Peking Duck Breast

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One of my favorite dishes to eat at Chinese restaurants is the famous Peking Duck. Beautifully cooked slices of Duck with a wonderfully crispy skin intact, that are wrapped in thin pancakes along with Scallions and topped with Hoisin Sauce / Peking Sauce. The flavor is immense and addictive, leaving you want to go back for more. Making Peking Duck at home is typically a very lengthy and complicated process, however we’ve developed a super-simple version of the dish using Duck Breast that you can easily find at your local grocery store. This Peking Duck Breast recipe has all the hallmark characteristics of the famous dish and tastes amazing!

Why is traditional Peking Duck so complex?

The famous traditional Peking Duck recipe is one that requires a lot of patience, and even more skill. There are many variations on the recipe, however the core elements of preparing the dish are as follows

First, Peking Duck is made using the whole duck. The entire duck is cooked, and traditionally each piece is meticulously cut once cooked at the table during serving. The slicing of the whole duck in itself is an artform that takes years to master, to ensure every slice is equal portions of flesh and crispy skin

Before the Duck is ready to be served it goes through a lengthy preparation process which typically takes a few days, and up to a week. The primary requirement for a good Peking Duck is to dry out the Duck. The dryer the duck, the crispier the skin will be

To dry out the Duck, it must be hung in a dry room for several days. During this process the Duck may go through several treatments, such as smoking the skin, or even partially cooking it. However, the Duck is prepared throughout this phase differs based on the preferences of the cook, however the elements of drying the Duck is a key part

The skin must be separated from the flesh in a very unusual technique

Traditionally, the skin is separated from the flesh of the Duck during the drying process. The way this is done is to carefully pierce an opening between the flesh and the skin (usually around the neck area), and then you blow air into it. The air pushed through the entire Duck and will separate the skin from the flesh, which helps the drying process, allowing the skin to get extra crispy

Sometimes the duck skin is separated using machines that can blow high pressure air into the Duck. However, others prefer a more traditional method which involves blowing air into the Duck yourself. However it’s done, it’s extremely complicated and the risk of piercing the skin is high

The Duck is then roasted to crispy perfection

Once the Duck has dried, it will be typically covered with a brine to give the skin a wonderful dark color and further help crisp it up. It’s then roasted until cooked. The roasting can be done in many ways, but a traditional method is to hang the Duck over a pit of heat, almost like an Indian oven. The heat hits the Duck from below and the sides, slowly roasting it, and allowing the rendered Duck fat to drip off the Duck

All this is incredibly complicated, so our Peking Duck Breast recipe cuts out all the fuss

Let’s face it, going through that level of effort to make Peking Duck is an arduous task and, lets face it, there’s a very good chance it won’t be as good as what you can get in a restaurant. So, if you want to make amazing Peking Duck at home, then our Peking Duck Breast recipe cuts out so many of these steps, yet will still yield a juicy, crispy, flavorsome Duck

We’re only using Duck Breast for this recipe, which is much more plentifully available in grocery stores than whole Duck. They’re a lot easier to prepare and, of all parts of the Duck, carry the most amount of meat. So, you’ll get the best bang for your buck using just the Duck Breast

The secret to ridiculously crispy Duck Breast Skin is drying it out for 2 – 3 days in the refrigerator

While this recipe is remarkably easier to make than the traditional way, it does still require patience. A few days patience to be precise. The absolute number 1 secret to achieving crispy skin on any protein, Duck included, is drying it out in the refrigerator

Remove the Duck from any packaging it is in, pat it dry then season the skin with a little bit of Salt. Then, place it on a plate and leave it completely uncovered in the refrigerator for 2 – 3 days before cooking. The exposure to the cold, dry air will significantly dry out the skin. The process does take time, and you can’t rush it. For the crispiest skin we recommend leaving it for 3 days

We use this technique often, so whenever we are planning on cooking a Duck dish we’ll plan it a few days in advance. It’s all about getting good with weekly meal planning, which is what we’re all about at Dinnertime Somewhere! So, do your grocery shopping on the weekend with a plan to enjoy the crispiest Peking Duck Breast you’ve ever eaten for dinner on Wednesday!

