This tasty and beautiful miso glazed duck breast is one of the best recipes for an impressive dinner. And surprisingly it only takes around 20 minutes start to finish. I pair this Japanese inspired duck recipe with some white rice and pickled cabbage.

Cooking a duck breast is one of the most simple, yet impressive things you can do. In fact, it was always my go to dinner when I wanted to really impress someone. That’s probably a reason my wife requests duck at least once a week!
The pickled cabbage might sound like a weird pairing, but you might know that duck is quite a fatty meat. The acidity of my homemade sour cherry pickled cabbage is really a delicious balance in between bites of perfectly cooked duck.
How To Cook A Perfect Duck Breast

The best way to cook a duck breast is very simple. Start with a cold pan and place your duck breast skin side down. Put the heat on low and slowly raise it over the next 10 minutes to render all the fat out from under the skin. While you are rendering the fat, start making the miso glaze. You can score the skin or not, it really is up to you.
Instructions

This miso glaze is seriously one of my favorite ways to cook duck. It is so savory and filled with umami which makes the already rich duck even more luxurious.
Miso Glaze Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Miso Paste – you can use white, brown, or red miso, or a combination. All of them work well in this recipe so I’ll leave the choice up to you.
- 2 tbsp Honey – I am using acacia honey because it is what I already had in my pantry, but most honeys will do just fine. Honey is mostly used for the sweetness and texture in this recipe.
- 1 tbsp Mirin – this is a Japanese cooking wine
- 1 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar – Use a Japanese style over Chinese as the latter is much more pungent and will unbalance the glaze.
- 1 tsp Sesame Oil
*SECRET INGREDIENT*

I also add a half a teaspoon of pure MSG to this miso glaze. Miso naturally has MSG in it, but it doesn’t hurt to add a bit more.

After about 10 minutes, or when the skin looks like it does in the photograph above, flip the duck and cook the meat side for no more than 30 seconds. The goal is to keep the inside as rare as possible at this point while fully crisping the skin. Then brush the glaze on the skin and pop the whole pan in the oven at 180°C for 6 minutes.

After removing the pan from the oven, move the duck over to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Then, using a very sharp knife, but the breast into slices. Is the meat pink? Good, that’s how it should be. Duck is not like chicken; you want to cook your duck about medium rare for the best taste and texture.

Plate the duck breast slices skin side up and brush on a bit more of the miso glaze right before serving.
As this miso glazed duck breast recipe was Asian inspired I paired it with some white rice and pickled cabbage. I started the rice when I started the duck, so they both stay hot when ready to serve. Rice is just a suggestion as I myself often serve duck breast with noodles or salad.
If you wanted a more European side dish you can make a decadent corn cream like in my recipe for duck with cranberries and corn cream.
Tips & Tricks
- You must start with a cold pan, otherwise the skin will crisp up too fast and leave a thick layer of fat between it and the meat.
- Make sure to use an oven-safe pan. It makes it easy so you can just move the pan with the duck directly from the flame to the oven. Don’t forget your mitt when pulling it out!
- If you don’t cook with alcohol feel free to substitute the mirin for another tablespoon of vinegar + one teaspoon of sugar.

Miso Glazed Duck Breast
Equipment
- 1 Pan
- 1 Oven
Ingredients
- 2 Duck Breasts Skin on, Grade A
Miso Glaze Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Miso Paste you can use white brown, or red miso, or a combination. All of them work well in this recipe so I'll leave the choice up to you.
- 2 tbsp Honey I am using acacia honey because it is what I already had in my pantry but most honeys will do just fine. Honey is mostly used for the sweetness and texture in this recipe.
- 1 tbsp Mirin this is a Japanese cooking wine
- 1 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar Use a Japanese style over Chinese as the latter is much more pungent and will unbalance the glaze.
- 1 tsp Sesame Oil
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180°C
- Place your duck breasts skin side down in a cold pan. Place on the stove on the lowest heat setting. Slowly raise the temperature over the next 10 minutes until it is max and all the fat has rendered out.
- While the duck is rendering, whisk all the miso glaze ingredients together.
- Check to see if the skin of the duck is golden brown. If so then flip and cook the meat for 30 seconds. Brush some miso glaze on the skin and pop the entire pan in the oven for 6 minutes.
- Remove the duck from the pan onto a cutting board. Let rest 5 minutes then cut into thick slices with a very sharp knife.
- Plate the duck and brush on a bit more of the miso glaze right before serving.

Great duck with miso sauce recipe. I only had red miso but it turned out beautifully and everyone loved it.