This flavorful Crispy Roast Duck stuffed with orange slices and garlic, then slow roasted and glazed, is perfect for Christmas or Sunday dinner.
A baked whole duck isn’t something I make often. I’m much more likely to roast a chicken or a turkey a few times a year. I used to like to make duck breasts that came with an orange sauce, but the grocery store I go to most often these days doesn’t carry them.
Making a Crispy Roast Duck is similar to making a roast chicken or turkey, with the biggest difference being that the layer of fat under the skin of the breast is much thicker on a duck than a chicken or turkey. A roasted duck can be made in many ways, such as brined, stuffed, glazed with honey or citrus. Today’s recipe uses citrus and garlic.
How do you make Crispy Roast Duck?
The night before you plan to roast the duck make sure your duck is completely defrosted. Remove the duck from the wrapping, then remove the giblets and neck from inside the duck. Rinse under cold water, then pat dry inside and out with paper towels. Place the duck on a plate. Refrigerate, uncovered (make sure it’s not touching anything), overnight. Leaving it uncovered helps to crisp up the skin.
Note: do not leave uncovered for more than 24 hours or the duck will become dry. If you are delayed in cooking, cover the duck tightly with plastic wrap and place back in the refrigerator. Once a whole duck is defrosted, it can stay in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Four hours before you would like to eat your Christmas dinner, bring the duck out of the fridge. Pat it inside and out with paper towels again. Prick the skin all over with a fork, or score it with a knife, being careful not to cut through to the meat. The skin on a duck is much thicker than that of a turkey, and pricking or scoring it helps to release the duck fat. You are going to want to save that duck fat! I feel like I could have gone deeper with my pricks this time, but it was fine.
Season inside and out with salt and pepper before stuffing.
Fill the cavity of the duck with a quartered orange and a whole head of garlic broken into cloves, but unpeeled. You won’t be eating these, but they flavor the duck wonderfully. After filling, tie the legs and wings with kitchen twine, and place in a roasting pan on a rack. Don’t forget to use the rack, you need it to keep the duck out of the fat that will be released.
Roast the duck, covered (more on that in a second), for one hour at 350 degrees F. Many recipes call for roasting duck uncovered to crisp the skin, and I do uncover it towards the end. I prefer to start with it covered to release most of the fat without it splattering all over my oven. I then remove the liquid fat before glazing and finishing.
After one hour, turn the duck carefully with wooden spoons so that it is breast side down.
Roast for one more hour, covered, then turn breast side up for an additional half hour. At this point, the duck is removed from the roasting pan to a plate, and the fat poured off of the bottom of the roasting pan. Save the fat in a glass jar in the fridge, if desired. It’s great for frying!
Increase the oven temperature to 425 F. Place the duck back in the pan, breast down, and baste with a mixture of orange juice, lemon juice, orange peel, soy sauce, and sugar (exact amounts in the recipe card below). Roast for 15-20 minutes, now uncovered, then turn breast side up and baste again with the mixture.
Continue to roast for 15-30 minutes, until the skin is crispy and the duck is at least 165 degrees in the breast. Remove the Crispy Roast Duck from the baking pan and tent with foil for about 15 minutes before slicing.
I think this crispy duck recipe would be perfect for Christmas, or even Thanksgiving if you don’t like turkey. Here are some holiday side dishes that it would pair nicely with:
Slow Cooker Stuffing with Bacon Onions and Sage
Fresh Green Bean Casserole with Caramelized Onions
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This flavorful Crispy Roast Duck stuffed with orange slices and garlic, then slow roasted and glazed, is perfect for Christmas or Sunday dinner.
- 5 1/2 pound whole duck
- salt and pepper
- 1 navel orange , cut into quarters
- 1 head garlic , broken apart and unpeeled
- juice of 1 orange
- 1 tablespoon grated orange peel
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1/2 cup lower sodium soy sauce
- 3 tablespoon s granulated sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon Worcestershire (about 5 drops)
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The night before cooking, remove the duck from the wrapping, then remove the giblets and neck from inside the duck. Rinse under cold water, then pat dry inside and out with paper towels. Place the duck on a plate. Refrigerate, uncovered (make sure it’s not touching anything), overnight.
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bring the duck out of the fridge. Pat it inside and out with paper towels again. Prick the skin all over with a fork, or score it with a knife, being careful not to cut through to the meat. Season inside and out with salt and pepper.
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Fill the cavity of the duck with the quartered orange and garlic. Tie the legs and wings with kitchen twine, and place in a roasting pan on a raised rack.
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Roast the duck, covered, for one hour. After one hour, turn the duck carefully with wooden spoons so that it is breast side down. Roast for one more hour, covered, then turn breast side up for an additional half hour.
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Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine the juice of one orange, lemon, soy sauce, orange zest, Worcestershire sauce, and sugar. Whisk well, and whisk again right before basting.
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Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees. Remove the duck from the roasting pan to a plate. Drain the fat from the bottom of the roasting pan, saving the duck fat for latter use if desired.
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Place the duck back in the pan, breast down, and baste with the half of the mixture using a brush or a baster. Roast for 15-20 minutes, now uncovered, then turn breast side up and baste again with the mixture.
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Continue to roast for 15-30 minutes, until the skin is crispy and the duck is at least 165 degrees in the breast. Remove the Crispy Roast Duck from the baking pan and tent with foil for about 15 minutes before slicing.
1.Nutritional information includes all of the skin and basting liquids and is inaccurate per serving.
2.Do not leave duck uncovered in the fridge for more than 24 hours or the duck will become dry.
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