If you need to, you can make this recipe in a pinch on the same day

It can be done, and you’ll still get a good result. However, preparing and cooking the Duck the day you’ve bought it will not yield the crispiest skin you can achieve. Crispy skin is a big part of Peking Duck, and why it is so popular. So yes, you can make the dish on the same day, however for the best result we do recommend drying the skin out for 2 – 3 days in advance

Cut out the fuss and buy some store-bought Pancakes

They’re just as good as making them yourself at home, and you’ll save a load of time in the making. Finding traditional Peking Duck pancakes in the grocery store may be a little bit challenging, however. If you can, we recommend heading to a specialty Asian grocery store as they are guaranteed to have some

An alternative to Peking Duck Pancakes is to simply use Spring Roll wrappers. These are widely available and are basically made from the same ingredients. Most Spring Roll wrappers will have already been cooked before being frozen, so you’ll just need to thaw them out, or give them a quick microwave to get hot

The final ingredient which brings all the flavor is Peking Sauce

The sauce in a traditional Peking Duck is called Hoisin Sauce, otherwise known as Peking Sauce in North America. It is a concentrated sauce made primarily out of Sugar, Water, and Fermented Soybeans. It has as wonderfully sweet flavor that is truly unique. It’s flavor almost has stone-fruit like qualities

It’s widely available and we would not recommend trying to make your own Hoisin Sauce! Just pick up some sauce from the grocery store as the final ingredient (ok, there’s some Scallions too) for these delicious Peking Duck Breast Pancakes!

Peking Duck Breast Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 Duck Breasts
• 2 Scallion Stalks
• 4 tbsp. Peking Sauce / Hoisin Sauce
• 12 Peking Duck Pancakes or Spring Roll Wraps
• Salt
  
  

Instructions

1. Trim any silver skin and excess fat from the Duck Breasts and then place them skin side up on a plate. Season the duck with a touch of Salt and then place in the refrigerator, uncovered, for 2 – 3 days to dry out
2. When ready to cook, remove the Duck from the refrigerator and poke lots of tiny holes into the skin with a sharp pin or needle. This is to allow the Duck fat to easily render when cooking
3. Season the Duck with about ½ tsp. of Salt and place skin-side down in a cold pan. Turn the heat onto medium / low and slowly begin to cook the Duck. This slow process will render the fat without burning the skin
4. After about 15 minutes, turn the Duck over and cook the flesh side for 3 – 4 minutes. Once the internal temperature hits 120F, remove from heat and allow to rest for 10 minutes
5. While the Duck is resting, cut your wrappers into circle shapes (if required), using the outline of a small bowl
6. Cut the Scallions into chunks and then Julienne them (cut into very thin, long pieces), and set aside on a plate. Add the Peking Sauce / Hoisin Sauce onto a separate plate
7. To serve, slice the Duck diagonally into strips, you should get 6 – 7 pieces per Duck Breast
8. To assemble the Peking Duck Breast Pancake, lay out a wrapper then place a piece of Duck onto the top third. Top with the sliced Scallions, about 1 tsp. of Sauce. Wrap by folding the bottom of the wrapper over the Duck, then fold each side in
   
   

Assembling a Peking Duck Breast Pancake

Recipe Notes

• For the best result you must allow the Duck skin to dry in the refrigerator for at least 2 days
• Prepare the Pancakes per the packaging instructions
  
  

This dish is an awesome way to enjoy Peking Duck, but without all the fuss and mastery required to make it with a whole Duck. Yes, these Peking Duck Breast pancakes make for an awesome appetizer, or serve them alongside some steamed vegetables and Fried Rice for a hearty meal

If you enjoyed this recipe, why not check out some of our other favorite Asian-inspired meals such as these:

• Teriyaki Chicken Skewers with Scallions
• Spicy Thai Beef Salad
• Crispy Sweet and Sour Pork
• Honey Soy Chicken Fried Rice
  
  

Happy Cooking!