Roast duck with honey is a mouthwatering dish that’s sure to impress. The combination of succulent duck meat and sweet honey glaze creates a flavor that’s both savory and indulgent.

If you’ve never tried duck meat, you’re in for a treat! It is absolutely delicious and surprisingly easy to prepare.

Juicier than chicken, just as easy to cook… the only downside is whole ducks are small and don’t yield as much meat as a similar sized chicken.

No matter, this roast duck recipe will still taste amazing and you can always make two. Perfect for your Christmas table, or even Thanksgiving table if a whole smoked turkey isn’t your speed or you’re feeding just a few of you.

I will say, if you’re planning to feed more than 3 adults, or a family larger than 4 or 5 then you will definitely need to roast two.

What does roast duck taste like? 

Duck meat is darker than chicken meat and the flavor is richer, but it does taste similar to a rich piece of dark meat from a roasted chicken.

It surprises some people when they learn that duck breast is actually delicious when cooked medium-rare. Unfortunately, since this duck is roasted whole, the breast meat will be cooked to well done. 

Don’t let that deter you, though. It’s still absolutely delicious and juicy. 

And unlike the name may imply, this meat turns out incredibly savory. The honey glaze put on at the end just adds to the crisp skin and tones down the meat rub just slightly.

Preparing a Whole Duck for Roasting

While the actual roasting process for duck is similar to most other poultry, there are a few tips to make sure you have juicy meat with crisp skin when roasting duck.

First, if you have a frozen duck, it needs to be fully defrosted in the refrigerator over a couple of days time.

Next, the trick to crispy roasted duck is to allow it to sit out for a half-hour before prepping it for the oven and allowing it to come to room temperature. This will help ensure you get that nice, crispy duck skin that makes this recipe so amazing.

Once the duck has come to room temperature, remove the giblets and rinse the duck thoroughly with cold water. Then pat it dry inside and out with paper towels.

Next, you’ll want to gently score the skin over the breasts using a sharp knife in a diamond pattern making sure you don’t cut into the meat.

You’ll notice that duck skin is very thin and delicate, so take care so that you don’t cut into the meat.

After scoring the breasts, take the knife and poke around on the skin everywhere, especially where the duck legs join to the body, except the legs themselves. This will help release the excess fat from the bird.

After scoring, place up a quartered orange, a few sprigs of fresh rosemary, and three or four garlic cloves inside the duck cavity.

Combine kosher salt, garlic powder, paprika, and black pepper in a small bowl then generously season the duck with the rub.

After seasoning the whole bird, use butcher’s twine or foil to tie the legs together.

After the duck is prepared, transfer duck, breast side up to a wire rack inside a roasting pan. The rack will help the duck fat drip away from the duck into the bottom of the roasting pan.

How to Roast a Whole Duck

One of the tricks to crispy skin is baking the duck at a higher temperature for a few minutes when you begin roasting.

The duck will roast for a total of two hours with the first 15 minutes being at 425°F.

After 15 minutes have passed, leave the bird in the oven but reduce the heat to 350°F and continue baking for an additional 75 minutes.

After 75 minutes have passed, remove the duck from the oven and baste it with half of the honey. Place it back in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.

Remove the duck from the oven again. Baste with the remaining honey and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until the duck reaches an internal temperature of 165°F when read with an instant-read thermometer.

Remove the duck from the oven and let the duck rest for 15 minutes, then untie the legs and remove the quartered orange and garlic from the body cavity if you choose, before slicing.

What to Do with Duck Fat

A whole duck will produce a lot of fat, which is why the skin should be scored and it should sit on a wire rack in the roasting pan.

The rendered fat is incredibly flavorful and very useful, so don’t throw it out when the duck is finished roasting. Instead, use it up!

You can pour it into a glass jar after it has cooled slightly and refrigerate it until the next day, or even a few days later so you can use it.

• Add it to potatoes. Put it in mashed potatoes in place of butter, use it to fry hash browns, fry potatoes in it… the flavor is amazing.
• Roast vegetables with duck fat. Vegetables roasted in duck fat have an amazing flavor. Try this sauteed vegetable recipe and replace the browned butter with duck fat.
• Rub it on poultry. Chicken and other poultry often needs fat added to it before roasting, duck fat will add great flavor without being overwhelming.
• Bake with it. Use it in place of lard or butter in any baking recipe like this pie crust or even these homemade biscuits.
• Make confit. If you’ve never had duck confit you’re in for a treat, and duck fat is essential to make this awesome dish.

What to Serve with Whole Roasted Duck

Whole duck is great for your holiday table, you can serve traditional holiday side dishes like dressing or sweet potatoes, or try to dress things up with some of these ideas.

• Southern Style Green Beans
• Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette
• Cranberry Salad
• Pickled Brussels Sprouts (Frog Balls)

Storing Roast Duck

If you have leftovers, or want to make this a day in advance, duck can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days.

To store, remove the cooked duck from the bone and place it tightly wrapped in foil or plastic wrap or a glass, airtight container, in the coldest part of the refrigerator.

To reheat the duck meat, preheat the oven to 325°F and place the meat in a roasting pan with 1/4 cup of water or chicken broth. Cover the baking dish tightly with foil. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the meat is heated through… this will vary depending on how much meat you have left.

Other Recipes to Try:

• The Best Garlic Herb Grilled Rabbit Recipe
• The Best Venison Backstrap Recipes
• The Best Smoked Turkey Recipe

If you try this honey roasted duck recipe, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below! Also, feel free to leave me a five star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ in the recipe card below and tag me on instagram @therusticelk!