Crispy Braised Duck With Vegetables (Printable)

Succulent duck with crisp skin braised with root vegetables and aromatics, finished roasting and served with braising juices.

# What You'll Need:

→ Duck

01 - 1 whole duck (about 4–5 lbs), trimmed of excess fat
02 - 1½ tsp kosher salt
03 - ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

→ Vegetables

04 - 4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
05 - 3 parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
06 - 2 leeks, white and light green parts only, cleaned and sliced
07 - 1 yellow onion, quartered
08 - 3 celery stalks, cut into 1-inch pieces
09 - 6 garlic cloves, smashed

→ Aromatics & Liquids

10 - 2 tbsp olive oil
11 - 1 cup dry white wine
12 - 2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
13 - 2 sprigs fresh thyme
14 - 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
15 - 1 bay leaf

→ Optional Garnish

16 - Fresh parsley, chopped

# Steps:

01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F.
02 - Pat the duck dry with paper towels. Season thoroughly with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, including inside the cavity.
03 - Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy ovenproof pot over medium-high heat.
04 - Place the duck breast side down in the pot. Sear for 5–7 minutes until the skin is crisp and golden. Turn and brown the other side for 5 minutes. Remove the duck and set aside.
05 - Pour off excess rendered fat from the pot, leaving about 2 tablespoons.
06 - Add the carrots, parsnips, leeks, onion, celery, and garlic to the pot. Sauté for 7–8 minutes until lightly browned.
07 - Deglaze the pot with dry white wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Reduce the wine by half, about 2–3 minutes.
08 - Return the duck to the pot, nestling it atop the vegetables. Add the chicken stock, thyme sprigs, rosemary sprigs, and bay leaf.
09 - Cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Braise for 1½ hours, basting the duck halfway through.
10 - Remove the lid and increase the oven temperature to 425°F. Roast uncovered for 20 minutes until the duck skin is deeply crisp and golden.
11 - Remove the duck from the pot and let it rest for 10 minutes before carving. Serve alongside the braised vegetables with a ladle of cooking juices, garnished with fresh parsley if desired.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The contrast of shatteringly crisp skin against meltingly tender meat is the kind of thing that makes people close their eyes when they take a bite.
  • Everything cooks in one pot so you get an incredible meal and minimal dish duty at the end of the night.
02 -
  • If you skip the thorough drying step the skin will steam instead of sear and you will never achieve that shatteringly crisp texture.
  • Letting the duck rest before carving is nonnegotiable because cutting too early sends all those juices running onto the board instead of staying in the meat.
03 -
  • Save every drop of the strained braising liquid because it freezes beautifully and makes the most extraordinary base for soups, risottos, or cooking grains later in the week.
  • The secret to a truly memorable braise is patience during the searing step because those deeply browned bits on the bottom of the pot are where all the complex savory flavor comes from.

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