5:30 Challenge: Duck breasts with apples

Pan-Roasted Duck Breasts with Apples

To make the meal

Sautéed kale

Chicken breasts are not the only quick-cooking poultry option. What about serving duck? A duck breast isn’t as inexpensive as chicken, and it can be a little more difficult to find, but the elegant result is worth the expense and effort.

Duck and apples are a classic combination. Include a little wine, a few shallots and you have a luscious entree, all done in 30 minutes.

This recipe uses a tried-and-true restaurant technique, browning the breast to render the fat and crisp the skin, then roasting at a high temperature to cook the meat to rare. That frees you to concentrate on the rest of the meal. The short rest for the duck after it comes out of the oven will ensure the meat stays juicy.

Take the 5:30 Challenge. If you have a great-tasting main-dish recipe that uses no more than five ingredients and can be made in 30 minutes or less, tell us. (Salt, pepper, water and oil for greasing a pan don’t need to be included in the ingredient count.) You can also suggest a side dish if it can be made within the same time. Send recipes with your name, address and phone number to fivethirty@ajc.com.

Pan-Roasted Duck Breasts with Apples

Hands on: 15 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

Serves 4

2 (8-ounce) boneless duck breasts

3 medium apples, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch wedges

2 medium shallots, thinly sliced

6 tablespoons white wine

6 tablespoons low-sodium chicken stock

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat a large ovenproof skillet over high heat until very hot. Season both sides of duck breasts with salt and pepper. Place duck breasts, skin side down, in hot pan and cook until skin is browned and crisp, about 5 minutes. Turn breasts, put skillet in oven and roast until duck breasts are cooked to 130 degrees, about 10 minutes. Remove skillet from oven, move breasts to plate and cover to keep warm. Return skillet to cooktop.

Add apple wedges and shallots and sauté, scraping the bottom of the pan to get up all the browned bits. When apples are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes, add wine, chicken stock, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Heat over high heat until sauce reduces by half, another 2 minutes. Taste for seasoning. Return breasts to pan, coat with sauce, and serve.

Adapted from a recipe in Fine Cooking magazine, May 2009.

Per serving: 232 calories (percent of calories from fat, 30), 22 grams protein, 17 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 7 grams fat (3 grams saturated), 87 milligrams cholesterol, 89 milligrams sodium.