This is my easy oven-roasted method for Peking-style duck with irresistibly crispy skin and tender, fall-apart meat. Served with a spicy plum-sriracha sauce — there won’t be a shred left!
“Excellent recipe. I didn’t make the sauce because I don’t like sweets, but the texture was perfect. The skin was very crispy and the crosshatching drained the grease well. Thank you for a winning recipe.”
– Mark LaPointe
Nicky’s Notes
Duck is often my favourite course when we eat out for Chinese. We always fight over the last bites and regret ordering only a quarter or half between us. This is my version of Peking duck — a whole bird for a fraction of the restaurant price and generous portions for everyone.
I struggled to photograph this without stealing a piece or two — and then another. You get the idea.
We recently made this as part of a homemade Chinese banquet for New Year. It’s also a great dish for Chinese New Year celebrations.
Table of Contents
- Nicky’s Notes
- Ingredients for Crispy duck
- 🧑🍳 Abbreviated Recipe
- Want to know how to get that skin so crispy?
- Pro Tip
- How does this cooking method compare to traditional Peking duck?
- Can I use shop bought plum or hoisin sauce?
- What do you serve crispy duck with?
- 📺 Watch how to make it
- Crispy Duck Recipe
- Can I make crispy duck in the air fryer?
- More Fakeaway Appetizers
Ingredients for Crispy duck
For the sauce: ripe plums, red onion, garlic, ginger, honey, Chinese rice vinegar, dark soy sauce, vegetable oil and sriracha for heat. The recipe calls for 4 tbsp sriracha — the sauce is spicy at first but mellows after an hour. Reduce or omit the sriracha to suit your taste.
For the duck: one whole duck (about 2.4 kg / 5.3 lbs) plus salt and freshly ground black pepper.
🧑🍳 Abbreviated Recipe
Make the spicy plum-sriracha sauce by gently frying chopped red onion, garlic and minced ginger in oil until the onion softens. Add chopped plums, dark soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar and sriracha.
Simmer for about 20 minutes, then blend briefly with a stick blender, leaving some texture if you like. Set aside to cool or reheat when needed.
Want to know how to get that skin so crispy?
Pat the duck skin dry with kitchen paper to remove surface moisture. Place the bird breast-side up on a wire rack set over a roasting tin so the fat can drain away.
Lightly score the fat in a criss-cross pattern on the breast side — avoid cutting into the meat. Season with salt and pepper and roast low and slow: the recipe calls for 3 hours 40 minutes at 150°C (300°F fan), turning the duck every hour so juices redistribute and the skin crisps evenly.
For the final finish, raise the oven to 190°C (375°F fan). Brush the duck with plum-sriracha sauce, return it to the oven for 10 minutes to caramelise the glaze and deepen the colour.
Pro Tip
Rest the duck for about 10 minutes, then shred the meat with two forks. Serve with Chinese pancakes, strips of spring onion, cucumber and plenty of the spicy plum sauce.
This serves six as part of a larger meal, but will comfortably feed a family of four as a main. The sauce is spicy at first but mellows — my kids love it.
How does this cooking method compare to traditional Peking duck?
Traditional Peking duck involves inflating the skin away from the meat, boiling, glazing and long drying before roasting — a process that can take days and yields very crisp skin. At home those steps are hard to replicate, so this recipe uses long, slow roasting and frequent turning to render fat and crisp the skin while keeping the meat juicy. The final glaze of plum-sriracha adds flavour and colour.
Can I use shop bought plum or hoisin sauce instead of making my own?
Yes — store-bought plum or hoisin sauce works well. Mix in a little sriracha if you want more heat.
What do you serve crispy duck with?
Serve with soft Chinese pancakes (available in larger supermarkets), cucumber and spring onion strips, and plenty of plum sauce. This duck is great as part of a homemade Chinese banquet alongside dishes like egg fried rice, sesame chicken, prawn toast or sticky pork belly.
📺 Watch how to make it
Watch the video demonstration to see the full method in action.
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Crispy Duck Recipe
10 mins
3 hrs 40 mins
3 hrs 50 mins
Ingredients
Duck:
- 1 duck (approx. 2.4 kg / 5.3 lbs), innards removed
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Plum Sriracha sauce:
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 red onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 600 g ripe plums, de-stoned and chopped (about 8 plums)
- 6 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 4 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp Chinese rice vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
- 4 tbsp sriracha (adjust to taste)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 150°C / 300°F (fan). Place a wire rack in a large roasting tin.
- Pat the duck skin dry with kitchen paper.
- Score the skin on the breast in a criss-cross pattern, taking care not to cut the meat.
- Place the duck breast-side up on the rack, season with salt and pepper, and roast for 3 hours 30 minutes, turning the bird every hour.
- While the duck roasts, make the plum-sriracha sauce: heat the oil in a saucepan, add the chopped onion and cook on low-medium for about 5 minutes until soft.
- Stir in the ginger and garlic and cook for a further minute, then add the chopped plums, dark soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar and sriracha. Bring to a gentle bubble, reduce to medium and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Turn off the heat and blend the sauce briefly with a hand blender; leave some texture if you prefer. Set aside.
- After 3 hours 50 minutes, increase the oven to 190°C / 375°F (fan). Turn the duck breast-side up and brush about 2 tbsp of the plum-sriracha sauce all over the bird, including the legs.
- Return to the oven for 10 minutes until the glaze is dark and caramelised.
- Remove the duck, rest for 10 minutes, then shred the meat with two forks and serve immediately with extra sauce. I like to serve rice and greens on the side.
Notes
Make ahead
It’s best served immediately, but you can cook and shred the duck, then cool, cover and refrigerate. Reheat wrapped in foil at 180°C / 350°F for 15–20 minutes until hot. The skin won’t be as crispy but the meat stays moist.
Freeze
Cook and shred the meat, then cool and freeze. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat wrapped in foil at 180°C / 350°F for 15–20 minutes.
Save the duck fat
Strain and save the rendered duck fat for excellent roast potatoes.
Nutritional information is per serving and is an approximation; it doesn’t account for fat rendered away during cooking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.
This post was first published in November 2014 and has been updated with new photos, video and tips.
Can I make crispy duck in the air fryer?
Yes. You can make a quicker, cheaper version using duck legs in the air fryer — a good alternative if you want the flavour with less cooking time.
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Some links in this post may be affiliate links which help support the site at no extra cost to you. Nutritional details are approximate.