Duck Breast with Cherry Sauce and Pilaf Recipe

This Duck Breast with Cherry Sauce and Riz Pilaf recipe pairs beautifully rendered duck breast with a glossy red wine and cherry sauce and buttery French-style rice pilaf. Featured on Dinner in Paris with host Romain Avril, this refined main course balances the richness of duck with sweet-tart cherries, red wine vinegar, ginger, aromatic shallot, and a classic oven-baked rice pilaf finished with fresh parsley.

The Inspiration

Duck breast is a natural fit for classic French cooking because of its combination of rich meat and a generous layer of skin and fat that can become beautifully crisp when rendered properly. Rather than beginning in a scorching-hot pan, this recipe starts the duck skin-side down in a cold pan.

On Dinner in Paris, host Romain Avril pairs the duck with cherries, red wine, vinegar, aromatics, and butter. Fruit sauces are particularly effective with rich meats because sweetness and acidity can balance their intensity. Here, cherries provide natural fruitiness while red wine creates depth and red wine vinegar brings brightness. Sugar rounds out the sharp acidity, while shallot, garlic, and fresh ginger create an aromatic base.

Ingredients

For Duck Breast and Cherry Sauce

4 duck breasts (about 200–230 g / 7–8 oz each)
Salt and black pepper
1 large shallot, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 inch of ginger, minced
225 g (1½ cups) cherries (fresh or frozen, pitted)
180 ml (3/4 cup) red wine
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3 tbsp tbsp sugar
1/4 cup of cold butter, cubed
Maldon sea salt, to finish

For Riz Pilaf

250 g (1¼ cups) long-grain rice
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
40 g (3 tbsp) unsalted butter
500 ml (2 cups) chicken stock, warm
1 bay leaf
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp white pepper

Method

Make Duck Breast

Pat duck breasts dry. Score skin in a crosshatch pattern (cut through fat, not into meat).
Season skin with salt and season flesh with salt and pepper.both sides with salt.
Place breasts on a baking sheet with a wire rack and return to the refrigerator for 1 hour. Remove and let the duck come back to room temperature over 15 minutes.
Place duck breasts skin-side down in a cold pan.
Turn heat to medium. Cook for 8–10 minutes, allowing fat to slowly render.
Once the skin is golden brown and slightly crisp, flip duck and cook 3–4 minutes over medium-high heat.
The internal temperature should be 133-138F.
Transfer to a plate, tent with aluminum foil and rest for 8–10 minutes.

Make cherry sauce

In same pan (remove excess fat), add shallots, garlic and ginger.
Sweat for 2-3 minutes. Add red wine and bring to a simmer. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add vinegar and sugar and bring to a simmer. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until slightly thickened.
Add cherries and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and swirl in cubes of butter 1 at a time.
Season with salt and pepper. Slice duck thinly, season with Maldon sea salt and spoon sauce over.

Make Riz Pilaf

Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F. Heat chicken stock in saucepan until hot but not boiling.
In oven-safe saucepan or sauté pan with lid, melt butter over medium-low heat.
Add diced onion. Cook 4–5 minutes. Add rice to pan. Stir continuously for 2–3 minutes.
Add hot stock carefully. Add bay leaf, salt and white pepper. Stir once gently.
Bring mixture just to simmer over medium heat. Cover tightly with lid.
Transfer immediately to oven. Bake 18 minutes. Remove from oven.
Keep covered and let rest 10 minutes. Remove bay leaf.
Fluff rice gently with fork and fold in parsley.
Serve alongside Duck Breast with Cherry Sauce. Enjoy!

Serving Suggestions

Duck Breast with Cherry Sauce and Riz Pilaf makes an elegant centrepiece for a French-inspired dinner, special occasion, date-night menu, or gathering where a refined plated main course feels appropriate. For the most polished presentation, spoon a neat portion of the parsley-flecked riz pilaf onto each plate and arrange the thinly sliced duck breast beside it so the crisp skin remains visible.

For entertaining, the duck can be sliced just before plating so the pieces remain warm and visually appealing. A small finishing sprinkle of Maldon sea salt adds texture and highlights the flavour of the meat, while the dark cherry sauce provides a striking contrast against the sliced duck and pale rice.

The finished meal is particularly suited to evenings when you want something that feels restaurant-inspired but still comforting. The duck brings depth and richness, the cherries provide elegance and colour, and the pilaf keeps the plate grounded with familiar, satisfying flavours.

Final Thoughts

This Duck Breast with Cherry Sauce and Riz Pilaf recipe demonstrates how contrasting flavours and textures can come together to create a balanced French-inspired main course. The richness of duck breast is matched with a bright fruit sauce, while buttery long-grain rice provides a simple and satisfying accompaniment.

Find more recipes from Dinner in Paris here!