Cherry Ancho Duck Breasts
with Pistachio Rice and Roasted Carrots
- Milk
- Tree Nuts
Rich, juicy duck pairs beautifully with a sweet, fruit-based sauce—it’s a combo that’s about as classic as can be. Our chefs decided to take things a step further by adding a bit of ancho chili powder into the mix, which creates this smoky, sultry mystique. The excitement only continues with the sides: pistachio-studded rice and tender roasted carrots. This is the sort of dish we’d want to make when we’re feeling a little bit fancy.
Ingredients
12 ounce
Maple Leaf Farms Duck Breast
8 ounce
Baby Carrots
2 unit
Scallions
½ cup
Jasmine Rice
2 tablespoon
Cherry Jam
1 unit
Chicken Demi-Glace
(Contains: Milk)
1 teaspoon
Ancho Chili Powder
1 ounce
Dried Cherries
1 ounce
Pistachios
(Contains: Tree Nuts)
Not included in your delivery
2 teaspoon
Olive Oil
2 tablespoon
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
Salt
Pepper
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
Adjust rack to top position and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and dry all produce. Pat duck dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Place skin sides down in a large, preferably nonstick, pan. Cook over medium heat until skin is crispy, 15-20 minutes, carefully pouring out fat as it’s released (don’t flip duck just yet).
Meanwhile, trim and halve carrots lengthwise. Toss on a baking sheet with a large drizzle of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast on top rack until tender and slightly browned at edges, 20-25 minutes. While carrots roast, trim and thinly slice scallions, separating whites from greens.
Melt 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4 servings) in a small pot over mediumhigh heat. Add scallion whites and cook, stirring occasionally, until just softened, 1 minute. Stir in rice and ¾ cup water (1½ cups for 4). Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a low simmer. Cook until rice is tender, 15-18 minutes. Keep covered off heat.
In a small bowl, combine jam, demiglace, chili powder, and ¼ cup water. Once skin is crisp, flip over duck in pan. Pour in jam mixture and add dried cherries. Let simmer until sauce is thick and duck is cooked to desired doneness, 3-5 minutes. Leaving sauce in pan, transfer duck to a cutting board. TIP: If sauce is too thick, add a tablespoon or two of water (double for 4 servings).
Reduce heat under pan with sauce to low and stir in 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4 servings). Once butter has melted, season with salt and pepper; turn off heat and set aside. Fluff rice with a fork, then stir in pistachios. Season with salt and pepper.
Slice duck crosswise; divide between plates with rice. Pour sauce over duck. Serve with carrots on the side. Garnish with scallion greens.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Many loved the cherry-ancho sauce, finding it perfectly balanced sweet and smoky. Some found it too strong or sour.
- Ease of prep: First-time duck cooks found the instructions helpful, though some struggled with cooking times and doneness.
- Suggestions: Consider scoring the duck skin and adjusting cooking time for crispiness. Baste the duck with sauce for extra juiciness.
- Portions: A few felt it wasn't worth the premium price, while others found it restaurant-quality and satisfying.
- Sides: The pistachio rice was a hit, though some preferred it without nuts. Consider offering more varied vegetable options.
Reviews from our home cooks
This meal was amazing. The pistachios in the rice great idea. But the star of the show definitely is the sauce. The ancho pepper/cherry sauce was so amazing, not spicy just great flavor. Duck came out perfect following recipe times. Awesome meal, highly recommend.
Love!! Duck is my favorite but this was my first time cooking it so I did overcook a tiny bit. The sauce was weird by itself but paired fantastically with the duck. Hope to see more duck in the future! :) (pistachio rice was a little bland if I had to find something to dislike)
The duck was absolutely delicious. And I saved the fat rendered out of the breasts to cook other things in. So much flavor. I added more seasoning to the carrots, and left out the green onion but otherwise made it as described.
I am not a duck eater, but I wanted to try this. It is an outstanding meal. The duck meat was not fatty or gamey. The skin came out so crispy the way you instructed to cook it. The only thing I did not particularly care for was the pistachios in the rice. The sauce was outstanding,
The duck was delicious!! It was very tender and the cherry sauce was a nice complement!! I would have taken a picture but we ate it too fast!! 😂. I will definitely choose this again!!
Even better than the orange version! (Note I didn't put whole pistachios into rice. Seemed weird. Maybe if I chopped them into smaller pieces? But by that step I was too hungry. The rice was great without them.
The cooking time to leave the skin side down calls for 15 to 20 minutes. I left my skin side down 15 minutes and when I turned it over it was burned and too hard to chew. I would like to get the duck again as it was delicious, however you need to adjust the crispy side down so other customers don't have the same problem. I had my burner turned to number 5.
I cooked duck! I chose this one because my husband and I enjoy duck out...but it's so expensive. Now I feel confident to cook duck at home. Delicious!
I have never had duck so was very interested in trying this. It was delicious 😋 hubby and I enjoyed it so much!
I had to finish the duck in oven bc I couldn't get it to temperature- the sauce was starting to burn a bit. But overall it was good.
