Innichka Chef
Jun 14, 20215 min
Updated: Feb 18
I hope you'll make this recipe soon. If you do, please tag me #innichka_chef on Instagram, Facebook, Patreon or Pinterest.
Probably, you have heard about the Peking duck dish, but definitely not everyone has been given a chance to try it. True Peking duck I think it's an art, and if you are not vegetarian you should try it, at least once. Today I'm offering you something much simpler but with a big flavor.
For many reasons, and I'm not discussing them in my blog, duck as a poultry is very much unappreciated in the USA. Since Americans have cut back on red meat, chicken has played an increasingly important role in the nation's diet. I love chicken and it provides great animal protein, if it comes from the right source. But unfortunately battery-raised chickens sold to regular grocery stores are subjected to crowded living conditions and often substandard feed. They require frequent doses of antibiotics and growth hormones with many birds developing cancers and these chickens are not necessarily discarded. According to researcher Virginia Livingston Wheeler, these cancers can be transmitted to humans.
My family eats all sorts of poultry, in my opinion it is best to eat a variety such as chicken, quail, duck, turkey, goose and Cornish game. Duck happens to be one of my absolute favorites of the poultry population. If you have never cooked duck, it's much easier to handle than turkey. Since duck contains more fat, you don't need to worry about bringing the meat before cooking as with turkey and very little prep is needed before the bird goes into the oven. Domestic duck has beautiful skin, with tons of flavor. Its dark meat is juicy and flavorful with the best part, of course, being the fat, known as gold liquid, which I always appreciate and have on hand. I love to use it when roasting veggies and with baked potatoes. So yummy!
If you are like most Americans and are still scared to eat fat, think again. Duck fat is highly prized in France for cooking and in Scandinavia where it is spread like butter on dark rye bread. It is high in stable oleic acid (Omega - 9) and rich in fat-soluble vitamins. Also, the skin provides valuable fat - soluble vitamins and antimicrobial fatty acids, while the dark meat contains more minerals than the white.
In the Western diet people tend to eat way more Omega - 6 Linoleic Acid, which leads to inflammation in the body. However, duck fat contains oleic acid (Omega - 9) which has the ability to boost the health of your heart and brain. This information further increases my belief that an old-fashioned diet plays an essential role for a healthy living lifestyle.
If your budget works better for the other poultry as chicken, choose wisely, organic if possible, this recipe is beautiful and easy too:
This dish is gluten-free and stress-free when it comes to the preparation.
Only 5 ingredients plus a duck!
You don't have to wait for the holidays to make this beautiful dish, instead prepare it in place of your regular roasted chicken.
This honey roasted duck, with a little hint of soy sauce and ginger, crispy skin, juicy meat, and glossy glaze will make you go for seconds because it's so delicious. I promise that you are going to love it.
The time of cooking depends on the size of your bird, so pay attention to the directions. Usually, a duck weighs between 3 to 7 pounds, therefore the cooking time will vary. Watch the video, to see how to achieve the dark deep brown color. In watching how this is accomplished it will relieve your fear of thinking you are burning the bird. Trust me, for you want to achieve the deep dark brown color.
This duck is so good on its own, but if you want to make a whole meal out of it, I suggest serving it over mashed potatoes, rice, or nice crusty bread to soak up all the sauce. Believe me, you'll want to eat all the sauce! For a low carb alternative to mashed potatoes, check out my recipe for Cheesy Cauliflower "Mashed Potatoes".
Let's begin...
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour and 10 minutes
Total time: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Author: Inna of innichkachef.com
Serves: 2 - 4 generous portions (depends on size of bird)
Duck 3-7 pounds (without giblets)
2 inches of ginger, sliced
3/4 cup soy sauce (regular sodium)
1/3 cup of honey
2 Tablespoons of capers juice
6 cups of water
Preheat the oven to 450F.
Make sure your bird is room temperature, washed and paper dried. It's important! Also set aside the giblets and save them for a stock. In a saucepan place all ingredients except the duck on medium heat and bring it to a boil. When the liquid is ready, place the duck in the pan breast side down, keep it that way for a minute or two. Repeat this with another side of the bird. This step of bathing the duck lets the pores open and helps to prepare the meat to later accept the glaze. Don't skip this step!
Take a turkey pan (if your bird is small like in the video, I used the quarter size regular baking sheet) and put a cooling rack on top of it. Place the duck
breast side down on the cooling rack and slide into the oven for 15 - 20
minutes, depending on the size of your bird.
Flip the bird and using a brush, baste it with the accumulated fat on the
bottom of the pan. This helps to achieve that beautiful deep brown color.
Lower the heat to 400F and place back in the oven. Bake the bird for 40 - 60
minutes depending on its size.
Meanwhile, make the glaze. In a saucepan, on high heat, add all ingredients
and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and let cook for 4-5 minutes, or until
your glaze is similar to a maple syrup consistency.
Take the bird from the oven and baste this time with some glaze. Reduce the temperature to 325F and place back in the oven for another 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven, and let it rest at least 15-20 minutes on a wooden
cutting board.
Slice it and pour on additional glaze.
Enjoy!!!
P.S. Honestly with recipes like this, I can never be vegetarian!
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