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Home » Recipes » Chicken & Poultry

Nov 21, 2021(updated Jan 5, 2023)

Five Spice Roasted Duck

4.69 from 38 votes

12 Comments

by Becca Du

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
five spice roasted duck

The main event at Thanksgiving dinner is the turkey. I know that turkey is a Thanksgiving tradition, but I REALLY don’t like turkey. I think it’s dry and has no flavor. So I wanted to reimagine the center piece of the dinner and decided to go duck. Yes it is unorthodox but in Asian culture, ducks are eaten in times of celebration. And I think there is definitely a lot to celebrate and be thankful for this year even if it doesn’t seem like it. This is actually the first time I’ve ever made duck, and I honestly don’t know what I was waiting for. It has so much flavor and I absolutely love how easy it was to make. This is my recipe for five spice roasted duck.

marinating duck

Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments

Roasted Duck

  • Duck – I used 1 whole 4-5 pound duck for this recipe.
  • Five spice powder & salt – The combination of five spice and salt create the marinade for this duck recipe. The five spice adds flavor, and the salt seasons and draws out the moisture of the duck.
  • Yellow onions & shallots – Sweet yellow onions and shallots add flavor to this duck. A good substitute for both is white onions.
  • Thyme – Adds a herbaceous flavor to this duck. You can also substitute or add on sage and rosemary.

Tea Soy Sauce Glaze

This glaze is the perfect balance of umami, salty, and sweet. It is made with a combination of soy sauce, earl grey tea, mirin, rice wine vinegar, coriander, fennel, and star anise. To make this glaze gluten free, substitute tamari for soy sauce. You can also use any kind of black tea and vinegar for this recipe.

What is five spice powder?

Five spice powder is something that is associated with Asian cuisine, specifically Chinese and Taiwanese cuisine. It is made up of a mixture of 5 spices like its name suggests: star anise, cloves, cinnamon, Sichuan pepper, and fennel seeds. These are the most common spices included in five spice powder but there are variations that include a variety of different spices like anise seeds, ginger root, and nutmeg. I used Simply Organic’s five spice powder which includes cinnamon, fennel, cloves, star anise, and white pepper.

Five spice powder is a great spice in both sweet and savory dishes. It is most commonly used with poultry like for this duck recipe or with chicken. I also like to use it with meatier fish like salmon.

duck before roasting

Making my five spice roasted duck

The first step is to marinate and dry out the duck as much as possible. So first, pat dry the duck. Combine five spice powder and salt. Rub the entire duck with the five spice powder mixture. Make sure to rub the seasoning in the cavity of the duck as well. Let it marinate in the fridge overnight.

The next day, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Next, get out a roasting pan. Add the cut up onions and thyme sprigs to the bottom of the pan. Stuff the shallots into the duck and place it on top. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 1 1/2 hours. While the duck is roasting, make the glaze. Combine all the ingredients into a sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Simmer until half the liquid remains. Remove from the heat and set aside.

After 1 1/2 hours, remove the aluminum foil. Brush the glaze over the duck and bake for another 30 minutes uncovered until the center is 165 degrees F. Add a new layer of glaze after 15 minutes. Rest duck for 5 minutes before serving.

brushing glaze on the duck

Tips on how to make the perfect roasted duck

Rest the duck after roasting for the best results

If you don’t rest the duck before serving, all the juices will flow out once you cut into the duck, and you will get dry meat. Resting allows all the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, making for a juicier outcome. This concept actually applies to all meats.

Use leftover drippings and aromatics for a quick sauce

I did not include this in the recipe below, but you can use the leftover stuff in the roasting pan for a simple sauce. I whipped up a quick sauce by adding some wine, lemon juice, and a little bit of sugar, and then reducing it until it thickens. It tastes soooo good drizzled over the duck.

five spice roasted duck
five spice roasted duck

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five spice roasted duck

Five Spice Roasted Duck

Becca Du
A super simple recipe for roasted duck marinated in five spice powder and topped with a tea soy sauce glaze.
4.69 from 38 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 8 hrs
Cook Time 2 hrs
Course Main Course
Cuisine Asian
Servings 4 people
Calories 848 kcal

Equipment

  • Meat Thermometer

Ingredients
 
 

Roasted Duck

  • 1 duck 4-5lbs
  • 2 tbsp five spice powder
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 2 yellow onions cut into chunks
  • 3 shallots
  • 15 sprigs thyme

