This Crispy Roast Duck Is the Festive Centrepiece You Didn’t Expect

If you are looking for something a little bit different to serve on Christmas day or a Sunday Roast, then why not try this Honey Roast Duck? Crispy and tender roasted duck with a little sweetness from the honey and orange and a hint of thyme, that just falls off the bone.

A whole roast duck in a roasting tin next to orange halves and some honey.

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The festive season doesn't have to be all about turkey, and your guests might appreciate the change. This post includes our top tips on how to cook duck too.

Most people only eat duck when it is shredded and served with hoisin sauce from their local Chinese takeaway, but it makes such a nice roast dinner alternative and this is one of our favourite roast duck recipes.

If you have been put off cooking duck, don't be. It's really simple. Roasted duck gets the skin nice and crispy and you can just put it in the oven and forget about it until it needs basting. The honey and orange makes it taste simply amazing. This duck roast is the perfect lazy Sunday meal but impressive enough for a special occasion..

If you are looking for more roast dinner meats to try, why not try our Slow Cooker Roast Beef , Slow Cooker Beef Brisket or Best Roast Chicken recipes?

Jump to:

Why You Will Love It
Ingredients and Substitutions
How to Roast a Duck
Roast Duck Flavours
Serving Suggestions
Dannii's Top Tips
Frequently Asked Questions
More Roast Recipes
Recipe
Feedback

Why You Will Love It

A nice alternative to a Sunday roast - If you are bored of roast chicken and beef, then this roast duck makes a nice change. It's not as difficult to cook as you might think either.
A new way to try duck - If you have only ever had duck pancakes, then you need to give this a try.
Great for feeding a crowd - If you are feeding a big family this Christmas, then this duck roast will be perfect for serving up to wow them with.
Freezes well - If you have leftovers, you can wrap slices of the meat up and keep in the freezer for quick and easy roast dinners.
Just 5 ingredients - This is so simple to make and you only need 5 ingredients.

Ingredients and Substitutions

All the ingredients needed for this recipe each with text overlay labels.

A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.

A whole duck - This is a whole duck recipe. You can usually find these in the supermarket around Christmas time (some supermarkets stock it all year round) or you can pick it up from your local butcher.
An orange - This adds so much freshness to the roast duck, and duck and orange are a classic combination.
Honey - Not only does this add a lovely sweetness, but it helps the duck skin get lovely and crispy too.
Thyme - Honey and thyme are a delicious combination, but you could swap it for rosemary if you prefer.
Sea salt and black pepper

More ingredient substitutions and variations can be found in the recipe card.

How to Roast a Duck

Prep: Preheat your oven to 220°C/200°C(fan)/430°F/Gas 7.

An uncooked duck in a roasting pan. An orange half and thyme are in the bird's cavity.

Step 1: Squeeze a little orange juice inside the duck cavity and then place two orange halves and two sprigs of thyme into the cavity of the duck. Season all over with sea salt and black pepper.

A whole, partly cooked, duck in a roasting pan.

Step 2: Place the duck into a large roasting pan and put into the oven. Cook for 20 minutes or until the skin begins to crisp. Reduce the heat to 190°C/370°F/Gas 5.

A whole partially cooked duck in a roasting pan with honey and thyme leaves on top.

Step 3: Cook for a further 40 minutes then remove from the oven. Drizzle the honey over the duck and sprinkle over thyme leaves and put back in the oven.

A whole cooked duck in a roasting pan with a meat thermometer showing 74 degrees.

Step 4: Baste regularly and check the temperature with a meat thermometer. When the internal temperature reaches 74°C/165°F the duck is cooked.

Step 5: Once cooked, remove from the oven and let it rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes before serving. This will allow the juices to settle, resulting in rally juicy meat.

Roast Duck Flavours

Honey and duck are such a delicious combination and you only have to look at a Chinese restaurant menu to see that it is also a classic and traditional combination.

We have kept the flavours simple with this roasted duck recipe and the honey combined with the orange give it just enough sweetness so you notice it, but it's not overpowering. The honey also helps the skin to get nice and crispy too.

Other than some salt and pepper, the only other flavour you will taste on this duck is some thyme, which I always think goes really well with honey.

