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 menu (my 50 best Thanksgiving recipes), 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 a 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 about 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 (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).
How to roast a duck in the oven
THIS IS A RECIPE OVERVIEW WITH STEP-BY-STEP PHOTOS. SCROLL DOWN TO THE RECIPE CARD TO SEE THE COMPLETE RECIPE.
Here is the recipe for a duck cooked to the final internal temperature of 165 F (well-done, not dry, not overcooked, just juicy and well-done). Use an internal meat thermometer at all times to guide you through the process. Adjust the cooking times proportionally if you prefer to cook your duck medium (140 F internal temperature) or medium-rare (130 F internal temperature).
1) Roast the duck for about 40 minutes at 350 F, breast side up, then remove the duck from the oven, it should look like this after the first 40 minutes of roasting:
2) Then, flip the duck breast side down, and roast for 20 or 40 minutes at 350 F breast side down. After 20 minutes of roasting, check the duck's internal temperature with an instant meat thermometer. If the temperature reaches 140 F, proceed to the next step. If the meat temperature is below 140 F, roast the duck for 10 or 20 more minutes or until the temperature reaches 140 F. The duck should look like this - it's breast side down on this picture:
3) Remove the roasting pan with the duck from the oven, careful not to spill the juices (fat) in the roasting pan. 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.
4) In a small bowl, combine ½ cup of balsamic vinegar with the freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon and ¼ cup of honey. 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. Continue to measure the duck's internal temperature with the meat thermometer.
5) Add more honey to the mixture if it's too thin; it should be relatively thick. Roast the duck for another 20 minutes, brushing the duck breast side every 5 minutes with honey balsamic mixture.
6) Take the duck out of the oven once the internal temperature reaches 155 F (and after you've briefly broiled it if needed). Let it rest, uncovered, on the kitchen counter for about 15 minutes. During this time the duck will continue cooking in residual heat until it reaches 165 F.
In the end, the duck should be nicely browned with crispy skin like this:
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.
Roast Duck Recipe
Ingredients
Roast Duck
- 6 lb whole Pekin duck
- salt
- 5 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 lemon small or medium, chopped
Glaze
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 lemon , freshly squeezed juice
- ¼ cup honey
Instructions
HOW TO THAW FROZEN DUCK
- 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 thawed (in the refrigerator), take the duck out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking to bring it more or less to room temperature.
PREHEAT THE OVEN TO 350 Fahrenheit
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a large roasting pan with a rack (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).
PREPARE THE DUCK
- 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, ensuring 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 where the duck legs connect to the duck body). Season the duck generously with salt both inside the duck's cavity and outside on the skin, legs, and all over. Place the duck breast side up. (refer to step-by-step photos on scoring duck's skin above this recipe card - please scroll 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.(again, refer to the step-by-step photos above).
GENERAL GUIDELINES on roasting the whole duck safely in the oven
- Before you go ahead with the recipe, please review these general guidelines.
- According to USDA, to safely cook the duck in the oven at 350 Fahrenheit you have to cook it for 30 minutes per pound, which equals 3 hours for a 6-pound duck. Of course, one should use a meat thermometer and cook the duck to one's preference (medium-rear, for example), but at your own risk. 🙂 Here is the link for the USDA's safe cooking guidelines for whole ducks.
- The duck is considered safe to eat (according to USDA) when an internal temperature reaches 165 °F using a meat thermometer. That's when it's well done. If you take the duck out of the oven once the internal temperature is 155 F and let it sit for 10-15 minutes on the counter until it reaches 165 F - the duck will be well-done, delicious, and safe to eat. Check the internal temperature in the thigh's and wing's innermost part and the breast's thickest part.
- If you prefer to cook your duck rare or medium-rare, the internal temperature (as measured by a meat thermometer) at which you take it out of the oven is 130 Fahrenheit. For medium, take it out at 140 Fahrenheit. But it could be not safe to eat (according to USDA). Do so at your own risk. 🙂 The USDA recommends roasting the duck for 30 minutes per pound at 350 F to be safe.
RECIPE OVERVIEW
- With these considerations in mind, here is the recipe for a duck cooked to the final internal tempearture of 165 F (well-done, not dry, not overcooked, just juicy and well-done). Use an internal meat thermometer at all times to guide you through the process. Adjust the cooking times proportionally if you prefer to cook your duck medium (140 F internal temperature) or medium-rare (130 F internat temperature).
HOW TO ROAST THE DUCK IN THE OVEN
- Step 1. Roast for 40 minutes. Place the bird breast side up on a large roasting pan with a rack (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). Roast the duck, uncovered, breast side up, for 40 minutes at 350 F.