Tea Soy Sauce Glaze

  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp earl grey tea
  • 2 tbsp mirin
  • 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp fennel
  • 2 star anise

Instructions
 

  • Pat dry the duck. Combine five spice powder and salt. Rub the entire duck with the five spice powder mixture. Make sure to rub the seasoning in the cavity of the duck as well.
  • Let the duck marinate in the fridge overnight.
  • The next day, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Next, get out a roasting pan. Add the cut up onions and thyme sprigs to the bottom of the pan. Stuff the shallots into the duck and place it on top. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 1 1/2 hours.
  • While the duck is roasting, make the glaze. Combine all the ingredients into a sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Simmer until half the liquid remains. Remove from the heat and set aside.
  • After 1 1/2 hours, remove the aluminum foil. Brush the glaze over the duck and bake for another 30 minutes uncovered until the center is 165 degrees F. Add a new layer of glaze after 15 minutes.
  • Rest duck for 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

  • Rest the duck after roasting for the best results – If you don’t rest the duck before serving, all the juices will flow out once you cut into the duck, and you will get dry meat. Resting allows all the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, making for a juicier outcome. This concept actually applies to all meats.
  • Use leftover drippings and aromatics for a quick sauce – I did not include this in the recipe below, but you can use the leftover stuff in the roasting pan for a simple sauce. I whipped up a quick sauce by adding some wine, lemon juice, and a little bit of sugar, and then reducing it until it thickens. It tastes soooo good drizzled over the duck.

Nutrition

Calories: 848kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 26gFat: 76gSaturated Fat: 25gCholesterol: 145mgSodium: 2746mgPotassium: 646mgFiber: 3gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 499IUVitamin C: 18mgCalcium: 88mgIron: 7mg
Keyword five spice roasted duck, roasted duck
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kaitie says

    December 2, 2020 at 7:51 pm

    5 stars
    This duck was incredible!! I added some ginger in the cavity as well and it turned out so flavorful and moist. I’m definitely going to make this again soon!

    Reply
    • Becca says

      December 2, 2020 at 8:54 pm

      Thank you so much Kaitie!!!

      Reply
  2. Dennis Du says

    December 7, 2020 at 2:10 pm

    5 stars
    Look good and tasks good.

    Reply
  3. Luq says

    December 26, 2020 at 4:11 am

    5 stars
    Wonderful recipe! I used irish silver hill duck with a thick fat layer, and therefore scored the duck skin across the breast to ensure better rendering of the fat. also rubbed in more five spice powder and salt to ensure a thorough penetration. guests loved it.
    the drippings/duck fat make for superb rice dishes – be sure to save it.

    Reply
    • Becca says

      December 26, 2020 at 9:48 am

      That sounds amazing! Thank you for trying the recipe!

      Reply
  4. Debo Fletcher says

    December 27, 2020 at 7:50 am

    Made this over Christmas and it was amazing! The glaze was the highlight! Might make it a yearly tradition. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Becca says

      December 27, 2020 at 9:04 am

      Hi Debo. Thank you so much for trying the recipe! So glad you enjoyed it 🙂

      Reply
  5. Jackie baginski says

    November 23, 2021 at 10:15 am

    I plan to make this on Thanksgiving. One question, please, the Earl Grey tea…is that from a cup of tea, or the actual tea leaves. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Becca says

      November 23, 2021 at 11:43 am

      Hi Jackie. I’m excited you’re making this for Thanksgiving! I used loose leaf earl grey tea for this recipe. Let me know how it goes!

      Reply
      • Jackie says

        November 23, 2022 at 11:39 am

        5 stars
        Here it is ,Thanksgiving again and guess what I’m making… lol It was such a hit last year that even the turkey-eaters wanted some .
        Had a senior moment & was wondering the exact thing I wondered last year about the tea. Thanks for this wonderful recipe 🙂

        Reply
        • Becca Du says

          November 23, 2022 at 12:52 pm

          I used loose leaf earl grey tea for this recipe! I hope you love this duck as much as you did last year 🙂

          Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Chanmas 2022 – The creator's den -The Blog of Chandra Free says:
    November 14, 2022 at 7:01 pm

    […] 5 Spice Duck! […]

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Hello I'm Becca! I believe any day can be made better with a bowl of noodle soup. Here you will find recipes from my Chinese/Vietnamese heritage and stories from my experience living here in beautiful LA. Grab a drink and stay awhile! Read More

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