Ever wondered how to cook duck? It’s much simpler than most people think. This Roast Duck has tender and juicy meat, crispy skin, and it’s glazed with the honey-balsamic glaze to give the duck a beautiful roasted look. Perfect holiday main dish recipe or something you can make any time for a special occasion.
It’s a great looking dish – perfect for any special occasion, and with the holidays coming up, this roast duck will look great on any Thanksgiving dinner menu, or as a Christmas and New Year’s Eve dinner idea. By the way, the honey-balsamic glaze in this recipe DOES NOT MAKE THE DUCK SWEET – I did not want a sweet duck. It only gives the nice crispiness and beautiful look to the duck skin. Your duck will have a very savory and juicy flavor from the garlic and lemon that you’ll stuff inside the duck cavity. SO GOOD! Cooking this duck does take some time and effort, which makes it a perfect holiday main dish or a special occasion dinner.
This recipe has very detailed instructions (with step-by-step photos) on how to prepare and cook the duck – which could be very helpful if you’ve never cooked the duck before. The duck will be roasted in the oven at 350 F for a total of 3 hours, and in addition to the beautiful duck, you’ll end up with a lot of duck fat which I highly recommend you save and use for roasting vegetables, potatoes, and even cooking your breakfast eggs with it!
If you want a really beautiful and festive presentation for your holiday duck, use my recipe for Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Butternut Squash glazed with Cinnamon & Maple Syrup, with Pecans & Cranberries as garnish for the duck (this is what you see on the photo below). You can garnish the duck and decorate the serving platter with these colorful veggies – they will have all the holiday colors and flavors and will look very pretty with duck:
How to prepare a whole duck for roasting
Step-by-step photos and instructions start here (the complete recipe without photos is at the bottom of this post). I recommend that you read and look through these photos and then scroll down to the recipe box itself for more condensed version of the recipe (without photos).
If using frozen duck, make sure it’s completely defrosted (defrosted in the refrigerator for a couple of days). Remove the giblets from inside the duck. Rinse the duck, inside and outside, with cold water. Pat dry with paper towels:
Set the duck on the working surface. Score the duck’s skin on the breast side in a diamond pattern, making sure you only cut the skin, without reaching the meat. The 2 deep cuts to the right of the photos is the example of how NOT TO SCORE, but it’s still OK, as I did not cut through the meat but did reach the meat in those 2 cuts on the right:
The duck breast should be scored in a diamond pattern:
This is what the duck should look like, breast side up, scored (see 2 deep scores on the right – try not to do that but it’s OK as long as you don’t cut into the meat itself):
Poke the other fatty parts of the duck with the tip of the knife all over, to ensure fat release, especially in very fatty parts. You don’t need to poke the duck legs as the skin is pretty thin there (except for where the duck legs connect to the duck body).
Season the duck very generously with salt both inside the cavity of the duck and outside on the skin, legs, all over.
Put 5 chopped garlic cloves and lemon slices inside the duck cavity (these are just for flavor, not for eating – you will discard them after cooking).
The duck will have flapping skin on both ends – fold that skin inwards, to hold the garlic and lemon inside.
Tie the duck legs with butcher’s twine or butcher’s string (or, in my case, I just used folded aluminum foil to tie up the duck legs, because I forgot to get butcher’s twine):
Place the bird breast side up on a large roasting pan with a rack (roasting pan should have a roasting rack to lift the duck from the bottom of the pan and allow the fat to drip below the duck).
How to roast a duck in the oven
You will be roasting the duck for a total of 3 hours at 350 F. These 3 hours of roasting are divided into 4 distinctive time chunks (1 hour breast side up + 40 minutes breast side down + 40 minutes breast side up brushed with balsamic-lemon mixture + 40 minutes breast side up brushed with honey-balsamic mixture).
- Roast the duck for 1 hour at 350 F, breast side up, then remove the duck from the oven, it should look like this after the first 1 hour of roasting:
2. Then, flip the duck breast side down, and roast for 40 minutes at 350 F breast side down. The duck should look like this – it’s breast side down on this picture:
3. In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar with the freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon. Set the duck breast side up again on the roasting rack in the roasting pan. Brush all of the duck with the balsamic mixture (especially the scored duck breast) and cook the duck breast side up for another 40 minutes at 350 F, brushing every 10 minutes with the mixture.
