Crispy Braised Duck Legs with Spiced Orange Sauce
Dec 21, 2025
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This crispy braised duck legs with spiced orange sauce is a contemporary take on the classic Duck a l’Orange. The duck is panfried until crisped and braised alongside carrots until tender and falling off the bone in a sweet and savoury orange sauce. Serve with some mash potatoes and you will have the most delicious and comforting dish!
✨Do you have leftover duck fat?✨ Make my crispy duck fat roasted potatoes.
You’re going to love these crispy braised duck legs!
Like most people, I hadn’t ventured too deep into the world of cooking duck. It always felt like an intimidating meat, one that could be easily messed up. But I’m here to tell you that cooking duck doesn’t need to be scary at all. When treated correctly, you’re rewarded with incredibly tender, juicy meat and beautifully crispy skin.
Today, we’re cooking duck legs (also known as Marylands), which thrive in a low, slow and moist cooking environment (otherwise they can turn quite tough). I use a combination of pan-frying and braising to achieve the best of both worlds: crisp golden skin and meltingly tender meat.
The duck is first pan-fried until golden and crisp, then gently braised with some carrots in a spiced orange sauce that’s sweet, savoury and sticky. It’s absolutely perfect served with creamy mashed potatoes to mop up every last bit of sauce. Best enjoyed during winter when citrus is at its peak, this also makes a beautiful and slightly unexpected Christmas dinner centrepiece.
Ingredients for Crispy Braised Duck
The ingredient list for this crispy braised duck with spiced orange sauce is surprisingly simple and made up of a mix of pantry staples and a few special ingredients.
- Duck legs (Marylands): Perfect for slow, moist cooking. They become beautifully tender while still allowing the skin to crisp up. Find them at your local butcher.
- Fresh oranges: You’ll use both the juice and zest. I also like to use mandarins or clementines for the sauce.
- Warm spices: I use cinnamon, star anise and bay leaves to gently spice the sauce. A whole cinnamon stick is needed here as ground cinnamon will change the texture of the sauce.
- Soy sauce: A slightly unexpected ingredient for me, but it is essential here. It adds depth and umami, balancing the sweetness of the orange beautifully.
- Butter: Stirred through at the end to emulsify the sauce, giving it a glossy finish and bringing all the flavours together.
- Vermouth: I like to use a liqueur to deglaze the pan and lift all those beautiful caramelised bits. Vermouth adds gentle sweetness and depth without overpowering the sauce. For a more traditional option often used in Duck à l’Orange, you can swap it for Cointreau.
- Carrots: I am going to make mention of these here since I forgot to photograph them in the ingredient image (oops!). Use large carrots that are peeled and halved lengthways.
A full list of ingredients can be found in the recipe card below.
How To Make Crispy Braised Duck Legs
Duck doesn’t need to be intimidating to cook. Follow my easy step-by-step guide below and you’ll be making these crispy braised duck legs like a pro.
Step 1: Season the duck legs with salt and pepper. In a cold pan, add the duck legs skin side down. Turn the heat to low and cook for 8 – 10 minutes or until the fat has rendered. Make sure you do not touch or disturb the duck in this step! Turn the heat to medium and cook for an additional 1 – 2 minute to slightly crispy the skin. We do not need the skin fully crispy at this point as it will continue to cook when we braise the duck. Flip the duck over and cook for an additional 2 – 3 minutes.
Step 2: Deglaze the pan with the vermouth and use a wooden spoon to scrape off any brown bits left over from the duck. Cook for 1 minute. Add the marmalade and soy sauce and stir through until smooth. Add the stock, orange juice, cinnamon stick, star anise, bay leaves, thyme and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and then return the duck legs to the sauce. The sauce should only come halfway up the duck legs. They should not be submerged. Scatter the carrots around the duck and bring the sauce back to a gentle simmer.
Step 3: Cover with a lid and bake for 60 minutes. Remove the lid and cook for an additional 10 – 15 minutes or until the skin is golden and crisp and the carrots are tender and brown. Remove from the oven.
Step 4: Remove the duck legs, carrots and spices from the sauce. You may want to strain it to remove any additional impurities. On a high heat, bring the sauce to a boil and aggressively reduce to half. Reduce the heat to low – medium, and slowly add one butter cube at a time, stirring through until you have a thick and glossy sauce. Taste and adjust for seasoning if needed. This step is optional but does create the most delicious gravy! Serve over some mash potatoes!
Tips & Tricks for Cooking Duck Legs
- Start with cold a cold pan: Place the duck legs skin-side down in a cold pan, then bring the heat to low. This helps render the fat gradually and gives you crispier skin.
- Be patient with the skin: Don’t rush this step. Let the duck cook undisturbed until the skin is deeply golden and most of the fat has rendered out.
