Broiled Duck Breasts with Orange Chipotle Sauce

Ingredients

• •2½ cups fresh orange juice
• •¼ cup fresh lime juice
• •3 tablespoons maple syrup
• •1 tablespoon chipotle chiles in adobo
• •1 piece cinnamon stick
• •2 whole cloves
• •1 teaspoon salt
• •3 pounds duck breasts
• •1½ teaspoons salt
• •½ teaspoon black pepper
• •1 piece instant-read thermometer

Cooking Instructions

1. 1.

   Boil all sauce ingredients in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, skimming foam occasionally, until syrupy and reduced to about 1 cup, 30 to 40 minutes. Let stand while duck broils.

   40 min

2. 2.

   Remove rack of a broiler pan, then add 1 cup water to broiler pan and replace rack. Preheat broiler with pan 5 to 6 inches from heat.

   5 min

3. 3.

   Pat duck breasts dry and score skin at 1-inch intervals with a sharp knife (do not cut into meat), then sprinkle all over with salt and pepper. Broil duck breasts, skin sides down, 4 minutes for Long Island duck or 8 minutes for Muscovy, then turn over and broil until thermometer inserted horizontally into center of a breast registers 130°F (see cooks' note, below), 8 to 10 minutes more for medium-rare. Transfer to a cutting board and let stand 5 minutes. Add any juices accumulated on cutting board to sauce and simmer until slightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes.

   23 min

4. 4.

   Holding a sharp knife at a 45-degree angle, cut each duck breast into thin slices and serve with sauce.

   5 min