Name: Duck à l'Orange
Cook time: 45 minutes
Total time: 2¼ hours
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt; 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper; 1 tsp. ground coriander; ½ tsp. ground cumin; 1 5–6-lb. whole Pekin duck, neck and giblets removed; 1 orange; 1 small onion, cut through root end into 8 wedges, divided; 4 sprigs marjoram; 4 sprigs thyme; 2 sprigs parsley; ½ cup dry white wine; ½ cup duck or chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth; ½ medium carrot, halved lengthwise; ½ celery stalk; ⅓ cup sugar; ⅓ cup fresh orange juice; 2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar; Kosher salt; Duck or chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth (if needed); 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour; 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature; ½ orange, zest removed in wide strips with a vegetable peeler, strips thinly sliced

Duck with a orange marmalade glaze on a platter with oranges onions and sprigs of thyme.

Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Tiffany Schleigh

White wine, vinegar, and fresh citrus create layers of tangy flavor in this bright duck à l’orange recipe. It’s a far cry from the overly sweet orange duck recipes that dominated American kitchens in the 1960s, often hit with heavy pours of cloying orange liqueur—quite the departure from centuries-old versions made with bitter rather than sweet oranges. Of course, that’s all up for debate, as are the recipe’s actual origins: Some say that Florentine noblewoman Catherine de’ Medici brought duck à l’orange to France when she married the Duke of Orléans in 1533; others argue serving a whole duck with orange sauce seems awfully similar to the ancient Persian practice of cooking meat and fruits together. We’re just happy someone had the good sense to pair the juicy citrus with the gamy bird.

This version, a 2006 adaptation of a recipe from Gourmet 1943, bridges the gap, using fresh-squeezed orange juice and zest and lots of aromatic herbs and spices. Roasting the duck breast side up and finishing it beneath the broiler guarantees crispy skin, and the drippings from the bottom of the pan give the sauce a luscious flavor and texture. Presenting a whole duck always feels luxurious—for maximum drama, garnish your bird with a few extra orange slices, charred if you like, and carve tableside.

Note: Reserve the carcass after carving the meat to make duck stock, which you can use to make soup, cook a batch of grains, or sip by the fire.

Recipe information

Total Time
2¼ hours
Yield
4 servings

Ingredients

Duck

1 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp. ground coriander

½ tsp. ground cumin

1 5–6-lb. whole Pekin duck, neck and giblets removed

1 orange

1 small onion, cut through root end into 8 wedges, divided

4 sprigs marjoram

4 sprigs thyme

2 sprigs parsley

½ cup dry white wine

½ cup duck or chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth

½ medium carrot, halved lengthwise

½ celery stalk

Sauce

⅓ cup sugar

⅓ cup fresh orange juice

2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar

Kosher salt

Duck or chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth (if needed)

1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature

½ orange, zest removed in wide strips with a vegetable peeler, strips thinly sliced

Preparation

Duck
Step 1
Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 475°. Whisk together 1 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt, 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, 1 tsp. ground coriander, and ½ tsp. ground cumin in a small bowl. Pat one 5–6-lb. whole Pekin duck, neck and giblets removed, dry and sprinkle inside and out with spice mixture. Cut 1 orange in half through the equator; cut one of halves into quarters. Stuff duck cavity with orange quarters along with 4 onion wedges (from 1 small onion, cut through root end into 8 wedges), 4 sprigs marjoram, 4 sprigs thyme, and 2 sprigs parsley.
Step 2
Squeeze juice from remaining orange half into another small bowl. Add ½ cup dry white wine and ½ cup duck or chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth and stir to combine. Set aside.
Step 3
Spread out ½ medium carrot, halved lengthwise, ½ celery stalk, and remaining 4 onion wedges in a roasting pan. Place duck on top of vegetables and roast 30 minutes.
Step 4
Reduce oven temperature to 350°. Remove roasting pan from oven and pour in reserved orange juice mixture. Return pan to oven and roast duck until an instant-read thermometer inserted into a thigh near the bone registers 170°, 1–1¼ hours. Remove from oven.
Step 5
Heat broiler. Broil until duck skin is golden brown, about 3 minutes.
Step 6
Using tongs, carefully tilt duck so juices run from cavity into pan. Transfer duck to a cutting board and let rest 15 minutes; set roasting pan with vegetables and juices aside.
Sauce
Step 7
While the duck is roasting, cook ⅓ cup sugar in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, undisturbed, until starting to melt. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally with a heatproof rubber spatula, until sugar is fully melted and caramel turns deep golden in color. Reduce heat to low and carefully add ⅓ cup fresh orange juice and 2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar to caramel (mixture will bubble vigorously and might spatter); season with a pinch of kosher salt. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until caramel is dissolved and mixture is combined. Remove orange syrup from heat.
Step 8
Remove vegetables from reserved roasting pan; discard. Pour pan juices through a fine-mesh sieve into a measuring glass; skim duck fat and reserve for another project. You should have 1 cup pan juices; if you don’t, add duck or chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth to get you there.
Step 9
Stir together 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour and 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature, in a small bowl to form a paste. Pour pan juices into a small heavy saucepan and bring to a simmer. Whisking constantly, add flour mixture followed by orange syrup and orange zest (from ½ orange, zest removed in wide strips with a vegetable peeler, strips thinly sliced). Simmer, whisking, until sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
Step 10
Serve duck with orange sauce alongside.

Editor’s note: This recipe for duck à l’orange was first printed in the June 1943 issue of ‘Gourmet.’ Head this way for more of our best Christmas dinner ideas →