Cripsy Whole Duck Roast Recipe

Add this seared and crispy skin whole Roasted Orange Duck Recipe to your collection for a delicious main dish! If this is the first time making roast duck stick with me because I am going to show you just how easy it is. 

3 Important Tips Before You Start

1. Thaw it Out: If your duck is frozen, plan ahead! Transfer it from the freezer to the refrigerator 2-3 days before you plan to cook it. Thawing times can vary based on the duck's size.
2. Unwrap and Pat Dry: Once thawed, carefully remove any packaging. Thoroughly pat the duck dry inside and out with paper towels. This helps achieve crispy skin and prevents excess moisture.
3. Refrigerate Overnight: After drying, place the duck on a rack over a baking sheet to collect any drips. Refrigerate it uncovered overnight to help the skin firm up slightly which contributes to a crispier result when roasted. The duck needs to be room temperature when roasting but it will reach room temp while you do your prep so don't forget to take it out the fridge about 30 minutes before.

Seared Roasted Duck

Besides a few tips that I share with you, this is an easy duck recipe and roasting is like any other cooking method, versatile and forgiving!

Roasting a whole duck can seem intimidating, but with a little preparation and the right techniques, it's very rewarding. Here's my step-by-step process for a roasted orange duck recipe, enjoy!

First, let me introduce you to my new glaze recipe! It's completely optional but why not give it a try when it's so delicious that you could eat it off the spoon! It's packed with brown sugar, star anise and orange juice and makes a great orange mixture. Plus it works as a glaze and a sauce making this roasted duck even more irresistable. 

​Ingredients

We use a basic seasoning then we fill the duck cavity, sear and roast. Full recipe in the recipe card.

• Duck: Whole duck 2kg (4.4lbs)
• Olive oil: Just enought to help coast the spices
• Salt: Fine kosher salt or sea salt
• Black pepper: Ground black pepper
• Spice: Ground all spice (or your preferred spice mixture)
• Fennel seeds: In the duck cavity (opional)
• Bay leaves: One or two
• Fresh rosemary: Holds up well in the roasting pan (not so delicate)
• Garlic cloves: Peeled fresh garlic cloves
• Red onion: Creates a bed for the duck
• Oranges: Orange Juice and Orange Zest: Washed and cut into orange wedges (preferred to lemon juice or lemons)
• Water: Feel free to use stock

Golden Brown Whole Roast Duck And Orange Recipe

After the duck has properly thawed, packaging removed and it's been dried we move onto the next step, which is dry brining. 

Sprinkle salt all over it (duck cavity included) and place it back on a rack in the fridge overnight up to 2 days. This step is optional but it does help with a) scoring and b) crispy skin. 

Step 2 - Snip Cut and Tuck

You can buy duck with or without the internal organs which are usually inside the cavity in a small bag. Use a sharp knife to cut off the wing tips, tail and if there's any excess fat inside you may want to remove it. Unlike chicken, duck meat is fatty and tough. 

Duck's tail also known as the pope's nose is fat that you can cut off and keep to use as fat in another recipe.

Step 3 - Season and Fill the Duck Cavity

​Use about a tablespoon of olive oil first to rub into the skin. This helps the seasoning and spices stick to the skin. Kosher salt and black pepper are the basics. 

Season inside the cavity, back front, legs, wings - all round. Place the fresh rosemary, garlic cloves and orange cubes inside the cavity. Once stuffed, use toothpicks to close.

Tying the legs: Sometimes you can find the duck's legs already tied with it's own skin but if not, simply use kitchen twine or foil to tie them.

Tying the whole duck: In this instance I went with tying the duck with kitchen twine (also known as trussing) to hold it together. That was a decision I made based on the fact that it looked a little limp and I was concerned about it not cooking evenly throughout, the meat not being tender enough and because I was searing it before roasting showcasing it whole was key. I needed to keep everything together!

I also found that it was a good call because the legs and wings always tend to burn before the inside is cooked through and because they were so close to the body, the fat and heat while the duck cooked, kept them tender.

Step 4 - How to Sear Duck Skin

Place duck breast side down first in a hot dry skillet with no oil as the duck has more than enought fat. The second that the duck hits the pan, it will start to render the fat and I don't need to tell you that rendered duck fat is pure gold.  You can scoop that out as it cooks if it's too much and definitely have a small bowl or jar ready to save it!

This step goes go very quick in a hot pan so watch it closely and turn it over once you are happy with the crisp skin. 

Start off on high heat I would suggest to get that crispy crust then immediately regulate it to medium heat to avoid the kitchen smoking up.

Once the sear is done, set the duck aside on a plate and prepare the roasting pan.

Step 5 - Prepare Roasting Pan

Roughly chop red onions and oranges and place into a roasting tin together with a bay leaf or two, peeled pressed garlic cloves, rosemary sprigs and fennel seeds add that into the roasting tray.

Step 6 - Roast

Now place the duck on the prepared trivet add one and a half cups of water. The water inside the pan helps create steam keeping the roast moist while cooking. 

Roast for an hour on 190C (375F).

Step 7 - Orange Jam Glaze

While the duck cooks reheat the glaze if using so you can baste the duck.  Use a pair of large tongs to firmly turn it over (duck breast side down) and glaze. Contine cooking for another half hour. 

Turn the duck back to breast-side up, now glaze the breastside and continue roasting for another 20 to 30 minutes. Check in on the duck in the last 20 minutes or so and if it appears to be browning too much on top, loosley cover it with foil.

Step 8 - Rest and Carve

Let the duck rest a good 15 to 20 minutes in a serving platter or carving board. It will still be warmed through when you carve and the juices would have redistributed. Don't forget to remove the kitchen twine and toothpicks before carving. 

Save the rosemary, roasted orange and onions to serve on the side of the duck.

Internal Temperature

30 minutes per 500grams is my guideline but it's also important to use an instant-read thermometer for accuracy. If you don't have one, it's worth the investment they're affordable and will save you a lot of unnecessary guessing.

The recommended safe internal temperature for poultry is 74C (165F). Remember it will rise a few more degrees as it rests. You can take it out earlier as long as it's just a few degrees left because you can't be sure that it will rise more than a few degrees. 

The risk of removing the roasted duck before it's safe internal temperature is that it may not reach another 5 or 6 degrees because that carryover cooking time (as the duck rests) depends on other factors like thickness of the duck and surrounding temperatures. I would suggest you take it out at 74C (165F) and let it rest for 15-20 minutes.

Serving Suggestions

Roasted duck goes great with potatoes if you haven't already roasted some. Because duck is quite rich, a fresh salad is also lovely like a berry salad, I just love fruit with rich meat! Serve a fresh fruit salad as dessert to finish a delicious meal!

Frequently Asked Questions

Recommended Easy Roast Recipes

Serve Roast Duck With

I hope that you enjoyed reading this recipe and that you have found the information helpful and are ready to make roasted duck for your family. Enjoy!

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Nutrition Disclaimer:

The nutritional information is provided for convenience and is only an estimate. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.