- Turn up the heat: When all the fat is rendered, turn up the heat and continue to cook skin side down for 1 – 2 minutes. This will get that skin extra crispy. Flip the duck over and cook for an additional few minutes.
- Keep the skin above the liquid: Make sure the braising liquid doesn’t fully cover the skin so it stays crisp rather than soft.
- Rest before serving: Allow the duck to rest after cooking (rest the duck while you finish the sauce) so the juices redistribute and the meat stays succulent.
- Finish the sauce with butter: Strain the sauce and stir in butter at the end. This will emulsify the sauce, making it glossy, silky and rich.
FAQ’s
No. This recipe can only be made with duck legs. Duck breast is much leaner and cooks very differently, so it’s not a suitable swap here.
Render the fat slowly in a cold pan, keep the skin above the braising liquid, and leave the duck uncovered so the skin stays crisp.
You can use Cointreau for a more traditional Duck à l’Orange flavour, or swap in a dry white wine if needed. You can also leave the alcohol out entirely if you prefer!
How To Serve
- Serve with creamy mashed potatoes to soak up every last bit of the glossy sauce.
- Add a simple side of buttery greens (beans, broccolini or silverbeet) to balance the richness.
- A bitter-leaf salad with a sharp vinaigrette works beautifully to cut through the duck.
- Perfect for a winter dinner, Christmas table, or when you want something that feels special but effortless.
More Meat Recipes to Love!
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Crispy Braised Duck Legs in Spiced Orange Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 duck legs
- 1/4 cup Vermouth or Cointreau
- 1 tbsp marmalade
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 cups chicken or duck stock
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 star anise
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 sprig thyme
- 2 large carrots, peeled and halved lengthways
- 4 tbsp butter, cut into 6 small cubes
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven: Preheat the oven to 350 °F / 180 °C
- Season duck legs: Season the duck legs with salt and pepper then leave to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.
- Pan fry duck legs: In a cold pan, add the duck legs skin side down. Turn the heat to low and cook for 8 – 10 minutes or until the fat has rendered. Make sure you do not touch or disturb the duck in this step! Turn the heat to medium and cook for an additional 1 – 2 minute to slightly crispy the skin. We do not need the skin fully crispy at this point as it will continue to cook when we braise the duck. Flip the duck over and cook for an additional 2 – 3 minutes.
- Duck fat: Remove the duck from the pan and pour off the excess duck fat, reserving 1 tablespoon in the pan. Store the duck fat in a sterilised jar in the fridge for up to 1 week. Duck fat is liquid gold!
- Sauce: Deglaze the pan with the vermouth and use a wooden spoon to scrape off any brown bits left over from the duck. Cook for 1 minute. Add the marmalade and soy sauce and stir through until smooth. Add the stock, orange juice, cinnamon stick, star anise, bay leaves, thyme and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and then return the duck legs to the sauce. The sauce should only come halfway up the duck legs. They should not be submerged. Scatter the carrots around the duck and bring the sauce back to a gentle simmer.
- Bake: Cover with a lid and bake for 60 minutes. Remove the lid and cook for an additional 10 – 15 minutes or until the skin is golden and crisp and the carrots are tender and brown. Remove from the oven.
- Emulsify: Remove the duck legs, carrots and spices from the sauce. You may want to strain it to remove any additional impurities. On a high heat, bring the sauce to a boil and aggressively reduce to half. Reduce the heat to low – medium, and slowly add one butter cube at a time, stirring through until you have a thick and glossy sauce. Taste and adjust for seasoning if needed. This step is optional but does create the most delicious gravy!
- Serve: Drizzle the sauce all over the duck and finish off with a sprinkling of thyme. Serve with a side of mash potatoes.
Notes
Tips & Tricks for Cooking Duck Legs
- Start with cold a cold pan: Place the duck legs skin-side down in a cold pan, then bring the heat to low. This helps render the fat gradually and gives you crispier skin.
- Be patient with the skin: Don’t rush this step. Let the duck cook undisturbed until the skin is deeply golden and most of the fat has rendered out.
- Turn up the heat: When all the fat is rendered, turn up the heat and continue to cook skin side down for 1 – 2 minutes. This will get that skin extra crispy. Flip the duck over and cook for an additional few minutes.
- Keep the skin above the liquid: Make sure the braising liquid doesn’t fully cover the skin so it stays crisp rather than soft.
- Rest before serving: Allow the duck to rest after cooking (rest the duck while you finish the sauce) so the juices redistribute and the meat stays succulent.
- Finish the sauce with butter: Strain the sauce and stir in butter at the end. This will emulsify the sauce, making it glossy, silky and rich.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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