Serve this easy Plum & Ginger Chinese Roasted Duck with Plum Sauce for an elegant and easy-to-make holiday meal. The sweet plum and ginger glaze accentuates the gamy taste of duck and makes for a wonderfully crispy skin. 
Glazed, Roasted Duck with crispy skin served with a sweet spiced plum sauce is a beloved staple at any Chinese restaurant. But let me tell you: this homemade Plum & Ginger Glazed Chinese Roasted Duck is even better - and surprisingly easy to make.
To be perfectly honest with you, the idea of cooking this Chinese Roasted Duck was completely freaking me out. I don't know if it's because it's a rather expensive meat and I had never cooked a whole duck before but boy, this little guy stressed me out!
I had even planned a whole day for this Chinese Roasted Duck recipe when I usually make and photograph three recipes per "cooking" day. I wanted to take my time and make sure I did everything correctly.
You guys, all that anxiety was for nothing! Making this Plum and Ginger glazed Duck Roast was so easy, I couldn't believe it. I even got around to making a plum sauce to serve with the Chinese Roasted Duck - because why stop at plum glaze, right?
If you know how to turn the oven on, mix a few ingredients in a bowl and start a timer, then you know how to roast a duck. I'm not kidding, it's that easy!
How to cook Chinese Roasted Duck perfectly:
To make sure your Chinese Roasted Duck is cooked to perfection, you must follow this simple rule: roast 18 minutes per pound (40 minutes per kilo) at 375F (190C). My duck weighted 5 pounds (2.2 kilos) so I roasted it 1 hour and 25 minutes.
We only add the Plum and Ginger Glaze toward the end to make sure it doesn't burn. If you notice that your bird starts to become too brown (as you can see on the wings in the picture), simply cover it loosely with foil.
And a little bonus trick for next time you want to roast a duck without using a glaze: the more you dry the skin before cooking it, the crispier it will be!
Holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas are the perfect time to try your hands at a roasted duck. Don't be afraid and give it a go! The amazing flavor is definitely worth the effort and the calories!
If you tried this Chinese Roasted Duck with Plum Sauce, don’t forget to rate the recipe below and let me know how it went in the comments – I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook for more deliciousness and behind-the-scenes!
Easy Plum and Ginger Roasted Duck
Serve this easy Plum & Ginger Chinese Roasted Duck with Plum Sauce for an elegant and easy-to-make holiday meal. The sweet plum and ginger glaze accentuates the gamy taste of duck and makes for a wonderfully crispy skin. Pat dry the duck's skin before baking for best results.
Ingredients
- 1 duck 5 lb - 2.2kg
For the glaze
- 1 cup plum jam
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp sea salt
For the sauce
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 star anise
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 28 oz canned plums 800 g, pitted and cut in half, syrup reserved
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 375F / 190C.
-
Pat dry duck's skin carefully with paper towel. Place duck on a rack in a roasting tin.
-
Place in the oven and roast 18 minutes per pound (40 minutes per kilo). My duck weighted 5 pounds (2.2 kilos) so I roasted it 1 hour and 25 minutes. Adjust cooking time according to the weigh of your duck. If duck starts to become too brown, cover loosely with foil.
For the sauce
-
In a medium saucepan, combine honey, star anise, ground ginger, 1 ½ cups reserved plum syrup and ½ cup water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes.
-
Add plums and cook for 10 additional minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside, keeping it warm.
For the glaze
-
In a medium bowl, whisk together jam, ground coriander, ground ginger, sea salt and just enough water to make the glaze spreadable (around 2 to 3 tsp should be enough). Set aside.
-
30 minutes before the duck is cooked through, take it out of the oven and pause timer. Brush with glaze (if you don't have a brush, simply use a spoon). Put it back in the oven for 10 minutes, without foil.
-
Take it out of the oven again, and brush with glaze. Put it back in the oven for 15 minutes or until duck is cooked through and juices run clear. If duck starts to become too brown, cover loosely with foil.
