°C) leaving an indirect heat zone to one side.
- Remove the duck breasts from the fridge and carefully pierce the skin with the point of a sharp knife, a needle, or use a blade to create a crosshatch pattern, being careful not to cut into the meat, only to break through the skin and into the fat.
- When the grill and pan are preheated, place the duck breasts, skin side down, into the hot pan. Cook gently, skin side down, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the skin is crisp and the fat has rendered out.
- While you are waiting, combine the maple syrup, garlic, spices, and vinegar in a bowl.
- Once the skin is crisp and the fat has rendered out, flip the duck breasts over and pour over the maple syrup mixture. Move the frying pan, using heat-resistant BBQ gloves, to the cool side of the barbecue and close the lid. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes, and brush again with the maple syrup mixture, which should be bubbly and sticky from the heat. Remove the duck breasts from the heat once they reach an internal temperature of 125 to 130°F (52 to 54°C). Check them right after you flip them and again after moving them to indirect heat.
- Rest the duck for at least 5 to 10 minutes before slicing and serving with your favorite seasonal vegetables like sweet potatoes, beets, and carrots. These ones are served over a golden beet puree with broccolini and sweet baby cauliflower.
Have you tried this Maple Glazed Duck Breast Recipe? What did you end up serving it with? Share your maple syrup glazed recipes for the barbecue, along with your inspiration, and photos on our social pages like Facebook and TikTok, using the hashtags #NapoleonEats and #NapoleonGrill.
Happy Grilling!
Season the skin with salt and dry overnight
Place the breasts into the preheated pan, skin side down
Flip when fat is rendered and skin is crisp
Pour over the maple mixture
Once at temperature and the sauce is sticky, remove and rest
Slice after resting
Finish with a drizzle of sauce
Serve with your favorite seasonal veg
A beet or sweet potato puree and greens are a perfect pairing
I used to be the Sultana of Sizzle, but you can call me Andrea. I have always been passionate about food. Even though I was majoring in Art and Graphic Design, I would frequently be found cooking for my friends and family.
Search Recipes
If you want to impress people, Duck Pizza with Caramelized Onions, Candied Bacon & Balsamic Reduction is a surefire way to do it. Loads of big flavors come together to form a succulent whole that seems as though it leapt off the pages of a gourmet magazine.
Every long weekend I make Eggs Benedict, but this year, I was gifted duck eggs and inspiration hit like an egg to the face. Why not use those duck eggs to make eggs benedict, or, Eggs Bene-Duckt if you will.
You’ve had hamburgers before. You’ve had pork burgers, lamb-burgers, even burgers made from brisket and bison. But have you ever had a Barbecued Duck Burger? This recipe highlights the duck’s umami flavor by pairing it with a sweet hoisin glaze.
Season the skin with salt and dry overnight
Place the breasts into the preheated pan, skin side down
Flip when fat is rendered and skin is crisp
Pour over the maple mixture
Once at temperature and the sauce is sticky, remove and rest
Slice after resting
Finish with a drizzle of sauce
Serve with your favorite seasonal veg
A beet or sweet potato puree and greens are a perfect pairing