Five-Spice Roast Ducks
Try something different this year and swap the turkey for a more exciting bird. Scoring the skin of the ducks creates extra crispy results and plenty of grooves to hold the rich soy sauce glaze. Don’t let the rendered fat and juices go to waste—they're perfect for enhancing roasted potatoes, frying eggs, or sautéing vegetables.
Ingredients
- 2 5-pound Pekin ducks, giblets, necks, and excess fat removed
- 1 tsp. five-spice powder
- Kosher salt
- 1/4 c. dark soy sauce
- Navel oranges, halved, for serving
- Fennel fronds, for serving
Instructions
- Fit rack into large roasting pan. Remove ducks from refrigerator and transfer to cutting board. Using sharp paring knife, score top of breasts in crosshatch pattern. Season outside and inside of each duck with five-spice powder and 1 teaspoon salt. Arrange breast side up and tuck wing tips under body. Transfer to prepared pan, ducks facing in opposite directions, and let sit at room temperature 1 hour.
- When ready to cook, heat oven to 350°F. Bake 30 minutes. Flip ducks breast side down and bake 30 minutes more. Flip once more to breast side up, then pour off any fat from pan (reserve for other use if desired).
- Increase oven temperature to 425°F. Brush ducks with dark soy sauce all over except for backs; roast, brushing with dark soy sauce every 15 minutes, until thickest part of thigh registers 175°F on an instant-read thermometer, 30 minutes. Transfer ducks to cutting board and let rest 30 minutes before carving. Serve with oranges and fennel fronds.
Nutrition
Calories: 280kcalProtein: 32gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 5.5gCholesterol: 119mgSodium: 1067mgSugar: 0.5g
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