- Step 2. Roast for 20 minutes (or up to 40 minutes). Flip the duck on its breast and roast it breast side down (roast the other side) for 20 more minutes, uncovered, at 350 F. After 20 minutes of roasting, check the duck's internal temperature with an instant meat thermometer. If the temperature reaches 140 F, proceed to the next step. If the meat temperature is below 140 F, roast the duck for 10 or 20 more minutes or until the temperature reaches 140 F. Keep in mind this recipe is for a well-done roasted duck. Please take a look at the 2 sections above GENERAL GUIDELINES and RECIPE OVERVIEW if you want your duck roasted medium or medium-rare. And always use a MEAT THERMOMETER.
- Step 3. Remove duck fat. You now have roasted the duck for 1 hour (or 1 hour 20 minutes total). Remove the roasting pan with the duck from the oven, careful not to spill the juices (fat) in the roasting pan. 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.
- Step 4. Make a honey-balsamic glaze and roast for 20 minutes, brushing the duck with the glaze. 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 ½ cup of balsamic vinegar + the freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon + ¼ cup honey. Brush all of the duck with the balsamic mixture (especially the scored duck breast) and cook the duck breast side up for another 20 minutes at 350 F, brushing every 10 minutes with the mixture. Continue to measure the duck's internal temperature with the meat thermometer.
- Step 5. Roast for 20 minutes and continue brushing the duck with the glaze. Add more honey to the mixture if it's too thin; it should be relatively thick. Roast the duck for another 20 minutes, brushing the duck breast side every 5 minutes with honey balsamic mixture.
- Step 6. Broil the duck (optional and if needed). You can carefully broil the duck for about 5 or 10 minutes (check it regularly to ensure it doesn't char too much). Broiling the duck is a great option if the skin is not crispy enough. It will speed up the caramelization of the skin if your duck is already cooked to a desired internal temperature (as measured by a meat thermometer).
- Step 7. Remove the duck from the oven. Remove the duck from the oven once the internal temperature reaches 155 F (and after you've briefly broiled it if needed). Let it rest, uncovered, on the kitchen counter for about 15 minutes. During this time the duck will continue cooking in residual heat until it reaches 165 F.
- Step 8. Discard the lemon. Then, carefully remove and discard the lemon from the cavity (being careful not to get burned). Carve the duck and serve!
Notes
Updated recipe
I updated this recipe on October 28, 2023, to make it comprehensive. Let me know in the comments what you think (if the updates are helpful) or if you "miss" the old recipe (which I can repost).Why is the calorie amount in the Nutrition Section so huge?
The huge calories (about 3,000 calories per serving) you see on the nutrition label (the nutrition info on my site is approximate anyway!) include a large amount of duck fat rendered when you roast the duck. You will not eat this fat with the duck (it's rendered and then removed from the roasting pan). But you can save it and use some of it to roast the potatoes or eggs for the next several days.Duck's weight matters!
Ducks come in different sizes. The recipe, as written, is for a 6-pound duck. If your duck is half that size (3 pounds), adjust cooking times accordingly (in half). Use a meat thermometer as your guidance.Looking for Thanksgiving side dishes to serve with duck?
I have created a comprehensive recipe collection of 60 Thanksgiving side dishes conveniently categorized by ingredient: Green Beans, Butternut Squash, Sweet Potatoes, Brussels Sprouts, Potatoes, Acorn Squash, Spaghetti Squash, Asparagus, Broccoli, etc. It's a great resource to browse through for a last moment holiday inspiration! This side dishes will also work great for Christmas and New Year's Eve.Looking for a complete Thanksgiving menu?
Be sure to check out my 50 Best Thanksgiving Recipes (The Complete Holiday Menu) - it includes everything: Fall-inspired holiday appetizers, side dishes, salads, main courses, pasta recipes, desserts, and even breakfast. This holiday menu features proven, tried, and true Thanksgiving dishes that have been reader favorites for years (I've been publishing recipes since 2012).⬇️⬇️ My most popular Thanksgiving side dishes, salads, and desserts are below. They will pair beautifully with the roast duck. I highly recommend you check them out. ⬇️⬇️
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
My most popular Thanksgiving Side Dishes
- Thanksgiving Side Dish with Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Cinnamon Butternut Squash, Pecans, and Cranberries
- Roasted Acorn Squash Stuffed with Apples (cooked with brown sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice)
- Stuffed Butternut Squash with Spinach, Bacon, and Cheese
- Butternut Squash Pasta Salad with Brussels Sprouts, Pecans, and Cranberries
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Pecans, Dried Cranberries, and Balsamic Glaze
My most popular Thanksgiving Salads
- Fall Pasta Salad with Spinach, Roasted Butternut Squash, Pumpkin Seeds, Cranberries, and Goat Cheese
- Apple Spinach Salad with Pecans, Cranberries, Goat Cheese, and Maple-Lime Mustard Dressing
- Christmas Salad with Baby Spinach, Mandarin Oranges, Pomegranate Seeds, Cranberries, Pecans, and Honey-Mustard Lime Vinaigrette
Carolyn
Oh my, what a treat we had tonight. No special reason, we just decided to celebrate a Wednesday and BOY we were not disappointed with your recipe!
