Duck Nuggets

Occasionally I will mention that we are having duck nuggets for supper, and people want to know what’s up with that. Because duck nuggets? That sounds fancy.

But you know me. I’m farmish, not fancy. So here’s an explanation about what duck nuggets are. They’re really just the same thing as homemade chicken nuggets… but you’re using duck meat instead.

Or any other kind of meat you want to use. Venison? Turkey? Grouse? Pheasant? Sure. Why not?

Duck Nuggets – what you need

To make this, you will need:

• duck breasts (or whatever kind of meat you’re using) cut into bite sized pieces
• eggs
• some kind of flour (we make a batch with all purpose flour and a batch with almond flour)
• whatever spices you like in your breading (i.e.: salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, black pepper)
• something to fry your duck nuggets in (we prefer lard; some folks use Crisco or vegetable oil)

The measurements for this recipe are kind of “eyeballed” and change every time I make it. Not only because I like to change things up, but also because sometimes, for whatever reason, you end up using way more batter and lard.

The last time I made this recipe I used:

• 4 duck breasts (from 2 Muscovies)
• 4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup salt, 1/2 cup garlic powder, 1/4 cup onion powder, some paprika, some black pepper
• a dozen eggs
• 3 bricks of homemade lard, which equates to about 4-5 cups

(From the original 4 duck breasts, I took a handful of meat and did a separate batch in almond flour: 2(ish) cups almond flour, 1/4 cup salt, 1/4 cup garlic powder, pepper. Be aware that because of its consistency, the almond flour works a lot differently as a breading.)

How to make duck nuggets

After the flour has been combined with the spices, and the lard is melted and hot in the cast iron pan, dip the meat in the egg and then dredge it through the flour/spices mixture.

You can then put it in the pan of hot oil to start frying. Or, if you like a lot of breading, you can dip the floured meat back into the egg, then again in the flour, and then into the pan of hot oil. We call this double dip breading.

Note: Double dip breading does not work as well if using almond flour.

Let the nuggets cook for 3-5 minutes—until the bottom is looking good and brown— and then flip them to finish cooking on the other side (an additional 3-5 minutes).

After they’re done frying, I transfer them to a 9×13 pan in a 200F degree oven to hang out.

Repeat until all the duck breast meat is gone.

Note: You will get messy during this recipe. The breading has a way of sticking to your fingers in big globs. I’ve tried to fix this by using a tongs to do the breading instead of my fingers but (in my experience) the tongs don’t work as well to get everything covered by the breading.

Enjoy your duck nuggets!

To serve, my guys like to enjoy their duck nuggets with a honey mustard sauce. I like to dip my almond flour duck nuggets in ranch dressing. Because, ranch dressing.

Remember, you can use this recipe with many different kinds of meats: duck, chicken, venison, etc. Really you’re just cutting your meat into bite sized pieces, breading it, frying it, and enjoying your nuggies!

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Duck Nuggets

Duck nuggets are a step up from homemade chicken nuggets, and you can make them with all purpose flour or almond flour. All measurements in this recipe are APPROXIMATE. Every time I make this recipe, it's different.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Ingredients

• 4 duck breasts (or any meat) cut in bite size pieces
• 4 cups all purpose flour (or almond flour)
• 1/2 cup seasoned salt
• 1/2 cup garlic powder
• 1/4 cup onion powder
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• black pepper, to taste
• 1 dozen eggs
• 4-5 cups lard, vegetable shortening, or vegetable oil

Instructions

1. Cut the duck breasts in bite sized pieces. Set aside.

2. Crack eggs into a bowl, whip with whisk or fork. Set aside.

3. In separate bowl, combine flour and spices. Set aside.

4. Melt a portion of lard in cast iron skillet on medium heat. (Don't melt all at once or the oil will be too deep. Add more as you need it.)

5. Preheat oven to 200F.

6. When oil is melted and hot, take a piece of duck breast, dip it in the egg, then dredge it through the flour/spice mixture. You can then place it in the hot oil.

7. Tip: For a thicker breading, dip the meat in the egg, then the flour, then back into the egg, and through the flour again before putting it in the oil. Note: this doesn't work well with almond flour.

8. Fry the nuggets 3-5 minutes until the bottoms are turning brown and crisping up nicely. Then flip them and fry and additional 3-5 minutes.

9. Place finished nuggets in a 9×13 pan in the oven at 200F to hang out until all nuggets are finished.

10. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce. Our family likes honey mustard or ranch.

Recipe Notes

Please read the blog post/watch the video for more instructions. Every time I make this recipe it’s different, and it seems every time I make this recipe it requires more or less batter/lard/eggs. Cooking is as much an art as it is a science. Feel free to change up the spices in your breading!