Roast Duck Recipe

Dry and trim

Remove duck from packaging. Pat the cavity and skin thoroughly dry with paper towels. Trim any excess neck skin or loose fat; reserve giblets for another use or discard.

Using a sharp knife or kitchen shears, prick the skin all over the breast and thighs in a shallow, regular pattern (about 1/2-inch apart). Do not pierce the meat—only the fat and skin. This helps fat render and the skin crisp.

Season the cavity lightly with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Stuff the cavity with smashed garlic, thyme sprigs, and the quartered orange.

Rub the outside of the duck with the remaining salt and pepper, and if using, rub five-spice powder over the skin. Let rest on a rack in the refrigerator, uncovered, for 1–4 hours to dry the skin (optional but improves crispness). If short on time, allow 20–30 minutes at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Position a rack in a roasting pan. Scatter the quartered onion, carrot, and celery in the pan to act as a rack and aromatics if making pan juices or gravy.

Place the duck breast-side up on a rack set over the roasting pan or on top of the vegetables. Tuck the wing tips under the body to prevent burning.

Roast at 425°F (220°C) for 20 minutes to jump-start browning. After 20 minutes, reduce oven temperature to 350°F (175°C) and continue roasting.

Estimate total roasting time at about 18–22 minutes per pound (40–48 minutes per kg). For a 5–6 lb duck this will be about 90–120 minutes total. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh (not touching bone) reads 165–170°F (74–77°C).

Every 30 minutes, carefully spoon or pour off accumulated fat from the pan into a heatproof container (reserved duck fat can be strained and refrigerated for future cooking). Baste the duck with pan juices once or twice during the lower-temperature roasting phase if desired.

When the duck is about 10–15 minutes from the target temperature, combine honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar and water in a small bowl and warm very briefly (microwave 10–15 seconds or heat in a small saucepan) to loosen the honey.

Brush the glaze over the duck skin evenly. Return duck to the oven and roast for the remaining time until skin is deep golden and crisp and the thigh temperature is 165–170°F (74–77°C). If skin is browning too quickly, tent loosely with foil.

Remove the duck from the oven and transfer to a cutting board. Tent loosely with foil and let rest for 15–20 minutes to let juices redistribute. During this time the internal temperature may rise a few degrees.

Carve: remove legs and thighs, separate drumsticks from thighs, then slice breast meat against the grain. Serve with pan juices or strained and reduced pan gravy.

While the duck rests, place the roasting pan with vegetables and juices on the stovetop over medium heat. Skim off excess fat, leaving about 1–2 tablespoons in the pan. Add 2 cups chicken or duck stock and bring to a simmer, scraping up browned bits.

Simmer until reduced by about one-third (5–10 minutes). If you want a thicker gravy, mix 1 teaspoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cold water to make a slurry, then whisk into the simmering jus and cook 1–2 minutes until thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Strain if desired and serve alongside the carved duck.