4. Now, in a separate small bowl, combine 1/4 cup honey and 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar lemon mixture that you will have left over from the previous step. Brush the breast side of the duck with this honey-balsamic mixture, and roast the duck breast side up for another 40 minutes, brushing the duck breast side every 10 minutes with honey balsamic mixture. You can even carefully broil the duck for the last 10-15 minutes if you like (do it carefully, checking the duck regularly to make sure it doesn’t char too much).
The duck will really start to brown. In the end, the duck should be nicely browned with crispy skin like that (By now you would’ve cooked the duck for 3 hours at 350 F. ):
Untie the legs:
If you want a really beautiful and festive presentation for your holiday duck, use my recipe for Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Butternut Squash glazed with Cinnamon & Maple Syrup, with Pecans & Cranberries.
You can garnish the duck and decorate the serving platter with these colorful veggies – they will have all the holiday colors and flavors and will look very pretty with duck:
Thanksgiving side dishes
- Garlic and Bacon Green Beans – crispy and crunchy green beans sautéed with garlic and bacon in olive oil and butter on stove top.
- Creamy and Crunchy Salad with Peas, Bacon, and Pecans – easy and beautiful side dish for Thanksgiving!
- Dijon Mustard Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Apples, and Gorgonzola cheese – Brussels sprouts smothered in heavy cream and mustard with bacon, apples, Gorgonzola cheese and nutmeg. Cooked on stove top.
Detailed recipe with step-by-step photos on how to roast a whole duck in the oven. This Roast Duck has juicy meat, crispy skin, and it's glazed with the honey-balsamic glaze to give the duck a beautiful roasted look. Perfect main dish for any special occasion, especially holidays, such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Eve!
- 6 lb whole Pekin duck
- salt
- 5 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 lemon small or medium, chopped
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 lemon , freshly squeezed juice
- 1/4 cup honey
- If you purchased frozen duck, make sure to defrost the frozen duck in the refrigerator for a couple of days. Once the duck is completely defrosted (in the refrigerator), take the duck out of the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to cooking to bring it more or less to room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. You will be roasting the duck for a total of 3 hours (3 hours will be divided into 4 time chunks where you will be flipping the duck, brushing it with glaze, etc. - see the instructions below).
- Remove the giblets from inside the duck. Rinse the duck, inside and outside, with cold water. Pat dry with paper towels.
- Set the duck on the working surface. Score the duck's skin on the breast in a diamond pattern, making sure you only cut the skin, without reaching the meat. Poke the other fatty parts of the duck with the tip of the knife all over, to ensure fat release, especially in very fatty parts. You don’t need to poke the duck legs as the skin is pretty thin there (except for where the duck legs connect to the duck body). Season the duck very generously with salt both inside the cavity of the duck and outside on the skin, legs, all over. Place the duck breast side up.
- Put 5 chopped garlic cloves and lemon slices inside the duck cavity (these are just for flavor, not for eating - you will discard them after cooking). The duck will have flapping skin on both ends - fold that skin inwards, to hold the garlic and lemon inside. Tie up the duck legs with butcher's twine.
- Place the bird breast side up on a large roasting pan with a rack (roasting pan should have a roasting rack to lift the duck from the bottom of the pan and allow the fat to drip below the duck). Roast the duck, breast side up, for 1 hour at 350 F.
- After 1 hour of roasting, flip the duck on its breast and roast it breast side down (roast the other side) for 40 minutes, at 350 F.
- Remove the roasting pan with the duck from the oven (you now have roasted the duck for 1 hour + 40 minutes), carefully remove the duck to a platter (making sure the lemons and garlic from the cavity do not fall out - keep the skin on both ends of the duck folded), and carefully pour off all the duck fat juices from the roasting pan into a large heat-proof bowl or container.
- Flip the duck breast side up again on a rack in a roasting pan (the pan will have no fat juices now). In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar with the freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon. Brush all of the duck with the balsamic mixture (especially the scored duck breast) and cook the duck breast side up for another 40 minutes at 350 F, brushing every 10 minutes with the mixture.
- Now, in a separate small bowl, combine 1/4 cup honey and 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar lemon mixture that you will have left over from the previous step. Brush the breast side of the duck with this honey-balsamic mixture, and roast for another 40 minutes, brushing the duck breast side every 10 minutes with honey balsamic mixture. You can even carefully broil the duck for the last 10-15 minutes if you like (do it carefully, checking the duck regularly to make sure it doesn't char too much).
- After the duck is cooked, remove it from the oven, let duck stand for 15 minutes. Then, carefully remove and discard the lemon from the cavity (being careful not to get burned). Carve the duck and serve!
