Sous Vide Whole Duck

4.35 from 29 votes

This Sous Vide Whole Duck with tender and flavorful dark meat and crispy skin makes this one a show stopper for Christmas dinner!

Prep Time20

Cook Time12 30

Resting Time12

Total Time1 50

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings: people

Calories: 947kcal

Start by removing the spine of the duck (spatchcock or butterfly it). If you’re not sure how to do this, here is a helpful video on how to butterfly a duck.
Prick the skin all over and use a sharp knife to lightly score the skin on the breast side, making sure not to cut the meat.
Coat the duck in salt and let it sit, uncovered, in the fridge overnight.
Heat a sous vide water bath to 150F degrees.
Combine the remaining ingredients (except fennel and green onions) in a bowl and mix to combine.
Coat the duck in the sauce and place in a vacuum seal bag (or ziplock bag if using the water displacement method) with the fennel and green onion. Seal the bag.
Place it in the water bath and let it cook for 12 hours.
Remove the duck from the water bath and the bag (reserve the bag juice) and place on a roasting rack.
Roast in a 450F degree oven for 15-30 minutes, or until the skin has turned a golden brown. Be careful not to over-roast as the duck could dry out.
While the duck roasts, place the bag juice in a saucepan and simmer, skimming the fat and particles off the top as it cooks. Adjust the taste with salt.
Remove duck from the oven and let cool slightly. Carve and serve it drizzled with the cooked bag juice.

Removing air from the sealable bag is essential for food safety as it keeps bacteria out of the bag.
To keep bacteria out of the bag, it's also essential to spatchcock the duck for this recipe. This will remove the cavity where air can be trapped.
Make sure the duck remains submerged in the water bath. If the bag floats, you can open it to let the excess air out, then reseal it. (This works for a vacuum sealed bag or a ziploc bag).
You can also prevent floating by using a sous vide sinker weight or weighing the bag down with something heavy.
Don’t forget to remove the innards in your duck! You can save them to make duck broth by following this crockpot chicken broth recipe or this Instant Pot chicken bone broth recipe. Just replace the chicken with duck.
It's important to salt the duck and let it sit uncovered in the fridge overnight. This helps dry out the skin so it gets crispy in the oven.
Be careful not to over-roast the duck after the water bath as it will dry out. You want to roast it just until the skin is browned and crispy.