Five-Spice Roast Ducks (Printer-friendly)

Whole duck with five-spice, honey, and orange. Crispy skin, aromatic flavors. Serves 2 in 1 hour 50 minutes.

# 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 variety recommended)
05 - 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce (gluten-free variety recommended)
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

# 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 thoroughly 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 exterior and inside the cavity of the duck. Stuff the cavity with orange quarters, chopped spring onions, and star anise pods.
04 - Place the duck uncovered in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight for enhanced flavor development.
05 - Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
06 - Position the duck breast-side up on the rack and roast for 1 hour. Baste with accumulated pan juices every 30 minutes.
07 - Increase oven temperature to 425°F (220°C) and roast for an additional 20–30 minutes until the skin achieves a crisp, golden-brown finish.
08 - Remove the duck from the oven and allow it to rest for 10 minutes before carving to retain juices.
09 - Present the carved duck with steamed jasmine rice and stir-fried greens if desired.

# Top Tips:

01 -
  • The skin crisps up like shattered amber while the meat stays impossibly tender and juicy.
  • Your entire home fills with an intoxicating aroma that makes everyone wander into the kitchen asking when dinner will be ready.
  • It looks and tastes like you spent all day fussing, but most of the work is just letting time and spice do their magic.
  • Leftovers transform into the kind of sandwiches people dream about days later.
02 -
  • Pricking the skin is non-negotiable, I skipped it once and ended up with a greasy, floppy mess instead of that signature crackle.
  • Leaving the duck uncovered in the fridge overnight dries out the skin even more, which is the secret to getting it restaurant-level crispy.
  • Basting matters more than you think, those pan juices carry flavor and help the skin caramelize evenly.
03 -
  • Use a rack in the roasting pan so the duck doesn't sit in its own fat and steam instead of roast.
  • If the skin starts browning too fast, tent it loosely with foil until the last high-heat blast.
  • Pair this with a light Pinot Noir or chilled jasmine tea, both cut through the richness beautifully.
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