Here’s a guide to cooking the new leaner duckling to perfection. For this information, we turned to Scott Swaidner, corporate chef for Maple Leaf Farms, a major producer of domestic duckling:
– Whole duckling: Your best bet is roasting. When duck was fattier, you had to be careful to poke holes in the skin and render the fat before completing the roasting process.
However, with today’s leaner duckling, it’s much easier, Swaidner says. He recommends roasting a whole duckling on a rack in a 350-degree oven 25 to 30 minutes per pound (most ducklings weigh around 5 pounds). Insert an instant-read thermometer at the thickest part of the thigh and cook until the internal temperature registers 190 degrees (some duckling package directions recommend roasting to 165 degrees but this is a minimum for safety; the duckling can be tough unless roasted to the higher temperature). Then let the duckling stand about 10 minutes before carving. This allows the juices to settle so they don’t run out when you are cutting into the meat.
– Duckling legs: Sprinkle the legs with salt and pepper, place them in a shallow roasting pan and cover the pan. Roast in a 350-degree oven 1 hour and 20 minutes, uncover pan, and continue roasting until browned. Or finish cooking on the grill. When it is cooked, the leg meat should register an internal temperature of 180 to 190 degrees on an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part.
– Skin-on, boneless duckling breast: The fashion is for underdone duck breast, in part to counter the dryness that can occur when lean breasts are cooked to well done. Score the skin with cuts made 1/4-inch apart diagonally in both directions to make a crosshatch pattern. This allows the skin to shrink as it cooks without making the meat curl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and marinate, if desired. When you are ready to cook, place the breast in a skillet over medium heat, skin side down, and cook 10 minutes. Then turn once and cook another 6 to 8 minutes on the other side. To check for doneness, use an instant read thermometer in the thickest part of the breast. It should register 160 degrees.
Swaidner takes the meat out of the pan at 155 degrees, lets it rest a minute or two until the temperature rises to 160 degrees and then slices it. The breast should show a faint tinge of red–the juices won’t be clear, Swaidner says.
– Skinless, boneless duckling breast: The breasts take well to the grill because they are best if heated for a short time at a high temperature. Cook them 4 to 5 minutes per side or until the internal temperature is 160 degrees.
You also can cook them in a skillet with a little oil. Cook 4 to 6 minutes per side over medium-high heat.
To make the boneless, skinless breast meat look appetizing, slice it thinly across the grain for serving.
Sliced skinless, boneless duckling breast: Use this for stir fries. The sliced meat requires only 2 to 3 minutes to cook. Bone-in breasts: Swaidner does not recommend these. Instead, if you want bone-in breasts, roast a whole duckling because most of the meat is in the breast anyway.
