Duck Breasts with Blackberry Chipotle Sauce

Sweet, sour and spicy – a great combination for any dark-fleshed game, especially duck. Play around with the final flavor of the sauce. You may like yours a little more spicy. When serving the duck breasts, don’t drown them in sauce. Just a drizzle or two will do. If you leave the skin on before cooking, make sure you cook it skin-side-down until it’s crispy. Rubbery duck skin isn’t great. OK, it’s not even good.

You can buy chipotle peppers in a can. They’re hot, but not quite as hot as the adobo sauce they’re packed in. You can also purchase dried chipotle peppers and reconstitute them in hot water for about 30 minutes. Drain and chop. In a pinch, a splash or two of Chipotle flavored Tabasco will work.

Duck Breasts with Blackberry Chipotle Sauce

Ingredients

  • 4 large duck breasts skin on or off
  • olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • Rub duck with olive oil salt and pepper. Grill, broil or pan sear until browned on the outside, but not cooked past medium-rare on the inside. Allow to rest for few minutes after cooking and then slice breasts, arrange on plates and drizzle sauce over.

Blackberry Chipotle Sauce

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/4 cup yellow onion minced
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 cup dry red wine
  • 1 tablespoon blackberry preserves
  • 1 tablespoon chipotle pepper see above, minced
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with equal part cold water
  • salt and pepper.

Instructions

  • Rub duck with olive oil, salt and pepper. Grill, broil or pan sear until browned on the outside, but not cooked past medium-rare on the inside. Allow to rest for few minutes after cooking and then slice breasts, arrange on plates and drizzle sauce over.
  • Heat oil n a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until onion is translucent. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes more. Add vinegar, wine, preserves and chipotle. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until liquid is reduced to about 1/3 cup. While continuing to reduce sauce, stir in cornstarch mixture until thickened. Season with salt and pepper.

Leave a Comment

Recipe Rating