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Duck à l’Orange

Learn how to make duck à l'orange, a traditional French main course with a unique flavor: the orange enhances the meat and keeps it tender.
Recipe Duck à l’Orange
  • Difficulty Medium
  • Preparation 30 minutes
  • Cooking 2 hours
  • Servings for 6 people

Let yourself be won over by the enveloping aroma and unique flavor of duck à l’orange, a true masterpiece among elegant meat main courses, perfect for surprising your guests at a formal dinner or making the family holidays special. It is a lavish dish built on the perfect harmony between the tender, flavorful duck meat and the intense yet delicate orange sauce, which enhances every bite with its sweet and sour notes. And if you are curious to try new twists, also try the Orange Roast or treat yourself to an original first course such as Orange Risotto.

Making oven-roasted duck à l’orange is not difficult: all you need are fresh, wholesome ingredients, such as a tender duck, fragrant oranges, white wine and a few carefully measured aromatics. We will show you step by step how to cook duck à l’orange so that the meat stays juicy and the skin turns into a golden, crispy crust, perfect to enjoy right away or to serve with soft polenta or simple roast potatoes. And if you prefer a quicker version, we also suggest trying pan-cooked duck à l’orange, ideal for a special dinner without the long wait of oven roasting.

The real stars of this recipe are the orange sauce for duck and its glossy glaze: just a few steps for a dish that makes a big impression, perfect to serve as orange-glazed duck too. And to complete your citrus-themed menu, surprise your guests with a Rustic Orange Cake or a tempting Orange Yogurt Loaf Cake.

So discover the ingredients for duck à l’orange and let yourself be inspired by this duck with orange sauce, which will win everyone over with its elegance and unique flavor.

Ingredients for 6 people

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Method

  1. To make the duck à l’orange, remove the neck and wing tips from the duck, then remove the giblets, clean it well and finally truss it. Place it in a casserole with a little oil and some butter, season with salt and roast it in the oven at 220 °C (425 °F) for 40 minutes.
    Duck à l'orange, step 1: the trussed duck in a casserole with oil and butter
  2. Take the wings and neck and put them in a casserole with a carrot, the sliced onion, an unpeeled garlic clove, a sprig of thyme and the two bay leaves, then cook in the oven at 220 °C (425 °F) for 15 minutes.
    Duck à l'orange, step 2: wings and neck with carrot, onion, garlic, thyme and bay leaves
  3. Take the casserole with the wings and neck and transfer everything to a new casserole with the half liter of white wine and a tablespoon of tomato paste. Cover with a lid and cook for another 45 minutes, then strain the resulting broth through a sieve. In a medium saucepan, caramelize 100 g of sugar and add half a glass of vinegar. After 5 minutes, also add 2 glasses of the strained broth and cook for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, zest the oranges and cut the zest into julienne strips. After the 10 minutes, add it to the mixture.
    Duck à l'orange, step 3: the orange sauce with julienned zest
  4. When the duck is ready, take it out of the oven, pour the sauce you prepared over it and untie it. Garnish with orange slices and serve the duck à l’orange. Finally, remember to download our App with exclusive content and fewer ads!

Tips

For a tasty side dish, I recommend adding some potatoes to the pan with the duck à l’orange so they roast in the oven together.

Storage

You can keep the duck à l’orange in the refrigerator for a couple of days in an airtight container.

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