Roasted duck legs with orange sauce and wild rice is a classic and elegant entrée to be reserved for a special occasion. This is definitely not for your everyday or standard week-night dinner menu.
If I had to get my shot gun and go duck hunting in order to put this on the table we would probably just be eating chicken instead. Luckily, duck is available in the frozen poultry section of most grocery stores. It is usually parceled into packages of whole ducks, duck breasts or duck legs. It is a little on the pricey side at $11 for a package of two legs but then how does that compare to a couple of good beef steaks or fresh halibut? And, if we ordered this at a high-end fancy restaurant? Out of site! This is for a special dinner so let’s do something out of the ordinary!
The meat on duck legs is a lot different than chicken legs as it is denser and much richer in flavor. Plus, duck legs take longer to roast taking as much as one-and-a half hours in a 350°F oven to fully cook. They are fattier than chicken legs and by pricking the skin before roasting, the fat oozes out, basting them as they roast. Duck legs have their own unique taste, they are rich, tender and have an intense, succulent flavor that pairs well with our zesty orange sauce. The sauce is prepared with fresh squeezed orange juice, white wine vinegar, garlic, honey, a pinch of red pepper flakes and a touch of Grand Mariner for elegance. It is the white wine vinegar that causes all the flavors to shine.
In my mind, wild rice is the ideal accompaniment for these roasted duck legs with orange sauce. Technically, wild rice is a grass but it is prepared and served the same as a rice. It takes much longer to cook than a typical white rice and will take as long as one hour to cook if you want it to be soft. We like it best cooked tender with still a little crunch to it and 45 minutes does it for us. Wild rice has been around for eons and it is one of my favorite ancient grains.
This menu was chosen for Don’s 82nd birthday dinner and as I am not aware of any age limit on romance, I am pulling out the white tablecloth, candles and a good bottle of red wine! 🙂
Roasted Duck Legs with Orange Sauce and Wild Rice
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 4
Roasted duck legs with orange sauce and wild rice is an elegant entree for a special event. The duck legs are moist, succulent and the flavors shine with the zesty orange sauce. This entree pairs well with the slight crunch from the wild rice.
Ingredients
For the Duck Legs:
- 4 duck legs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Kosher Salt
For the Orange Sauce:
- 1 1/2 cups White Wine Vinegar
- 1 1/2 cups orange juice (about 4 oranges)
- 2 tablespoons orange zest
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons Grand Mariner or other orange flavored liquor
- Orange wedges for garnish
- Fresh microgreens or mint for garnish
For the Wild Rice:
- 1 cup wild rice
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 clove garlic grated or finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
For the Duck Legs:
- Preheat oven to 350°F Spray a baking sheet with cooking oil and add a wire roasting rack on it.
- Using the sharp end of a wooden skewer, prick several small holes in the duck legs. This allows the rich fat to be released while roasting.
- Brush the duck legs with olive oil and season with salt and white pepper. Add to the wire rack on the prepared baking sheet and transfer to the middle rack of the preheated oven. Roast for 1-1/2 hours, the internal temperature should be 175° F when fully cooked. Begin checking the temperature after roasting for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove, cover with foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
For the Orange Sauce:
- While chicken is roasting, make sauce:
- In small saucepan, bring wine vinegar and orange juice, orange zest and garlic to a boil over medium-high heat, then adjust heat to low and simmer. Allow the sauce to reduce to 1-1/2 cups, about 20-30 minutes. Stir in honey, 1/4 teaspoon salt and the pinch of red pepper flakes. Cook until syrupy and reduced to about 1 cup. Whisk in the butter and orange liquor and cook for 30 seconds to burn off the alcohol taste. Remove from the heat, cover and reserve.
To Cook the Wild Rice:
- Add the chicken broth to a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat and when it begins to boil add the rice, garlic and salt. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for about 45-60 minutes, or according to your taste preference. Remove from the heat, drain off any remaining liquid, fluff, keep covered and reserve until ready to serve.
- To Serve, Spoon a portion of wild rice on each of four plates, arrange one duck leg on the rice and spoon 2 or 3 tablespoons of the orange sauce over the duck legs. Add orange wedges and microgreens for garnishment.
Courses Main
Cuisine American
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 Duck Leg w/ sauce and 1/2 cup rice
Amount Per Serving | ||
|---|---|---|
Calories 456 | ||
% Daily Value | ||
Total Fat 19.2 g | 30% | |
Saturated Fat 8.54 g | 43% | |
Cholesterol 128 mg | 43% | |
Sodium 171 mg | 7% | |
Total Carbohydrates 41.1 g | 14% | |
Dietary Fiber 1.71 g | 7% | |
Sugars 14 g | ||
Protein 29.2 g | 58% | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
**
What an impressive, beautiful dish!
Sabrina recently posted…Sesame Banana Bread
Thank you, Sabrina….:)
Ducks IS pricey, but SO worth it! Love its flavor, and it’s cheap compared to filet mignon. I keep telling myself that. Anyway, this is such a great looking dish! Tons of flavor (how could it not, with duck?). Love the food styling — great plating. Good stuff — thanks.
John/Kitchen Riffs recently posted…The Bronx Cocktail
Thank you, John….this was a yummy entree! Thanks for the kudos 🙂
That looks absolutely glorious! Duck legs are so wonderful to cook with and really soak up every bit of flavour. Hope you enjoyed your special dinner! 🙂
Laura | Wandercooks recently posted…Easy-As Aussie Homemade Beef & Thyme Sausage Rolls
Thank you, Laura….It was a great dinner shared with a great guy! 🙂
Such an elegant dish, this would be great for a date night!
Thank you, Sylvie…..I totally agree!
This is such an elegant dish…looks wonderful!
Thank you, Catherine….It was an elegant dinner 🙂
I’ve never tasted duck before, but it’s something I’ve always wanted to try. Looks delicious!
Hi, Mica….Duck is delicious, be adventurous and give it a try. 🙂
I love your styling! I admit I would totally make this for a weeknight. 🙂 And I like your take on the orange sauce. I usually make a spicy chipotle-orange sauce, but I think I need to try your vinegar-based sauce. Sounds good!
Annemarie @ justalittlebitofbacon recently posted…Asparagus and Bacon Crustless Quiche
Thank you, Annemarie! The vinegar in the sauce pairs really well with the richness of the duck. And….it is permissible to have this on a weeknight 🙂