Slow roast duck legs, with perfectly golden crispy skin, soft and moist meat and a delicious and simple silky balsamic gravy.
This dish takes around 3 hours to cook, but you only spend 10-15 miuntes or so at the stove, the rest of the time is all yours!
Slow-Cooked Duck Legs
If you have spent any time here you will know that duck is an ingredient that I adore cooking with.
Whether it is my whole roast duck, classic duck with orange sauce or even my Indian duck curry they are among my personal favourite recipes.
Slow-cooking duck helps render out all that white fat and it does not matter whether it is duck breast like in my Thai duck curry or the legs like my hoisin duck legs!
It is such a simple way of cooking too, a nice low oven, season the duck legs then roast them for two and a half hours. Then turn up the heat to get some colour and get the gravy rocking and rolling.
Oh and what a gravy it is, again it sticks with the simple approach, chicken stock, balsamic vinegar and honey.
This is reduced down in the oven and all you have to do is thicken with cornflour (cornstarch in the US). I use a very similar approach in my roasted chicken leg and chicory recipe.
This dish is perfect dinner party food, it can be scaled up for as many people as you like and so long as your oven is big enough, there are no timing changes.
Frequently Asked Questions.
Will this method work with chicken legs?
No, chicken has nowhere near enough fat to cope with this type of cooking. Treat yourself to some duck legs, you will love this!
How long will the skin stay crispy?
The skin will remain nice and crispy for around 15-20 minutes. It will then start to go kinda chewy, which I secretly love!
Can I cook this recipe for more people?
Yes! In fact, this recipe is perfect for scaling both up and down. You do not need to alter the cooking time at all.
One thing you must do though is to make sure you do not overcrowd your roasting tin. Leave a good two fingers space between each duck leg.
Also if you are cooking lots a good hint is to place the duck legs on a wire rack so that they do not get submerged in fat.
Is the rendered fat good for keeping?
Oh yes! This is perfect for passing through a fine sieve or cheesecloth and used in cooking at a later date. Store in an air-tight jar in the fridge and use at your leisure.
If kept properly it will last up to 6 months, but good luck resisting for that long!
Serving Suggestions.
Cooking for two means that often times a large roasted dinner is a bit of overkill.
These slow roast duck legs are absolutely perfect for turning into a smaller roast dinner.
This time round I made some crushed roast potatoes. I popped them in the oven for the final 30 minutes of cooking at the lower temperature and the 30 minutes at a high temperature. Make sure to parboil them first!
I also made some savoy cabbage with bacon, although I dropped the Crème Fraiche and cooked it in white wine rather than stock.
They would be awesome with red cabbage, roasted parsnips, garlic green beans, I’d even serve them with Yorkshire puddings!
Essentially anything you would have with your trad Sunday lunch.
Equipment Used
I only name-check brands of equipment if I think they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- Oven.
- Roasting tin or baking dish, choose one that is just a little larger than duck legs.
- Mixing bowl.
- Measuring jug, cups and or spoons.
- Kitchen tongs for serving.
- Fine mesh sieve or cheese cloth, to strain the duck fat so that it can be stored.

Slow Roast Duck Legs Recipe
Many people consider duck intimidating to cook with, but these foolproof slow roasted duck legs prove differently. The perfect small-scale roast for two people or easily scaled for a dozen providing your oven is big enough.
Ingredients
- 2 Duck legs
- 1 Tsp Coarse Sea Salt
- ½ Black Pepper
- 250ml (1 Cup) Chicken Stock
- 2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
- ½ Tbsp Honey
- ½ Tbsp Cornflour (Cornstarch)
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 130°C or 265°F.
- Dry the duck legs as well as you can then rub them all over with the sea salt and black pepper.
- Place the duck in a roasting tine or baking dish that is just a little larger than the duck legs and cook them for 2½ hours basting the duck legs with the fat that is rendered from it 2 or 3 times through the cooking process.
- Mix together the chicken stock, balsamic vinegar and honey.
- After 2½ hours turn the oven to fan mode at 200°C or 400°F.
- Remove the duck pan and drain all but a scant covering of oil from the duck roasting pan.
- Pour in the chicken stock mix and return to the oven.
- Cook for a final 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and set aside the duck legs.
- Mix the cornstarch with a tablespoon of the cooking liquid, then stir it back through the liquid to thicken for a minute or so.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 274Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 108mgSodium: 1440mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 0gSugar: 9gProtein: 28g
Calorific details are provided by a third-party application and are to be used as indicative figures only.
Sheryl
Thursday 26th of December 2024
I have a gas oven. Will it still come out the same or do I have to change time of cooking.
Brian Jones
Friday 27th of December 2024
Hi Sheryl...
I'll caveat this advice by saying that I have never cooked in a gas oven and this is the first time anyone has asked me for gas oven advice (my site is 10 years old this year and gets a few million visits every year).
In theory, so long as your oven heats evenly the process should be the same, with the initial cooking phase being done at gas mark 2, and the second phase at gas mark 6... But you should keep an eye on things and use your instinct to make sure things are not cooking too quickly.
Enjoy.
Brian
Charlotte
Tuesday 28th of May 2024
Would it be detrimental to the flavour/cook of the duck if the stock mixture was not added to the roasting pan?
I will be doing qty 30, on a wire rack.
Brian Jones
Monday 3rd of June 2024
Hey Charlotte.
There would be a slight change in the flavour of the duck and I would guess that they would cook a little differently as the are not sat in the cooking liquid. But I have no experience of cooking things in that kinda volume, I don't even think I could fit 30 duck legs in my oven.
I suspect that you have more experience than me cooking on this scale, so I would lean into that experience and take it form there. My initial thoughts would be to try and have a large tray with a stock and balsamic mixture below the tray to catch the drippings and go some way towards forming the sauce.
Good luck.
Brian
Eve Cook
Wednesday 28th of February 2024
Second time I’ve made your recipe, so delicious. I added champ (mashed potato and spring onions) made a lovely change from usual mash. Next time I’m going to do the tamarind duck. Thank you
Brian Jones
Sunday 17th of March 2024
Glad you enjoy this Eve, the champ sounds like a lovely addition.
Lee
Wednesday 28th of February 2024
Made these tonight and they were so good. I paired mine with some delicious rich and creamy puy lentils and some roasted Brussels sprouts. Really delicious. Thanks.
Brian Jones
Sunday 17th of March 2024
Glad that you enjoyed them Lee, thanks for taking the time to write to me :)
Anna
Friday 22nd of December 2023
Hi Brian,
Can I use a mix of duck legs and breasts in this recipe?
Thanks!
Anna
Sunday 24th of December 2023
@Brian Jones, Thanks Brian! We don’t really eat pink meat (I know all chefs say it’s how you’re supposed to cook beef and game and duck breast, etc. but we just like our meat cooked through and still tender). I usually cook breasts and legs separate, but this time I try to simplify it as I’m cooking quite a large amount. I’ll give it a try 😊 Merry Christmas!
Brian Jones
Saturday 23rd of December 2023
I prefer my duck breasts cooked oink with a nice crispy skin and that certainly wouldn't happen if you were to cook them this way. The breasts would be cooked all of the way through and be a bit too tough for my liking.
You could get the legs in the oven, then start of the breasts in a pan on the stove top, (using the method that I do for my duck in orange sauce) and then transfer them to the oven for the final 5-7 minutes. That way you'll get nice and juicy duck breast that will compliment the duck legs nicely.
Enjoy and have a merry Christmas.
Brian