I absolutely adore confit duck legs, but rarely have the time or patience. If you’re in the same position, consider roasting duck legs instead! They cook at a low temperature before the heat is cranked up, yielding juicy duck meat and impossibly crispy skin.
And you know what crispy duck skin means… leftover rendered duck fat. 🙌🏻 Save that to make crispy duck fat roasted potatoes and then come back and thank me later.
This oven-roasted duck leg recipe is extremely simple. You’ll want one duck leg quarter per person, store-bought or homemade Chinese 5 spice, and some Kosher salt. That’s it. Poke holes in the skin of the duck (same as you would when making pan-seared duck breasts), sprinkle with five spice, then refrigerate overnight. The next day, cook and dig in!
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If you’ve never used Chinese five spice powder before, prepare to be amazed. It’s a blend of star anise, fennel seeds, Szechuan peppercorns, ground cinnamon, and cloves, and has the most amazing fragrance.
You might recognize the flavor from some of your favorite Chinese dishes (Ro Zao is one of my favorites!), but if not, don’t worry — you’ll find endless ways to use it!
For Best Results, Chill Overnight
The cool air circulating (along with the small holes poked into the skin) help to dry it out and get all kinds of crispy and delicious when roasted.
What To Serve With Roast Duck
Enjoy over steamed white rice with a flavorful side dish like miso eggplant, garlicky sautéed spinach, blistered shishito peppers, or sautéed bok choy.
Honestly cannot wait to hear what you think of this recipe! If you give these crispy-skinned duck legs, please let us know by leaving a review and ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below!
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Crispy Roasted Duck Legs With Chinese Five Spice
Ingredients
- 2 duck leg quarters
- 2 tsp Chinese five spice
- 1 ½ tsp Kosher salt
- Flaky sea salt, for serving
Instructions
- Refrigerate the duck overnight. Use a sausage pricker or a sharp paring knife to poke small holes all over the skin of the duck legs, being careful not to pierce the flesh. This will help the duck skin dry out in the cold air. Sprinkle 2 tsp Chinese five spice powder on all sides of the duck, then place on plate or tray and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
- Cook the duck legs. When ready, preheat an oven to 275°F (135°C). Place duck legs in a small baking dish (the smaller the better — as they cook, the duck fat will render and melt; it helps for the duck legs to be sitting in the fat!). Cook for 1½ hours, basting with the rendered fat once or twice.
- Crisp the skin. Raise the oven temperature to 400°F (204°C), then cook duck an additional 10-15 minutes, just to crisp the skin. Serve immediately with a pinch of flaky sea salt.
Notes
- Duck legs are safe to eat when an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) has been reached.
- Store rendered duck fat in a sealed container in a fridge, then use as you would oil to cook savory dishes.
My Gosh! What a wonderful recipe. Our friends surprised us with two gallons of freshly hunted duck a couple of nights ago. Although the butcher had done some trimming, it still needed more. What fun! I separated the thighs from the legs and plucked the remaining quills and feathers, then counted 26 legs which I used for this recipe. I cooked the meat exactly as written by the author and it was a great hit. Served it with homemade vegetable fried rice and a Japanese broccoli. This recipe is a keeper!
Wow, that’s a lot of duck legs! I agree, though, this has such great depth of flavor. Yum! xo, Ari
This was so good and so easy. I needed 5 spiced duck for a plum salad recipe and this totally filled the bill. It came out perfectly and I can’t wait to use the resulting duck fat.
Oh, I’m so glad you enjoyed this, Heather! I love Chinese five spice, it adds so much flavor, and with minimal effort. Cheers, Ari