- TOTAL COOKING TIME: The duck should be roasted for a total of 3 hours at 350 F. These 3 hours of roasting are divided into 4 distinctive time chunks (1 hour breast side up + 40 minutes breast side down + 40 minutes breast side up brushed with balsamic-lemon mixture + 40 minutes breast side up brushed with honey-balsamic mixture).
Need a beautiful side dish to go with your roast duck?
Make this delicious Thanksgiving Side Dish with Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Cinnamon Butternut Squash, Pecans, and Cranberries:
Ideas for Thanksgiving Salads
- Winter Fruit Salad with Maple Lime Dressing – the ingredient list includes red apples, pears, clementine oranges (or mandarin oranges), kiwi fruit, dried cranberries, and pomegranate seeds.
- Butternut Squash and Spinach Salad with Pecans, Cranberries, Pomegranate – perfect healthy Thanksgiving salad with Poppy Seed Honey-Lime Dressing.
- Honey Mustard Brussels Sprouts Salad with Cranberries and Pecans – this holiday salad is all about crisp, shredded Brussels sprouts tossed with slightly sweet honey mustard vinaigrette, dried cranberries and chopped pecans.
- Warm Quinoa and Brussels Sprout Salad in Honey Mustard Vinaigrette – this salad is loaded with pecans and cranberries. It is a nutrient-packed salad that is high in fiber and antioxidant properties. A perfect addition to a healthy menu!
Do you cover the duck for any part of the roasting? OR is it uncovered the whole time?
Hi Stephanie! The duck is roasted UNCOVERED the whole time.
If my duck is only 4 1/4 pounds, do I still cook it that long?
Hi Patricia! I would adjust the cooking times if the duck is 4 1/4 pounds. Here is what I suggest:
In the recipe card where it says: Roast the duck for 3 hours in 4 distinctive steps: I would follow step 1 through Step 3 (cooking the duck for 1 hour and 40 minutes total). Then skip step 4 and move to step 5 where you cook the duck while brushing it with the balsamic vinegar + lemon + honey mixture for 40 minutes. After that time, check your duck for doneness. If the duck is not cooked to your preference, continue cooking the duck and brushing it with the honey-balsamic mixture, checking it for doneness every 10 minutes.
How to know when the duck is done? The duck is done to medium rare if the juices are pinkish when you carefully cut the duck in the fattest part. The duck is well done when juices run yellow-ish color.
You can also use a food thermometer. The cooked duck should measure an internal temperature of 165 °F using a meat thermometer.
Can you do this recipe in a dutch oven?
I wouldn’t recommend it. To roast the duck you need a large roasting pan with a rack. And, the roasting pan should have a roasting rack to lift the duck from the bottom of the pan and allow the fat to drip below the duck.
This sounds great, but I need advice for how to cook a smaller duck. Mine is only 4.5 pounds — how do I figure out how long to cook it? Thanks.
Hi Ann! In the recipe card where it says: Roast the duck for 3 hours in 4 distinctive steps: I would follow step 1 through Step 3 (cooking the duck for 1 hour and 40 minutes total). Then skip step 4 and move to step 5 where you cook the duck while brushing it with the balsamic vinegar + lemon + honey mixture for 40 minutes. After that time, check your duck for doneness. If the duck is not cooked to your preference, continue cooking the duck and brushing it with the honey-balsamic mixture, checking it for doneness every 10 minutes.
The duck is done to medium rare if the juices are pinkish when you carefully cut the duck in the fattest part. The duck is well done when juices run yellow-ish color.
You can also use a food thermometer. The cooked duck should measure an internal temperature of 165 °F using a meat thermometer.
Any tips for cooking the duck at home and then transporting it to another household? How to reheat it?
Hi Monica. I would cook the duck at home and use the appropriate container to transport it, such as a slow cooker. The duck is small enough that it should fit in a slow cooker. Take a large roasting pan with a rack with you to the other household (roasting pan should have a roasting rack to lift the duck from the bottom of the pan and allow the fat to drip below the duck). Basically, take the same pan in which you cooked your duck (without all the fat rendered from the duck – remove that).
Then, I would move the duck from the slow cooker to the roasting pan and reheat for about 30 minutes in the oven preheated to 350 F.
We always stuff the duck with apples and prunes, do you think I can still do it or will it alter the recipe, besides the cooking time. Thank you.
Daria, that sounds amazing – stuffing the duck with apples and prunes. It will not alter the recipe. Go ahead and stuff the duck with that yummy stuff.