Five-Spice Roast Ducks (Printer-friendly)

Aromatic whole duck with Chinese five-spice, honey, orange, and soy sauce, roasted to crispy perfection.

# Ingredient List:

→ Duck

01 - 1 whole duck (3.3–4.4 lb), 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
05 - 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce, gluten-free
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 Steps:

01 - In a small bowl, combine five-spice powder, salt, light and dark soy sauces, honey, Shaoxing wine, minced garlic, grated ginger, orange zest, and orange juice. Mix until well incorporated.
02 - Place the duck on a rack in a roasting pan. Using a fork, prick the skin all over, taking care not to pierce the meat beneath.
03 - Rub the marinade thoroughly over the entire exterior and inside the duck cavity. Stuff the cavity with orange quarters, chopped spring onions, and star anise pods.
04 - Leave the duck uncovered in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or preferably overnight for enhanced flavor development.
05 - Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Place the duck breast-side up on the rack and roast for 1 hour, basting with 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 the duck from the oven and allow it to rest for 10 minutes before carving. This redistribution of juices ensures moist, tender meat.
08 - Transfer carved duck to serving platter. Serve with steamed jasmine rice and stir-fried seasonal greens as accompaniments.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • The skin crisps up like golden glass while the meat stays impossibly tender and juicy.
  • Every bite carries that perfect balance of sweet, salty, and aromatic spice that feels both exotic and comforting.
  • It looks like you've been cooking for days, but the actual hands-on work is surprisingly minimal.
  • Leftovers transform into the kind of sandwiches that make you look forward to tomorrow.
02 -
  • Leaving the duck uncovered in the fridge overnight dries the skin completely, which is the single most important step for achieving that glass-like crispness.
  • Don't skip the basting, those layers of flavor and color build up with each pass and create the gorgeous mahogany finish.
  • The oven temperature jump at the end is critical, low and slow renders the fat, high heat crisps the skin.
  • Always let the duck rest before carving or you'll lose all those precious juices to the cutting board.
03 -
  • Use a meat thermometer to check for doneness, you're looking for 74°C in the thickest part of the thigh.
  • If the skin starts browning too quickly during the initial roast, tent it loosely with foil until the final high-heat blast.
  • Pour off excess fat from the roasting pan halfway through and save it in a jar, duck fat roasted potatoes are a gift you give yourself.
  • For an even deeper flavor, marinate the duck for a full 24 hours and add a cinnamon stick to the cavity.
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