Chef Johns Orange Duck Recipes

DUCK RILLETTES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Line a 9x13 baking dish with 2 pieces of aluminum foil.
• Stir kosher salt, 2 teaspoons black pepper, and dried thyme together in a bowl. Mix garlic, ginger, orange zest strips, fresh thyme, and bay leaves together in another bowl.
• Season duck all over, inside and out, with about 2/3 of the kosher salt mixture. Fill duck cavity with garlic mixture.
• Place duck, breast-side up, into prepared baking dish and season with remaining salt mixture. Wrap duck tightly in aluminum foil.
• Roast in the preheated oven until meat pulls away from the bones, 5 to 6 hours. Cool duck with its accumulated juices, wrapped in aluminum foil, to room temperature. Chill in the refrigerator for 12 hours or overnight.
• Pick meat from bones and place in a bowl.
• Spoon all accumulated juices in the foil into a saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Cook until hot throughout; strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. Let fat and stock separate; transfer fat from the top to another bowl.
• Mash duck meat, 3 tablespoons duck fat, 2 tablespoons duck stock, butter, brandy, parsley, chives, Dijon mustard, cayenne pepper, salt, and ground black pepper together in a bowl with a wooden spoon; transfer to a sealable container, press down, and drizzle a little duck fat over the top. Sprinkle thyme leaves, black pepper, and orange zest over the top. Seal the container and refrigerate for the flavors to blend, 1 to 3 days.

ROAST DUCK WITH ORANGE AND GINGER

Steps:

• Rinse duck and pat dry. Remove neck and giblets and save for another purpose. Remove excess fat from cavity and tail area and trim off a bit of flappy neck skin. Prick duck skin all over with tip of sharp paring knife, making sure not to penetrate meat.
• Mix together salt and 5-spice powder. Season interior of duck with 1 tablespoon salt mixture; use remainder to generously season exterior (you may have a little left over). Combine orange zest with grated ginger and garlic, then smear mixture inside cavity. Place orange wedges in cavity. Tie legs together. Secure neck flap with wooden skewer or toothpicks. Place duck on rack in roasting pan breast-side-up and refrigerate overnight, uncovered.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, bring duck to room temperature and make the glaze: Bring orange juice, honey, sugar and soy sauce to a simmer. Add sliced ginger and star anise, then reduce mixture until you have a medium-thick syrup, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Roast duck for 2 hours, carefully pouring off fat and turning duck over every 30 minutes. Paint with glaze and roast another 30 minutes (2 1/2 hours in all). Tent with foil if glaze begins to get too dark. Duck is done when temperature at thickest part of leg reads 165 degrees. Paint duck once more, keep warm and let rest 20 minutes. Use poultry shears to cut into quarters (remove backbone first) or carve in the traditional way, removing legs from carcass and slicing breast. Serve with mashed butternut squash if desired.

BOHEMIAN ORANGE CHICKEN

Steps:

• Generously season chicken thighs on both sides with 2 teaspoons kosher salt.
• Heat olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over high heat. Add chicken, skin-side down, to the hot oil and sear until skin is golden brown and releases from the bottom of the skillet, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn and sear on the other side for 3 to 4 minutes. Turn off the heat and remove chicken to a plate. Drain fat from the skillet and reserve for another use.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Place the skillet back on the stove. Add onion, a pinch of kosher salt, and sugar. Turn heat to medium-high; cook and stir until onion turns translucent and sugar starts to caramelize on the bottom, 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic; cook and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds, being careful not to burn.
• Add orange zest, orange juice, lemon juice, and chicken broth. Increase heat to high, and stir in cinnamon, cayenne, and black pepper. Stir occasionally and bring to a boil. Boil until liquids are reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Turn off the heat and transfer chicken and any accumulated juices back into the skillet; make sure the skin is facing up. Baste chicken with the liquid and sprinkle caraway seeds over top.
• Cover and bake in the center of the preheated oven for 1 hour. Remove from the oven, remove the lid, and baste chicken.
• Return to the oven and bake, uncovered, until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 20 more minutes, adding a splash of water if the liquid dries out. An instant-read thermometer inserted near the bone should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
• Remove from the oven and baste again. Garnish with grated orange zest and serve.

DUCK ADOBO

Steps:

• Season duck legs with salt and black pepper.
• Heat vegetable oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat; add duck legs, skin side down, and cook until browned, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove duck legs and drain all but 1 tablespoon of duck fat from the pan.
• Cook onion in reserved duck fat over medium heat until onion begins to turn translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic; cook and stir until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Stir chicken broth, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sambal chili paste, and bay leaves into onion mixture; bring to a simmer. Return duck legs to the skillet, loosely cover, and simmer until duck legs are tender and easily pierced with a fork, about 2 hours.
• Remove cover from the skillet, increase heat to high, and cook until sauce is thick, about 5 minutes; season with salt and black pepper to taste.