I've never cooked a duck before. I had helped my father many years ago (like, 40+ years!), so I wasn't too nervous, but when I started prepping, all my lemons had gone bad, so I substituted the only citrus I had - a Cara Cara orange. THEN I got nervous, but all went well. My mom, who's a bit of a duck foodie, pronounced it to be excellent. She's making plans to make soup out of the carcass and was so happy with all the fat that is now in the fridge ready for some further recipe use.
One other thing I did was that I used garlic salt to season the bird. In my family, there's no such thing as too much garlic, and it really added a nice boost.
So bring on more Wednesday nights and fabulous duck!
Marion Brayiannis
What is the serving size used to determine the Nutrition Facts? The calorie count and fat content is insanely high, as are all the numbers!
Roget
Quite delicious but the cleaning up of the oven was a monumental task. The process generated wonderfully smelling steam and odours, but they are still in the house the following day. It was also quite demanding in terms of term spend in the kitchen. Will I cook it again? Only if I can deal with the drawbacks first.
Casey Cahill
My wife is from Beijing, and we've travelled together there many times over the years. We love duck! We've had the famous "Peking Duck" at the restaurant that developed that recipe and have been doing it for hundreds of years. Though this isn't a Chinese recipe, we made this for Chinese New Year yesterday for several of our Chinese friends and us. It is brilliant! The second-best duck we've ever had, and that is quite the compliment! Thank you for an excellent recipe, perfectly described, Julia!
B. Bruncati
You say in Step 3 to:
"carefully pour off all the duck fat juices from the roasting pan into a large heat-proof bowl or container.
What do we do with these juices ? Are they used for a gravy or thrown out ?
Thanks
Al
Put it in the fridge , the stock will separate from the fat , (stock on bottom, fat on top) use for other stuff , the fat is great for potatoes, the stock use where other stock is used , soup, pot pies, etc.
Carolyn
I ran it through a sieve and it's now in a jar in the fridge. I'll be using it in all kinds of recipes: potatoes, searing meat, and I'm going to try baking with it next.
Lisa
Duck fat is perfect for sautéing/frying some sliced or cubed potatoes as a side dish. Tonight I had some leftover mashed potatoes so I made some potato cakes and fried them in the duck fat. Amazing!
Kevin
Freeze the fat in a date labeled plastic container. It will store for several months and very easy to pull out a couple of tablespoons for frying potatoes any time you like.
Dennis Jackman
This is the best roast duck i've ever had.
Was easy to cook and just resulted in tender duck that i totally enjoyed.
will definitely retain this recipe as my goto.
Only substitution i made was replaced lemon with orange in stuffing the cavity.
Thank you so much for sharing.
Michelle
This is now my husband's favorite recipe! It's very simple and easy to follow, and the results are just delicious. I recommend this recipe to anyone that's looking to cook a whole duck. It's worth every step! Thank you for sharing!
Nicole
Hello,
I anticipate making this recipe soon. I do not own a roasting pan. Do you recommend I buy one or do you think I can improvise in some way? Thank you for your response in advance!
Anne Marie
Good base recipe, but I found the flavours did not quite pop like I expected. The second time making it I simplified the baking times by flipping every half hour. With an hour left I brushed both sides with the vinegar and lemon mixture. While the duck cooked for half an hour I added the honey to the rest of the mix and reduced it all by half in a non-stick pot. With half an hour left I brushed both sides with the reduction and cooked for 15 minutes on one side then brushed both sides with the reduction and cooked for another 15 minutes.
My suggestions for the honey mix:
1) do as recipe calls for if you like subtle flavours
2) if you like a lot of bbq sauce textured sauce on your duck, use all of the lemon, balsamic, and honey the recipe calls for but keep all of the balsamic and lemon when adding the honey and then reduce all three in a sauce pan by half, stirring frequently (may need to heat sauce up when basting the second time)
3) if you like a glaze halve the amount of balsamic, lemon, and honey and otherwise follow step 2 instructions.
Amanda Jane Sorg
We made this for dinner tonight and it was succulent and delicious. I shared it on my Facebook Recipe Swap, too! Thank you!
John I
It's my second time trying this. The cooking instructions are perfect, but I just didn't like the lemon & garlic combo inside the first time I tried it. This time I used a couple of clementine oranges inside and rubbed kosher salt, rosemary, & lemon pepper on the outside. I juiced one clementine with the balsamic and honey instead of lemon juice on the outside. It was wonderful. Of course, duck a l'orange is hardly new but the sweeter clementine and this simpler, superior roasting method in here made it even better than that.
Julie Turk
Looks amazing! is the calorie per serving correct?
Abis
Is the calorie count correct at over 2600 per serving? How is that worked out?
We have wild ducks so have very little fat on them, will this make a difference?
GC
Unfortunately it did not come out that way for me!!!
Karen Block Ordway
Omg. The balsamic glaze is amazing.... this is the best recipe EVER,,, this duck was tender and delectable Will definitely recommend this method and can’t wait to make it again