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.
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.
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.
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.
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Five Spice Roasted Duck
Equipment
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.
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!
Thank you so much Kaitie!!!
Look good and tasks good.
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.
That sounds amazing! Thank you for trying the recipe!
Made this over Christmas and it was amazing! The glaze was the highlight! Might make it a yearly tradition. Thank you.
Hi Debo. Thank you so much for trying the recipe! So glad you enjoyed it 🙂
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!
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!
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 🙂
I used loose leaf earl grey tea for this recipe! I hope you love this duck as much as you did last year 🙂
The glaze brought so much flavor to the duck!! Great recipe 🙂
I’m so excited to hear that! The glaze is my favorite part of the duck!
I raise my own ducks (pekins & muscovy) and after the first time I tried this recipe I never looked back, it’s in my favorites and the only one I use which has been nearly a dozen times. Tomorrow I am going to try it on a rotisserie and see how that goes. Would like to say thank you very much for sharing this.
Hi Dave. That is amazing! I can’t believe you raise your own ducks! Please share how this recipe tastes using a rotisserie. I’ve always wanted to try using one!