Duck a l'Orange

This is the same recipe that we use at Nicholsons. You can try other recipes but I this one is a winner every time. The most important aspect of this dish is the Orange sauce.

My sauce recipe is for about 10 portions but you can refrigerate the sauce or freeze it in an ice cube tray for rapid deployment.

100g Golden Granulated Sugar
50 ml red wine vinegar or cider vinegar
500ml Orange Juice
1 chicken stock cube or 1 tsp chicken stock powder
To finish:
1 Tbls cornflour
Pinch of salt
Zest of 1 Orange
Orange segments
2 Tbls Gran Marnier
Juice of lemon


Caramelise the sugar until its a deep amber colour - if it turns black strat again. Add vinegar (stand back as the sugar may spit and splutter). Add orange juice (use a good quality one), and chicken stock powder or stock cube dissolved in a little water. Alternatively use about 100 ml of fresh chicken stock. Mix well and cook out for a few minuets.

Thicken the sauce with cornflour mixed with a little water. At this stage you can sieve the sauce although I don't find it's necessary. Adjust the seasoning adding a little salt enhances the flavours. Finely julienne the zest of an orange. I do this using a potato peeler carefully removing the the layer of zest scraping off any pith and then cutting into long julienne.


When zested remove the orange segments and add both the zest and orange to the sauce. Finally a couple of Tablespoons of Gran Marnier and a squeeze of lemon completes the job.

At Nicholsons we serve the sauce with Gressingham Duck breast, diamond scored and rubbed with salt and ground black pepper. The duck is then pan fried skin side down in a hot pan NO OIL to give a golden brown skin. We then place in an oven (190) skin side up for 8 - 9 Minutes and remove and leave to rest for a further 5 Minutes.

The duck is served sliced on a bed of wilted spinach with dauphinoise or saute potatoes and the sauce.