Roast Duck in a baking tin being carved.

Serving Suggestions

This epic honey roast duck is a must when it comes to a Sunday roast dinner. But, what is a Sunday roast without all the vegetables and sides? And do we have some side dishes for you!? Take a look of some of these that go perfectly with this roasted duck:

Dannii's Top Tips

If duck isn't your thing, then you could use this same recipe for chicken instead.
Swap the thyme for rosemary or marjoram if you have some that needs using.
Add some garlic cloves inside the cavity or some garlic powder on the skin for a garlic roast duck.
A couple of cloves of garlic stuffed into the cavity would add some nice extra flavour.
Don't waste the juices in the tin after it has finished roasting - use them to make gravy.
When the duck has finished cooking, it is important to let it rest before carving it, because all the juices will soak into the meat, making it more juicy.
Don't throw away the carcass, as you can make stock from it. Follow our recipe for Chicken Stock.

A white roasting tin with roast duck in it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can roast duck be frozen?

Yes, if you don't have many guests over and have lots of the meat left over, you can slice it up and wrap it up and it will keep in the freezer for 2 months. It will also keep in the fridge for 2-3 days, perfect for leftover roast sandwiches.

How to store cooked duck

Leftover cooked duck will keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store at the bottom of the fridge. To freeze the duck, once cooled fully, wrap tightly in plastic wrap or put in air tight containers and freeze immediately.

How to defrost frozen duck

Never let duck thaw at room temperature - always defrost in the fridge overnight and use within 2-3 days.

How to do I know when duck is cooked?

Don't leave anything to chance and get yourself a Thermapen meat thermometer so you can be sure that the meat is cooked to a safe temperature (74°C when it comes to duck and chicken). It gives an accurate reading in just 3 seconds!

What size duck do I need?

We used a 1.3kg/3lb duck, which is what the cooking times in this recipe are for. If your duck is bigger or smaller than ours, then you will need to adjust the cooking time.

More Roast Recipes

If you've tried this Honey Roasted Duck recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.

Recipe

Honey Roast Duck

By: Dannii Martin

If you are looking for something a little bit different to serve for Christmas dinner or Thanksgiving, then why not try this Honey Roast Duck?

Gluten Free

Low Carb

4.84 from 36 votes

Pin Print Save recipe

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: British, French

Prep: 5

Cook: 1 20

Resting time: 10

Total: 1 35

Servings: 6 people

Calories: 493kcal

Allergens:

No Common Allergens

Ingredients

▢ 1.3 kg (3 lb) of Whole duck
▢ 1 Orange
▢ 2 tablespoon of Honey
▢ 2 sprig of Thyme - whole
▢ 2 sprig of Thyme - leaves only
▢ Sea salt and ground black pepper

For ingredient swaps, see our Ingredients and Substitutions section

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 220°C/200°C(fan)/430°F/Gas 7.
Squeeze a little juice from 1 Orange inside 1.3 kg of Whole duck and then place two halves of 1 Orange and 2 sprig of Thyme into the bird's cavity. Season all over with Sea salt and ground black pepper.
Place the duck in a roasting tin and put into the oven. Cook for 20 minutes or until the skin begins to crisp, then reduce the heat to 190°C/370°F/Gas 5.
Cook for a further 40 minutes then remove from the oven. Drizzle 2 tbsp of Honey over the duck and sprinkle over the leaves of 2 sprig of Thyme and put back in the oven.
Baste regularly and check the temperature. When the internal temperature reaches 74° the duck is cooked (this should take around a further 20 minutes).
Once cooked, remove from the oven and let it rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe Tips

If duck isn't your thing, then you could use this same recipe for chicken instead.
Swap the thyme for rosemary if you have some that needs using.
A couple of cloves of garlic stuffed in to the cavity would add some nice extra flavour.
Don't waste the juices in the tin after it has finished roasting - use them to make gravy.
When the duck has finished cooking, it is important to let it rest before carving it, because all the juices will soak into the meat, making it more juicy.
Don't throw away the carcass, as you can make stock from it. Follow our recipe for Chicken Stock.