Easy Orange Duck Recipes

ORANGE-ROASTED DUCK

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large roasting pan with foil.
• Remove both wingtips at the top joint with kitchen scissors or a heavy knife; reserve wing tips. Reserve neck (discard the rest of the giblets). Trim the excess skin and fat around the neck and cavity opening. Grate 1/4 teaspoon orange zest and set aside. Cut oranges into quarters. Set aside 3 sections and place the remaining orange sections inside the duck; fold the wings under and tie the legs together with kitchen string. With a skewer or fork, prick holes in the skin without piercing the flesh. (This allows fat to drain during roasting.)
• Whisk marmalade and 2 tablespoons soy sauce in a small bowl. Loosen the skin over the breast and thigh meat and rub about 3 tablespoons of the marmalade mixture under the skin. Place breast-side down on a rack in the prepared roasting pan.
• Roast the duck for 1 hour. Remove the duck from the pan and carefully pour off the fat. Return the duck to the rack, breast-side up. Continue roasting, basting every 15 minutes with another 2 tablespoons of the marmalade mixture, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thigh without touching bone registers 165 degrees F, 1 to 1 1/4 hours more.
• Meanwhile, place the reserved wing tips and neck in a medium saucepan, add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the broth is reduced by half, 5 to 7 minutes. Strain and discard solids; return the broth to the pan. Squeeze the juice from the reserved orange sections into a small bowl; add cornstarch and whisk until smooth. Stir the juice mixture, reserved zest and brown sugar into the broth; cook over medium heat, stirring, until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce.
• Transfer the duck to a cutting board; let rest for 15 minutes before removing the string and carving. Serve with the sauce on the side.

EASY ORANGE GLAZE DUCK

Steps:

• Pour the orange soda, orange juice concentrate, barbecue sauce, brown sugar, and teriyaki sauce into a bowl, and stir to combine and dissolve the sugar.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Remove any excess pieces of fat from inside the duckling, place the duck into a roasting pan, and prick the skin all over with a fork to allow the fat to drain off while roasting.
• Brush the duckling with the orange mixture. Place the mushrooms into the cavity of the duck, and spoon in some of the orange sauce.
• Roast the duck in the preheated oven, brushing it every 20 to 30 minutes with the orange sauce, until a meat thermometer inserted into a thick part of a thigh reads 165 degrees F (75 degrees C), about 2 1/2 hours.

CHEF JOHN'S ORANGE DUCK

Steps:

• Score duck skin almost all the way through the skin and fat each way on the diagonal in a crosshatch pattern. Generously season with salt and rub salt into each breast. Let rest, skin-side up, at room temperature, for 15 minutes.
• Whisk chicken broth, orange liqueur, sherry vinegar, orange marmalade, orange zest, and cayenne pepper together in a small bowl.
• Pat duck breasts dry with paper towels. Re-season skin-side of duck breasts with salt.
• Heat duck fat in a heavy skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes. Place duck in skillet, skin-side down, and cook for 6 minutes. Flip duck breasts and cook until they start to firm and are reddish-pink and juicy in the center, about 4 minutes more. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 140 degrees F (60 degrees C). Transfer breasts to a plate to rest. Pour any rendered duck fat into a glass jar.
• Return skillet to medium heat and whisk flour into pan; cook and stir until flour is completely incorporated, about 1 minute. Pour orange mixture into skillet; bring to a boil. Cook until sauce thickens and is reduced, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low. When orange mixture stops bubbling, add butter; stir until butter is completely melted and incorporated into the sauce, about 1 minute. Season with salt to taste.
• Slice duck breasts across the grain, arrange on a plate, and spoon orange sauce over the top.

DUCK A L'ORANGE

Steps:

• Use a sharp knife to score the skin side of the duck breasts in 2 directions, about 20 slashes per direction. Season the breasts on both sides with salt and pepper. Reserve in the refrigerator.
• Cut off 1 end so the orange can stand on the cutting board, and slice off 2 (2-inch) strips of zest. Cut the zest into fine julienne, then blanch the zest for 1 minute in the cup of boiling water. Juice the orange, strain the juice into a saucepan, and boil it until it's reduced to about 1 tablespoon.
• If you're using the kumquats instead, cut the round ends off the kumquats and eat or discard them. Set the kumquats on 1 end and use a sharp paring knife to trim the zest off three of them. Cut all the kumquats in half lengthwise, and working over a strainer set in a non-reactive bowl, remove the pulp with a small spoon. Push the pulp against the strainer to extract the juice. (Don't worry if you end up with only a tablespoon or 2.) Place the kumquat zests on a cutting board and slice them into fine julienne. Bring the 1/2 cup water to a boil over high heat, blanch the zests for 1 minute, then drain them in a strainer.
• If you're using concentrated duck broth, reduce it in a small saucepan to about 2 tablespoons until it's lightly syrupy.
• Heat a saute pan over medium to high heat and saute the duck breasts, skin side down, 8 to 10 minutes for the Pekin duck breasts and 12 to 18 minutes for the mallard. Turn the breasts over, adjust the heat to high, and cook for 1 minute for the Pekin duck and 2 minutes for the mallard.
• Pour the fat out of the pan ¿ if it hasn't burned, save it for omelets ¿ and deglaze the pan with the reduced kumquats or orange juice. Use a whisk to add the glaze. Add the sugar, Grand Marnier, kumquat or orange zest, and vinegar, and simmer the sauce for about 30 seconds to cook off the alcohol. At this point, adjust the thickness of the sauce ¿ its consistency is up to you, but many cooks make their sauces too thick; add 1 or 2 teaspoons water to thin it or simmer the sauce for a moment to reduce and thicken it. Whisk in the cold butter, keeping the pan and whisk moving until all the butter melts. (Don't let it sit without whisking or the butter will separate.) Season, to taste, with the pepper, and if necessary, a few more drops of vinegar.
• Slice the breasts crosswise, arrange the slices on individual heated plates, and spoon the sauce over the breasts. Serve hot, with orange wedges if desired.