Paleo air fryer duck breast with orange red cabbage

Air fryer duck breast with crispy skin, served with orange red cabbage with cloves and honey. A paleo dinner without grains or dairy, with 32 g of protein per serving.

At a glance

• Serves 2
• Prep time: 15 min
• Cooking time: 20 min
• Total time: 35 min
• Calories: 415 kcal per serving
• Protein: 32 g
• Fat: 21 g
• Carbs: 22 g

Ingredients

• 1 duck breast
• 400g red cabbage
• 1 orange
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar
• 2 whole cloves
• 1 pinch of cinnamon
• 0.5 tsp salt
• 1 pinch of pepper

Method

You’ll need: air fryer · saucepan · chopping board · knife · grater

1. Score the skin of the duck breast in a diamond pattern without cutting into the meat, and rub with salt and pepper.
2. Finely shred the red cabbage and put it into a saucepan with the orange juice, orange zest, honey, cider vinegar, cloves and cinnamon. Braise, covered, over a medium heat for 15 minutes.
3. Place the duck breast skin side down in the cold basket and cook at 180 °C for 8 minutes. Turn it and cook at 200 °C for another 6 to 8 minutes, until it reaches 56 °C inside. In pregnancy, cook the duck breast until it reaches at least 70 °C inside.
4. Leave the duck breast to rest for 5 minutes and stir a spoonful of the rendered duck fat into the red cabbage.
5. Slice the duck breast and serve on the orange red cabbage.

Good to know

Duck doesn't have to wait until Christmas or take a whole afternoon. In the air fryer, the fat renders out of the skin until it crackles, and the meat stays pink.

Swaps

Duck breast → goose breast (larger, 4 minutes longer). Honey → maple syrup. Orange → pomegranate juice (more tart). Red cabbage → savoy cabbage with orange zest.

Cooking tips

Starting in a cold air fryer is deliberate: the fat renders slowly before the skin browns. The leftover duck fat is great for roasting potatoes.

Storage

The red cabbage keeps for 4 days in the fridge and tastes even better reheated; the duck breast 2 days.

Allergens

Free from the most common allergens; suitable for children (no honey for babies under one year old), and in pregnancy cook the meat through to 70 °C.

Frequently asked questions

How long does duck breast keep in the fridge?

The red cabbage keeps for 4 days in the fridge and tastes even better reheated; the duck breast 2 days.

Dairy-free recipes