This is an adaptation of Julia Child's recipe for French duck a l'orange, a dish that is a classic for a reason. Use fat ducks for this, either wild or domesticated. A small, fat goose is another option.
Recipe by Hank Shaw on February 20, 2017
Prep time: PT20M
Cook time: PT100M
Total time: PT120M
Rating
4.84 stars (31 reviews)
Keywords
classic recipes, duck, orange
Ingredients
2 fat ducks, like mallards or pintail
Salt
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 cups duck stock or beef stock
4 sweet oranges
1 tablespoon arrowroot or corn starch
3 tablespoons Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur
1/4 teaspoon orange bitters ((optional))
2 tablespoons room temperature butter
Categories
Main Course
Cuisine
French
Steps
Use a needle or sharp knife point to pierce the skin of the fat ducks all over, taking care to not pierce the meat itself; go in at an angle. This helps the fat render out of the bird. Salt the ducks well and preheat the oven to 325°F.
Put the ducks in an ovenproof pan. I rest them on celery leaves to prop them above the level of the pan; this helps them crisp better. If you want, surround the duck with some root vegetables. Roast for 90 minutes.
Take the pan out and increase the heat to 425°F. When it hits this temperature, put the birds back in the oven and roast until the skin is crispy, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, boil the vinegar and sugar in a small pot until it turns brown. Pour in the stock little by little, stirring all the while. Set aside.
Shave the peel off the oranges, grating some fine and keeping the peel of 2 oranges in large pieces. Juice 2 oranges. Cut segments from the other 2 oranges. Here is a tutorial on how to do that.
When the ducks are ready, remove them from the oven and let them rest on a cutting board.
Finish the sauce. Bring it to a simmer, then add about 1/2 cup of orange juice and the large bits of peel. Simmer 5 minutes. Whisk together a little of the sauce with the starch, and, when it's mixed well, stir it into the saucepot to thicken. Add the Grand Marnier and enough salt and orange bitters to taste. Swirl in the butter one tablespoon at a time.
To serve, carve the duck and arrange on plates. Give everyone some orange supremes and pour over the sauce. Garnish with the grated zest, and serve with good bread, mashed potatoes or celery root, or polenta.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 980 kcal
Carbohydrates: 31 g
Protein: 26 g
Fat: 81 g
Saturated Fat: 29 g
Trans Fat: 1 g
Cholesterol: 160 mg
Sodium: 410 mg
Sugar: 26 g
Reviews
Lisa on 2026-02-24 (5 stars): I really enjoyed your recipe! Cheers!
Phoenix on 2025-10-03 (5 stars): SOOOOO good. I love this dish in general but this recipe is defiantly my favorite
John Walquist on 2025-01-14 (5 stars): Solid inspirational recipe. I added an organic mirin instead of the sugar and also used a tangerine vinegar. I don’t thing either was necessary but it came out super tasty.
Jeannette Chiari on 2024-12-25 (5 stars): We have your "Pheasant, Quail..." book and love your recipies! Had this duck last night for Christmas Eve (2024) and it was super delicious!
Loretta Pierfelice on 2024-07-13 (5 stars): I can no longer eat meat (whaa!), but this is the recipe as my mom made in the 60s, as near as I remember, though I thought she basted the duck in a skillet to glaze it. It was outstanding, thank you for bringing it to a modern audience.
emily on 2024-03-28 (4 stars): I put shallot and herbs into the sauce and strain it before I add the orange juice.It makes the sauce more complex. I skipped the cornstarch and reduce the sauce instead. It came out really nice with a good consistency.
Vicki on 2024-01-10 (5 stars): Sounds delicious, i make Duck L'Orange at my new restaurant French Fusion, but i might use this recipe now!
john cartwright on 2024-01-08 (5 stars): Loved the sauce- kept the fat that came out of the duck and used it to brown venison (Black Wildebeest) for a stew - took the stew to another level
Koko on 2023-12-25 (5 stars): quality recipe. thanks a lot for this. definitely a star of our Christmas dinner. for those wondering.. the succession of 325 degrees for 90m.. to 425 for ~30m created a very crispy skin duck. note though that I used a stainless steel roasting rack that dripped into a high edge sheet pan. roasting 1 duck lent to about 1 cup of duck fat drippings. anyway.. awesome recipe. thanks again.
Gary DeShawne on 2021-11-26 (5 stars): Once upon a time ago maybe 28 years ago my mom made my dad’s duck a l’orange for Thanksgiving because duck at a grocery store was for some reason significantly cheaper than turkey for our lower class family. The meat was juicy and succulent and fell right off the bone and my brother and I ate it all up before my dad came home from work.
This recipe did not replicate those results, and I am sad to say I didn’t personally enjoy it very much (the duck, as the sauce was excellent)…. But this recipe is not at fault as my dad’s recipe (my dad was Irish/French) was most likely very different, and I am happy to say that although I did not enjoy it my guests loved it!!! I simply did not enjoy the duck as the skin was kind of fatty and the meat was dry and kind of gamey.
The sauce was incredible however.
I gave it a 5 out of 5 because my personal preference was the only reason why I did not enjoy it.
Slammy on 2020-11-26 (5 stars): Made this for reduced crowd Thanksgiving today. Easy to follow and delicious, thanks Hank!
công th?c n?u ?n ngon on 2020-08-26 (4 stars): I did this recipe today and it came out great. Thank you for sharing this!
nauantainha on 2020-08-05 (4 stars): I did this recipe today and it came out great. Thank you for sharing this!
