Duck lovers rejoice, the world-famous Duck À L’Orange is here to tantalize your taste buds. This delicacy is a classic combination of two flavors that have always complemented one another- the richness of duck with the tanginess of oranges. With this recipe at your fingertips, you can recreate this popular French dish in the comfort of your own home with relative ease. You will love the combination of flavors in this dish, and it's perfect for the paleo lifestyle.
Duck À L’Orange
When it comes to cooking duck, many people feel intimidated as it has a reputation for being difficult to keep moist and tender. However, this recipe removes any guesswork.
This pairs wonderfully with things like mashed sweet potatoes, slow cooker artichokes, garlic mushrooms, or simple garlic green beans on the side.
Ingredients
Serves: 8 Prep Time: 25 min Cook Time: 1 hr 40 min
• 1 duck, about 6 lbs
• 1 orange, halved
• 4 thyme sprigs
• 4 marjoram sprigs
• 2 parsley sprigs
• 1 onion, cut into 8 slices
• 1 cup chicken or duck stock
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Sauce
• ⅓ cup freshly pressed orange juice
• 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• About 4 tablespoon chicken or duck stock
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
How to Make Duck À L’Orange
Preheat your oven to 475°F. Then, mix your seasonings together, combine coriander, cumin, salt, and black pepper together in a bowl.
Now, sprinkle the seasoning over the duck, both inside and outside the cavity. Then, quarter the orange, and stuff it into the duck cavity along with 4 slices of onion and all of the fresh herbs.
In a roasting pan, place the remaining onion, carrot, and celery. Then, place the duck on top of the vegetables, and roast for 30-minutes.
While this roasts, whisk together the juice from the reamining orange along with the stock. After 30 minutes of cooking, pour this over the duck, then lower the temperature to 350°F.
Continue cooking the duck for an additional 1 hour and 15 minutes. Check the internal temperature, and continue cooking for another 10 minutes if needed. The temperature at the thickest part of the duck should read 170°F.
Once cooked, remove the duck from the oven and turn on your broiler. Then, place the duck about 4 inches from the broiler, and cook for 4 minutes until the skin is golden brown. Transfer the duck to a cutting board and let it rest for 15 minutes while you prepare the sauce.
Remove the cooked vegetables from the pan, strain the pan juices to remove any lumps, and skim off some of the fat that you can keep to cook other meals. Add enough stock to the pan juices to obtain 1 cup of liquid, and pour into a small saucepan with ⅓ cup of orange juice, 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, and 1 tablespoon of orange zest. Bring to a simmer, and let it simmer for about 5 minutes until it has somewhat thickened. Add back about 1 tablespoon of the skimmed off duck fat to thicken the sauce a bit more, if needed.
Carve the duck and serve with the orange sauce on the side. Remember, you can always add more sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
More Duck Recipes
If you've never had duck, you are missing out! Below are some family favorite duck recipes for you to add to your meal plan. Take a moment to bookmark your favorites. You can also print them out or pin them to Pinterest so they are handy.
- Pan-Fried Duck Breasts With Grape Sauce Recipe
- Roast Duck With Herb Ghee Recipe
- Spiced Duck Breast Recipe
- Pesto and Tomato Duck Skewers Recipe
- Orange And Lemon Roasted Duck Recipe
- Duck With Raspberry Sauce Recipe
📖 Recipe
Paleo Duck À L’Orange
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 lb whole duck
- 1 orange halved
- 3 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 3 tablespoon fresh marjoram
- 2 tablespoon fresh parsley
- 1 onion cut into 8 slices
- 1 cup broth chicken or duck
- 1 carrot chopped
- 1 celery stalk chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Orange Sauce Ingredients
- ⅓ cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 4 tablespoon chicken or duck stock
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 475°F.
- To season the duck, combine 1 teaspoon of ground coriander and ½ teaspoon of ground cumin in a bowl. Season it with 1 teaspoon each of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Sprinkle the coriander and cumin seasoning both outside and inside the cavity of the duck. Cut one half of an orange into 4 pieces and stuff the duck's cavity with the orange pieces, fresh herbs, and 4 slices of onion.6 lb whole duck, 1 orange, 3 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, 3 tablespoon fresh marjoram, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, 2 tablespoon fresh parsley
- In a roasting pan, add the remaining onion, 1 chopped carrot, and 1 chopped celery stalk underneath the stuffed duck.1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 celery stalk
- Roast the stuffed duck for 30 minutes in the preheated oven.
- Mix the juice from the remaining half of the orange with 1 cup of chicken or duck stock. Pour the mixture over the duck once the initial 30 minutes are done. Lower the temperature of the oven to 350°F. Cook the duck for another 1 ¼ hours, until the thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 170°F.1 cup broth
- Once fully cooked, remove the duck from the oven, and turn on the broiler. Then, place the duck on a new roasting pan and broil for 4 minutes. This should give the skin a golden brown texture. Place the cooked duck on a cutting board and let it rest for 15 minutes.
- Remove the vegetables from the original roasting pan and strain the juices to remove unwanted bits of debris. Keep some of the fat. Add enough chicken or duck stock to the pan juices to obtain 1 cup of liquid, and pour it into a small saucepan. Add ⅓ cup of fresh orange juice, 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, and 1 tablespoon of orange zest to the saucepan. Then, let the sauce simmer for about 5 minutes until it has thickened. If the sauce has not yet thickened to your liking, add back in 1 tablespoon of the skimmed-off duck fat and mix it in.⅓ cup orange juice, 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 4 tablespoon chicken or duck stock, 1 tablespoon orange zest
- Serve the duck with the orange sauce. Remember, you can taste the dish and adjust it to your liking by adding more sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Notes
- Make sure the duck has reached 170°F internally at the thickest point for safety, before serving.
- If the duck begins browning too fast while cooking, cover with aluminum foil.
Sandra says
Good and easy recipe. Loved it.