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Roast Duck
5 from 384 votes

Roast Duck

This Roast Duck recipe features a whole 5.5-pound duck marinated overnight in a rich sauce made from hoisin, soy sauces, water, garlic, ginger, star anise, clove, and five-spice powder. The marination tenderizes and flavors the meat deeply. Roasting with careful temperature control creates a golden, crispy skin and fully cooked tender meat.

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
1 hr 20 mins
Total Time
1 hr 40 mins
Servings: 8
Calories: 440 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Asian, Chinese

Ingredients

  • 1 duck This duck is 5.5 pounds, whole
MARINATED SAUCE:
  • ½ cup soy sauce
  • ½ cup hoisin sauce
  • 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 cloves garlic ( 0.4 oz, grind)
  • 3 lices ginger (1 oz, grind)
  • 3 pieces star anise
  • 6 pieces clove
  • ⅛ teaspoon five-spice powder

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Peel a small piece of ginger 1 oz or 3 slices. 
  2. Peel 2 cloves of garlic (0.4 oz). 
  3. After that, grind 1 oz or 3 slices of ginger into the container.
  4. Next, grind 2 cloves of garlic into the container. 
  5. Add 3 pieces of star anise, 6 pieces of clove, ⅛ teaspoon of five spice powder and ½ cup of hoisin sauce. 
  6. Then, add 2 tablespoons of dark soy sauce, 1 cup of water and ½ cup of soy sauce. Mix it well.
  7. Remove all the guts and organs from the duck. Then, rinse the duck very well and use a paper towel to dry it. (This duck is 5.5 pounds.) 
  8. Put the whole duck from step 7 into the marinated sauce step 6 overnight and refrigerate. Starting with the breast down first for 6-8 hours. (I usually marinate each side for 8 hours.)
  9. After, flip the other side and marinate for 6-8 hours.
  10. The next day, take out the marinated duck and dry it with a paper towel. Use toothpicks to stitch it up and close the bottom and neck hole if your duck removed the neck. 
  11. Pour 12 cups of water into a pot. Turn on the fire high and let it boil. 
  12. When the water is boiling, hold on the duck neck skin or neck. Then, pour the hot water over the duck skin. (Be careful of the hot water and remember the purpose of this step is not to cook the duck. It just wants to tighten the skin of the duck to create a crispy skin later when baking it. You can skip this step if you don't care about the crispy skin. )
  13. The following step, use a paper towel to dry the duck and remove the toothpicks from the bottom and the neck hole. 
  14. Wrap a piece of heavy duty foil on a tray. 
  15. Then, put the cake stand tool on the tray. 
  16. Put the duck from step 13 on the cake stand and use a fan to blow or air fry the duck for 2-4 hours. ( If you don't care about the crispy skin, you can skip this step.)
  17. Wrap the wings with a piece of foil to prevent the wings from burning. 
  18. Preheat the oven at 375 F and bake the duck at 375 F for an hour.After that, remove the foil and change the temperature to 425 F and bake for 12-15 minutes until it reaches 165 internal temperature and is a nice golden brown. (My calculation for baking a duck is 13 minutes per pound to get the rough time. Depends how big the duck is. For example: 5.5 pounds x 13 minutes = 71.5 minutes.) 
  19. Let it rest for 10-15 minutes. 
  20. Lastly, cut the roast duck into pieces. 

Notes

  • Clean the duck well, removing all guts and organs before marinating.
  • Marinate the duck overnight, turning after 6-8 hours to evenly absorb flavors.
  • Use hot water to baste the skin before drying and roasting for crisp texture.
  • Cover wings with foil during initial roasting to prevent burning; remove foil for final browning.
  • Roast approximately 13 minutes per pound, reaching 165°F internal temperature for safety.
  • Dry the skin thoroughly before roasting by refrigerating uncovered or using a fan for 2–4 hours.

Nutrition Information

Calories 440kcal (22%) Carbohydrates 10g (3%) Protein 14g (28%) Fat 38g (58%) Saturated Fat 13g (65%) Polyunsaturated Fat 5g (29%) Monounsaturated Fat 18g (90%) Trans Fat 0.003g (0%) Cholesterol 73mg (24%) Sodium 1404mg (59%) Potassium 280mg (6%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 5g (10%) Vitamin A 164IU (3%) Vitamin C 3mg (3%) Calcium 30mg (3%) Iron 3mg (17%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8 Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 440

% Daily Value*

Calories 440kcal 22%
Carbohydrates 10g 3%
Protein 14g 28%
Fat 38g 58%
Saturated Fat 13g 65%
Polyunsaturated Fat 5g 29%
Monounsaturated Fat 18g 90%
Trans Fat 0.003g 0%
Cholesterol 73mg 24%
Sodium 1404mg 59%
Potassium 280mg 6%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 5g 10%
Vitamin A 164IU 3%
Vitamin C 3mg 3%
Calcium 30mg 3%
Iron 3mg 17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.