Five-Spice Roast Ducks (Printer-friendly)

Aromatic whole duck with Chinese five-spice, honey glaze, and crispy golden skin for special occasions.

# What You Need:

→ Duck

01 - 1 whole duck (about 3.3–4.4 lbs), cleaned and patted dry

→ Marinade & Seasoning

02 - 2 tablespoons Chinese five-spice powder
03 - 1 teaspoon sea salt
04 - 1 tablespoon light soy sauce (gluten-free if required)
05 - 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce (gluten-free if required)
06 - 2 tablespoons honey
07 - 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
08 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
09 - 2-inch piece fresh ginger, grated
10 - 1 orange, zested and juiced
11 - 2 spring onions, chopped

→ For Roasting

12 - 1 orange, quartered
13 - 4 star anise pods

# How to Make It:

01 - In a small bowl, combine five-spice powder, salt, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, honey, Shaoxing wine, minced garlic, grated ginger, orange zest, and orange juice. Mix thoroughly until well blended.
02 - Place the duck on a rack in a roasting pan. Using a fork, prick the skin all over, being careful not to pierce the meat beneath.
03 - Rub the prepared marinade thoroughly over the entire exterior and inside the duck cavity. Stuff the cavity with quartered orange, chopped spring onions, and star anise pods.
04 - Leave the duck uncovered in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or preferably overnight for deeper flavor development.
05 - Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Position duck breast-side up in the roasting pan and roast for 1 hour, basting with accumulated pan juices every 30 minutes.
06 - Increase oven temperature to 425°F (220°C) and continue roasting for 20–30 minutes until the skin achieves a crisp, golden-brown finish.
07 - Remove duck from oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before carving. Serve with steamed jasmine rice and stir-fried greens if desired.

# Cooking Tips:

01 -
  • The five-spice marinade seeps into every corner of the meat, turning each bite into something fragrant and mysterious.
  • Crispy skin shatters under your fork while the meat stays tender and succulent, no dry edges in sight.
  • It looks and tastes like you spent all day in the kitchen, but most of the work is just waiting.
  • Leftovers turn into the kind of lunch that makes your coworkers jealous.
02 -
  • Pricking the skin is not optional, skip this and you will end up with rubbery, greasy skin instead of the crispy shell you are after.
  • Do not skip the resting time after roasting, cutting too soon means all those beautiful juices end up on the plate instead of in the meat.
  • If your duck is browning too fast, tent it loosely with foil and lower the heat slightly.
  • Basting is your friend, it keeps the breast moist and helps build up that glossy, caramelized crust.
03 -
  • Use a meat thermometer and aim for 75°C (165°F) in the thickest part of the thigh, no guessing, no dry meat.
  • Pour off some of the rendered fat halfway through roasting if the pan is getting too full, it prevents smoking and makes cleanup easier.
  • Let the carved duck rest on a warm plate, not a cold one, so it does not lose heat too quickly.
  • If the skin is not as crispy as you want after the first blast of high heat, give it another 5 minutes under the broiler, watching carefully.
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