Smothered Fried Duck Breast and Onion Gravy

Good duck recipes are worth their weight in gold. While fried duck breast is outstanding by itself, topping it with this rich onion gravy makes it even better. Serve it up over mashed potatoes or rice and you have a quick and easy meal that will leave everyone full and happy.

Serve this duck breast topped with extra gravy over mashed potatoes or rice for a full meal.

We start out with boneless, skinless duck breast for this one, but if you have some that you plucked and left the skin on, by all means use them. That skin and the fat underneath is just extra flavor.

Pound the duck breast with a meat mallet to tenderize.

I like to tenderize the breast with a meat mallet on both sides first. Once you have the duck tenderized, heat ¼ inch of oil or lard in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.

Fry in oil or lard, but lard gives extra flavor to both the duck and the gravy.

When the oil starts to shimmer and smoke just a bit, season the duck with salt and pepper and roll the breasts in 1¾ cups of the seasoned flour, making sure all surfaces are covered.

Roll the tenderized breasts in seasoned flour.

Gently lower, one at a time, into the hot oil. Don’t overcrowd the pan; fry in batches if needed to get them all nice and crisp, then transfer them to a warm platter. Don’t overcook. Just give them 2-3 minutes per side for a nice crust and a rare to medium-rare interior. They will cook a bit more once you return them to the gravy.

Fry until crispy and browned, but don’t overcook the duck.

Once all of the duck has browned, drain all but 2 tablespoons of the oil from the pan. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the thinly sliced onions and cook until they start to turn a nice caramel color, about 10-15 minutes.

Caramelize the sliced onions.

Once the onions have started to caramelize, add the garlic and ¼ cup flour. Continue cooking another 2-3 minutes, stirring as you go. Add the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce, then bring to a boil. Scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen the stuck-on bits. There’s lots of flavor in those. Add the heavy cream and Italian seasoning.

Add the Italian seasoning to the gravy.

Bring the mixture to a light boil and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the gravy thickens. Return the duck to the pan and fold the gravy over the breast to cover.

Return the duck to the gravy and simmer for a few minutes to heat back through.

Simmer for 2-3 minutes. Serve over potatoes or rice. This recipe also works well for snow geese.