An abundance of delightful flavor saturates the super scrumptious and fork tender duck legs. Duck is one of our favorite meat and this recipe tops the list of my go to. It’s easy to make and duck meat is nutritiously dense with healthy unsaturated fat. The great thing about this recipe; the fat is rendered off and reserved for future use in other recipes like my Smashed Fingerling Potatoes | with Duck Fat. The removal of the fat makes it lower in calories (nutrition info listed includes the fat). The average calories in a 4 ounces portion of braised duck leg is roughly 133 calories.
I hope you will try this recipe and enjoy it as much as we do. Happy Cooking!
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Braised Duck Legs | Stovetop Recipe
An excellent tasting entree that is fork tender and easy to make. It's great for the holiday menu.
Ingredients
Meat:
- 4 pounds duck legs about 1 lb each. I used Muscovy duck legs. Can sub Peking
Vegetables:
- 1 large onion diced or chopped
- 2 small celery stalks diced or chopped
- 2 large carrots peeled and diced
- 3 yukon gold potatoes
- 1/3 cup sliced kalamata olives can sub spanish olives
Herb and Spices:
- 3 teaspoons sea salt adjust for your diet
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 rosemary sprigs
Liquid:
- 3/4 cup white wine I use drinkable wine
- 2 cups chicken bone broth or chicken stock
Instructions
Prepare and render the Duck fat:
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Season duck legs all over with 2 3/4 teaspoons of the salt.
Note: The legs will not be salty. The fat is rendered so that it leaves the meat with just the righ amount of salt.
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Place the duck legs skin side down in a single layer in a large saute pan.
Note: I use a pan that is either cold or room temperature.
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Turn on the stove to medium heat. Allow the fat to render for 20 to 25 minutes.
Note: You will be able to see a lot of the fat accumulating.
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Use kitchen tong to carefully flip the duck legs over. Cook for 5 minutes.
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Remove the legs to a plate. Turn off the stove.
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Carefully transfer, all but 3 tablespoons of the duk fat to a heat proof bowl.
Note: Reserve the fat for cooking other dishes. Can be frozen for many months.
Let's cook the vegetables:
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Turn on the stove to medium heat.
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Add the onions, celery and carrots. Season with a pinch of salt. Mix/Stir. Saute for 5 minutes until veggies starts to soften.
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Add the cumin and stir to coat the veggies. Cook 30 to 60 seconds.
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Add the potatoes and rosemary sprigs. Season with the remaining salt and ground black pepper. Stir.
Note: I left the rosemary whole because they were very young and tender. If the rosemary stalks are tougher you can choose to remove them and add only the green sprigs.
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Add in the olives. Stir.
Let's Braise the legs:
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Pour in the white wine. Stir and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until reduced to half.
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Pour in the chicken broth. Stir.
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Submerge the duck legs, skin side down, into the braising liquid. Make sure they are in a single layer.
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Bring to a boil. Cover. Reduce heat to medium-low and braise for 1 hour.
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1 hour later, use a kitchen tong to flip the duck legs over. Cover and continue braising for another hour, or until the meat is fork tender.
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Turn off the stove. Transfer the braised duck and vegetables to a serving platter.
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Serve with additional sides if preferred. Goes well with pasta, mashed potatoes, polenta or grits. Enjoy and happy cooking.
Recipe Notes
Recipe video tutorial available.
You can substitute Peking duck if you prefer. I like to use Muscovy duck because it is meatier and I feel it is more flavorful.
The duck fat is a healthier fat than chicken and I use it to cook other dishes like my smashed fingerling potatoes.Â
The calories in the nutrition facts include the un-rendered fat so the overall calories listed is significantly lower (including less fat content). One tablespoon of the fat is roughly 115 calories and it is also mostly healthy unsaturated. The rendered duck meat is roughly 133 calories per 4 ounces serving.
Wow awesome
Thank you.
That looks wonderful, and perfect for this time of year. I like that you included the olives. Yum.
Thanks so much. So delicious.