This dish of Chinese braised duck legs is as exquisite as it is simple. In this recipe, duck legs are carefully seared and braised in a mixture of stock, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and aromatics.
Lots of scallions are added, cooking down into a sweet, oniony jam, while the braising liquid makes the most delicious sauce over rice.
Getting Your Money’s Worth
Duck is rarely seen on American dinner tables, usually reserved for special occasion type dinners or eating out. It’s true that duck is a relatively expensive protein. We find a whole duck can run you around $30-$35, and four duck legs can cost around $25! That said, it’s much more cost effective to prepare it at home, where you can serve 4 people with that $25.
(If duck legs are cost prohibitive or unavailable near you, skip this post entirely and head over to my dad’s Sticky Oyster Sauce Chicken recipe, which is made with chicken leg quarters, featuring similar flavors, and just as delicious.)
We don’t often have duck in our house, but with it becoming more difficult to find chicken at the grocery store these days, we jumped at the opportunity to purchase some locally produced duck legs. And you better bet your buns I wasn’t going to let ANY of it go to waste.
Duck legs contain tons of fat, so when you buy them, you’re not only getting dinner, you’re also getting a pile of fat to render down into liquid gold. You can use that liquid gold for months to come, for frying, roasting potatoes, or cooking vegetables. You can also just use it in the place of regular cooking oil to add additional flavor to virtually any dish.
From my four duck legs, I got about 2 cups of fat(!), which means I won’t have to go to the grocery store to restock on cooking oil anytime soon, another win. I’m now storing one container in my fridge, and another in the freezer. As you can see in the photo below, it will solidify as it cools.
How to Render Duck Fat Trimmings & Skin
To render your duck fat, simply take your trimmings of fat and skin, cut them into 1-inch chunks, and add them to a deep Dutch oven with ½ cup water.
Bring to a boil, and then simmer over low heat for 60-90 minutes, until the water has evaporated and you’re left with crispy crackling and golden fat.
Cool, and strain into jars through a fine meshed strainer and/or cheesecloth. Do not allow any solids into the jar, which can spoil the fat. Store in the refrigerator for up to 6 months, or in the freezer for a year or more.
An Easy Way to Cook Duck Legs
When you think of serving or ordering duck legs, your mind may jump first to duck confit, which is probably the most common application.
A confit requires a centuries old French cooking technique, involving salting a piece of meat and cooking it in its own fat. It makes sense that the technique would apply to duck, which is exceptionally rich in fat.
In Chinese cuisine, chefs usually cook duck whole––salt-cured, braised, and/or roasted.
If you’re not quite ready to handle a whole duck or venture into the confit arts, these Chinese braised duck legs are the perfect entry point. This is a no-fuss recipe that celebrates the deliciousness of the delicate leg meat without any complex technique.
The method is simple: Sear duck legs in a dry pan until golden brown. Then pour off the excess fat (and save it for later of course), and add the legs back to the pot with the rest of the ingredients (which you probably already have handy). Braise in the oven for 1 hour.
That’s LITERALLY it. What could be easier?
Spot a pack of duck legs at your grocery store, butcher, or local meat share? This is a great recipe to try your hand at cooking them up into a delicious meal.
Chinese Braised Duck Legs: Recipe Instructions
Rinse the duck legs and trim off any excess fat (set aside to render down for long-term storage…see recipe introduction). Pat dry with a paper towel.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Heat a deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the duck legs, skin side down. You do not need any oil for this process. The duck legs will release a lot of fat.
Turn heat down to medium low, and cook until the skin on the duck legs is evenly golden brown. Do not attempt to move the duck legs until you’ve seared them properly.
Flip the duck legs and sear on the other side for 1 minute.
Remove the duck legs from the pot, and pour off the excess duck fat. (Strain it into a container and refrigerate it for use in other cooking applications).
Add the Shaoxing wine, stock, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, ginger, garlic, and scallions to the pot. Also throw in the star anise and bay leaf, if using. Return the duck legs to the pot, skin side up. The liquid should come halfway up the duck legs but not cover them. You’ll want the skin to stay relatively crisp.
Bring the liquid to a simmer, and transfer to the oven. Cook for 30 minutes, uncovered.
After 30 minutes in the oven, lower the heat to 350 degrees. Cook for another 30 minutes (uncovered), or until tender.
Serve with steamed rice and sautéed Chinese greens! Also be sure to serve with the braising liquid as a delicious sauce. You can pour the liquid into a fat separator if you’d like to keep the fat out of it.
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Recipe
Chinese Braised Duck Legs
Ingredients
- 4 duck legs
- 1/4 cup Shaoxing wine (can substitute clear rice wine or cooking sherry)
- 2 cups low sodium chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 3 slices ginger
- 3 cloves garlic (sliced)
- 10-12 scallions (cut into 2-inch lengths)
- 1 star anise (optional)
- 1 bay leaf (optional)
Instructions
- Rinse the duck legs and trim off any excess fat (set aside to render down for long-term storage). Pat dry with a paper towel. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Heat a deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the duck legs, skin side down.
- Turn heat down to medium low, and cook until the skin on the duck legs is evenly golden brown. Do not attempt to move the duck legs until you’ve seared them properly. Flip the duck legs and sear on the other side for 1 minute.
- Remove the duck legs from the pot, and pour off the excess duck fat (strain it into a container and refrigerate it for use in other cooking applications).
- Add the Shaoxing wine, stock, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, ginger, garlic, and scallions to the pot. Also throw in the star anise and bay leaf, if using. Return the duck legs to the pot, skin side up. The liquid should come halfway up the duck legs but not cover them.
- Bring the liquid to a simmer, and transfer to the oven. Cook for 30 minutes, uncovered.
- After 30 minutes in the oven, lower the heat to 350 degrees, and cook for another 30 minutes (uncovered), or until tender.
- Serve with the braising liquid as a sauce (pour into a fat separator to remove any excess fat), steamed rice, and sauteed greens!
