Crispy Whole Roast Duck

If you've ever been intimidated by the idea of making a whole duck with golden skin, this crispy whole roast duck recipe is for you. It has perfectly crispy skin, tender, juicy meat, and a little zing of heat from the zesty orange sauce caramelized on top.

This crispy duck is perfect for special holiday occasions, or just an every day dinner! And it's beautiful. The whole bird comes out nice and browned and perfect for dinner presentations.

While I really like this roasted Moroccan chicken and this Indian roast chicken, I just love the richness and juiciness of a nice roast duck. It's my favorite duck recipe, and that's saying a lot because we also love this sous vide whole duck, sous vide duck confit and this sous vide duck breast!

We glaze it with an orange glaze (don't worry, it doesn't make the duck overly sweet) that has just a touch of heat in it. The flavor is barely sweet, savory and rich from the duck.

The boyfriend and I stood like ravenous hyenas over the duck carcass and tore off every last bit of that beautiful skin before the carcass went in the freezer for.....you guessed it, duck stock!

You can make duck stock the same way we made this Instant pot chicken bone broth or this Crockpot chicken broth. Just replace the chicken with duck.

Why this roasted whole duck recipe works

• While your duck is roasting, all the duck fat renders into the pan and can be save for future cooking. MUST be saved for future cooking. You can use the duck fat to make these delicious duck fat truffle fries or these duck fat smashed potatoes.
• Leftovers can be used to make this amazing duck pizza, red duck curry or even this duck ramen!
• The skin comes out perfectly browned and crispy which is great for presentation and amazingly flavorful.
• Let it sit overnight in the fridge gives the duck crispy skin and moist meat, while also adding amazing flavor.

Ingredients for crispy whole roast duck

The full list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Where can I find a duck?

It's unlikely that your local grocery store will have a duck (at least mine doesn't). However, if you live close to an Asian market, many of them sell frozen ducks (sometimes fresh), and your local butcher shop should have them as well. You will want a 5-pound duck (or close to it) to produce enough meat.

This roasted duck includes ingredients like Sichuan peppercorns, Chinese five spice, orange juice, garlic, soy sauce, among others.

The lesser known ingredients are explained below:

What is Chinese five spice?

Chinese five spice is a blend of the warm spices cinnamon, cloves, star anise, fennel and pepper.

What is shaoxing wine?

Shaoxing wine is a Chinese cooking wine used in many, many Chinese dishes. I cook a lot of Chinese food, so I keep it in my cabinet. It is a dry rice wine that has a slightly nutty taste. While I love the flavors it imparts, you can also substitute a dry sherry.

What are Sichuan peppercorns?

Sichuan peppercorns are a spice commonly used in Chinese cooking. They are not necessarily spicy as the name may infer, but have a slightly numbing, mouth tingling quality to them. The flavor is actually light, and slightly citrusy.

Step by step instructions to roast a duck

Remove the duck from the package and pat dry with paper towels. Remove the innards and set aside (save these for making duck broth). Place in a large roasting pan.

How to roast Sichuan peppercorns

Step 1: Place them in a skillet and heat over medium heat. Shake the pan every minute or so to prevent burning. Once they become fragrant (3-5 minutes), remove from heat.

Step 2: Grind the peppercorns with a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder.

Step 5: Remove the duck from the fridge and let it come to room temperature for about 30 minutes. Letting it come to room temperature before cooking will allow the duck to roast more evenly.

Step 6: Use a sharp knife to lightly score the duck skin over the breast in a diamond pattern, being careful not to cut down to the meat. Use a sharp knife to prick the skin of the duck legs as well as any other fatty parts of the duck. This allows the excess fat to cook off and the skin to get crispy.

Step 7: Preheat oven to 425°F degrees. Place the duck on on a roasting rack, breast side up, in the roasting pan. Using a roasting rack helps to keep the skin crispy on all sides.

Step 8: Cover the pan loosely with aluminum foil and place the roasting pan on the middle rack in the oven. Cook the duck for 40 minutes. Use a baster to baste with the rendered duck fat in the bottom of the pan every 15 minutes.

Step 9: Place back in the oven and roast for another 30 minutes. Remove the foil for the last 15 minutes of roasting.

Step 10: Remove the duck from the oven and spoon out all the duck fat. Save the duck fat in a container and store in the fridge for 2-3 months. It can also be frozen in ice cubes and stored for up to 6 months in the freezer.

Step 11: After duck fat has been saved, brush the duck with the orange sauce (see below for orange sauce instructions).

Step 12: Place back in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove and brush with sauce again. Place back in the oven for another 10 minutes or until the internal temperature has reached 160°F.

Step 13: Remove it from the oven and let the duck rest for 10-15 minutes (temperature will rise to 165°F). Carve the duck and serve it with honey orange glaze on the side or drizzled on top.

How to make orange glaze

Step 1: Combine all the orange glaze ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring periodically.

Step 2: Simmer 20-30 minutes, or until the sauce has been reduced by half.

Expert tips to make this roast duck recipe

1. It's important to place the duck in the refrigerator overnight so the moisture can evaporate from the skin - this is how we get the crispy skin.
2. To roast the Sichuan peppercorns, place them in a skillet and heat over medium heat. Shake the pan every minute or so to prevent burning. Once they become fragrant (3-5 minutes), remove from heat. Grind the peppercorns with a mortar and pastel or a spice grinder.
3. Scoring the skin lightly and poking the duck legs with a sharp knife helps to render the fat more quickly, allowing the skin to crisp faster. Cut only the skin without piercing the meat.
4. I HIGHLY recommend using a roasting rack to roast the duck. This keeps the skin crispy and makes it easier to spoon the duck fat out of the pan.
5. The internal temperature of the duck should reach 165°F at the thigh before serving. It's ok if the meat is slightly pink, as long as it is cooked to temperature.
6. Save the duck fat in a container and store in the fridge for 2-3 months. It can also be frozen in ice cubes and stored for up to 6 months in the freezer.
7. Save the carcass to make duck bone broth.

Frequently asked questions

Serving Options

Duck can make a great holiday dinner or just a regular old Sunday dinner.

• Make it an Asian inspired dinner by serving it alongside some Chinese sausage fried rice, Sichuan green beans, air fryer potstickers or sizzling rice soup.
• You can also keep it simple by serving it with some instant pot jasmine rice or instant pot sushi rice on bao buns.
• Make it a more traditional American meal by serving it with these honey roasted parsnips, garlic butter broccoletti or these savory mashed sweet potatoes.

More Asian inspired dinners

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