This Duck Soba Noodle Soup is a simple yet elegant dish that comes together effortlessly in less than 30 minutes with the help of pre-made bone broth (like this chicken stock broth), creating a rich and comforting base infused with leeks, ginger, and garlic. Tender buckwheat noodles soak up the deep flavors, while sweet peas and fresh scallions add a touch of brightness. The star of the dish is the perfectly roasted duck breast, its crispy skin providing a delicious contrast to the silky noodles and warm broth. Perfect for a cozy dinner, this recipe brings bold, layered flavors to your table with minimal effort.

A white bowl of noodle soup with sliced duck breast and peas.

The recipe was inspired by a duck soba noodle soup we enjoyed in Japan, and this is a non-traditional version we have continued to make regularly at home.

🌟Why you’ll love this recipe

  • The duck breast is seared skin-side down before it is roasted to render out the fat under the skin. Then, it is cooked in the oven until the internal temperature reaches ~130F. This makes for a perfect seared duck breast.
  • Using a great bone broth makes a huge difference in this soup. You can use your favorite ready-made version or make your own bone broth/stock like this chicken stock.
  • The leeks and peas are the perfect matches with the bone broth and duck. And this light, comforting soup is the perfect thing to keep you cozy on those early spring days.

🧾Ingredients in this recipe

Leek. duck. noodles and other ingredients on a countertop.
  • leeks – they are from the same family of onions and add that same sweet savory depth of flavor. You can also use scallions.
  • duck breast – ducks vary dramatically in size, and this recipe assumes each duck breast is 6-8 ounces.
  • peas – this recipe uses frozen peas. If using fresh, you will need to cook them for 2 extra minutes.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

👩‍🍳How to Make This Recipe

Three duck breasts on a black cutting board with scored skin.
  • Start with prepping the duck breast. Preheat to 500F. Cut 5-6 skin-deep diagonals in each breast. Make sure it is dry. Season both sides of the breast with salt.
  • Note: You do not need excess oil, but if this is your first time making duck breasts, add a thin layer of oil before searing. 
Close up of raw duck breasts cooking in a grey pan.
  • Preheat an oven-safe skillet over medium/medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of duck fat or flavorless oil (optional, see note below). Sear the duck breasts skin-side down over medium heat until brown, crispy, and the fat is rendered out. It will take 10-15 minutes.
  • In the meantime, heat up your bone broth or rich stock. Separately, heat a pot of water to cook the soba noodles.
  • Drain the excess fat from the skillet with the duck breasts. You can keep it in the refrigerator and use it in place of butter and oil in your cooking. It’s great for frying eggs, making popcorn, and so much more! You can even use it to cook up the leeks.
  • Thinly slice the leeks and sautee them in a fry pan over medium heat with 2 tablespoons of oil or the duck fat. Cook until tender.
Several seared duck breasts in a pan.
  • Finish the duck breasts skin side up in the oven for 5-6 minutes. Internal temperature should read 130F for medium-rare and you can check it with an instant-read thermometer. Let them rest for 5 minutes before slicing into half-inch slices.
Close up of noodle soup with sliced duck and green peas in a white bowl.
  • While the duck is resting (~5 minutes), cook the soba noodles per the package instructions, and add the peas to the bone broth.
  • To assemble, add the noodles to a bowl, pour over the broth with peas and leeks, and top with your roasted duck slices.
Bowl of noodle soup with duck.

🌿 More Spring Recipes

If you love this recipe, be sure to check out all the spring recipes on the blog.

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Bowl of noodle soup with duck.
Author: Candice Walker

Duck Soba Noodle Soup with Roasted Duck Breast

5 from 8 votes
Print Recipe Save
This Duck Soba Noodle Soup is a rich and comforting dish made with pre-made bone broth, crispy roasted duck breast, tender soba noodles, and fresh vegetables for an easy yet elegant meal.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Main, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Japanese
Diet: Kosher
Servings: 4
Calories: 464kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. duck breast
  • salt
  • 5 cups bone broth or make your own using my recipe below
  • 1 leek white part only, cut in half, then thinly sliced
  • 1.5 cups peas fresh or frozen
  • 9.5 oz. soba noodles
US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat to 500F.
  • Start with prepping the duck breast. Preheat to 500F. Cut 5-6 skin-deep diagonals in each breast. Make sure it is dry. Season both sides of the breast with salt.
    1 lb. duck breast
  • Preheat an oven-safe skillet over medium/medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of duck fat or flavorless oil (optional, see note below). Sear the duck breasts skin-side down over medium heat until brown, crispy, and the fat is rendered out. It will take 10-15 minutes.
    Note: You do not need excess oil, but if this is your first time making duck breasts, add a thin layer of oil before searing. 
  • In the meantime, heat up your bone broth or rich stock. Separately, heat a pot of water to cook the soba noodles.
    5 cups bone broth
  • Drain the excess fat from the skillet with the duck breasts. You can keep it in the refrigerator and use it in place of butter and oil in your cooking. It’s great for frying eggs, making popcorn, and so much more! You can even use it to cook up the leeks.
  • Thinly slice the leeks and sautee them in a fry pan over medium heat with 2 tablespoons of oil or the duck fat. Cook until tender.
    1 leek
  • Finish the duck breasts skin side up in the oven for 5-6 minutes. Internal temperature should read 130F for medium-rare and you can check it with an instant-read thermometer. Let them rest for 5 minutes before slicing into half-inch slices.
  • While the duck is resting (~5 minutes), cook the soba noodles per the package instructions, and add the peas to the bone broth.
    9.5 oz. soba noodles, 1.5 cups peas
  • To assemble, add the noodles to a bowl, pour over the broth with peas and leeks, and top with your roasted duck slices.

Notes

You do not need excess oil when searing the duck breast, but if this is your first time making duck breasts, add 1 tablespoon of oil or duck fat before searing. 
Keep the extra duck fat in the refrigerator and use it in place of butter and oil in your cooking. It’s great to fry eggs in, to make popcorn, and so much more!
If using frozen peas, make sure they cook for 3 minutes. If using fresh peas, they will need 5 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 464kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 46g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 87mg | Sodium: 717mg | Potassium: 646mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 847IU | Vitamin C: 31mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 8mg
Did you try this recipe?I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a Review to let us know how it came out, if you have a successful substitution or variation, or anything else.

This post was originally published in April of 2019 but was republished with new photos, step by step instructions, FAQs, and tips in April of 2021.

5 from 8 votes (8 ratings without comment)

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