-
Remove duck from roasting pan, cover with foil and let it rest in a warm place for 15 minutes (don't skip this step!). Cut into pieces and serve with plum sauce. Serving suggestion: this cranberry and pistachio rice and/or mashed potatoes.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition facts for the sauce (¼ cup)
Cal: 98 - Protein: 0.7g - Fat: 0g - Carbs: 25.9g - Sugar: 1.2g - Fiber: 24.7g
WW Old Points: 2 pts - Points+: 3 pts
If you are not sure how to cut the duck once roasted, check out this video
Deb Binks
I was worried about cooking duck too but this recipe is as easy as it says it is loved it xxxxx
Marie
Yay so glad to hear it was a success for you too!
Sheelagh
I cooked this on Christmas Day, my first time of cooking whole duck. It was a resounding success. Their was enough plum sauce to use with the ham the next day. Thank you
Marie
I'm so happy to hear you loved it Sheelagh! Thank you!
40A.
The skin on this bird looks seriously crispy and that plum sauce is the perfect accompaniment!
Charlotte Close
Thankyou for this recipe, I order the plum duck everytime we dine at a Chinese restaurant, love it. I'M making for Christmas dinner, hope I do well 😀
Marie
You'll be fine, it's much easier that you'd think! Just follow the guide for the temperature/cooking time and it'll be delicious 🙂
Bridgett May
Hi, can't wait to make this on Christmas. Any suggestions for the sides?
Marie
Excited you're making this for Christmas! I would make some mashed potatoes (either 100% potatoes, or with celeriac and/or carrots) to soak up all the juice and some roasted veggies 🙂 You could also try this festive cranberry and pistachio rice! Have a wonderful Christmas 🙂
Ruchika
Thank you for the recipe. I made the duck last week and it came out really nice, crispy and tasty. Plum sauce was more than enough to be used the following day. I used fresh plums instead of canned for the sauce.
Marie
So happy to hear Ruchika! Thank you 🙂
Nikki
This is now a regular in our household. I was so nervous about trying a duck recipe, but this was so easy and delicious!!!
Marie
Yay another duck success! So glad to hear Nikki!
Dawn
First, sorry for the long post! I used the Duck recipe for a very large Christmas party (70. Used a fresh duck. After cooking, Cutting was a bit of a task, seemed tough, so I ended up using my hands to just tear apart. Does produce a lot of oil so the cooking rack is a must! Was almost deciding not to serve until I sampled and it was delicious. It was a bigger hit than the turkey (which is saying something because I dry brine my turkey for days and it’s always been the most moist and delicious, most people comment). Only problem was I should have had two. People still asking for the recipe with the plum sauce. Fixing it again for my family in February, this time from a frozen duck. Thanks for sharing, I’ll be serving it every Christmas!😊
Marie
Thank you so much for your lovely feedback Dawn, I'm very happy it turned out great for you and everybody loved it!
Kristin
Loved it!
However we couldn't find a can of plums in our local supermarket so we used a jar of cherries & a bit of chicken stock.
Marie
I bet it was awesome with cherries!
Liane Southwell
My boyfriend and I cooked the duck for Easter and also made the Cranberry Pistachio Rice. We both really loved both recipes, especially the plum sauce.
Marie
So happy to hear Liane, thanks for letting me know 🙂
Ken
I made this with Pak Choi,roasted squash,carrots,broccoli,cauliflower,and garlic mushrooms,along with the plumb sauce was divine so tasty and crispy duck was amazing,thank you for the simple recipe.
Marie
So glad to hear Ken! Your meal sounds like a feast!
Robyn Hansen
Could this be cooked ahead & frozen?
Marie
Hi there. In theorie it is possible but the glaze will definitely suffer. For keeping in the fridge refrigerate within two hours of cooking — before refrigerating, or freezing, cut the whole bird into several smaller pieces.
Refrigerate cooked poultry in shallow airtight containers or wrap tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil or plastic wrap.
Freeze in covered airtight containers or heavy-duty freezer bags, or wrap tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil or freezer wrap. I hope this helps.
Charlotte
This will be my second year making this delicious duck. It might just become a Christmas tradition
Marie
Super happy to read Charlotte! I hope you had a lovely Christmas and that everyone enjoyed the duck 🙂
april
can i substitute duck breasts versus a whole duck? Its just my husband and I and we only really want the breasts. If so, how can i adjust cooking process?
Marie
I wouldn't use this recipe for duck breasts honestly. You could make the sauce but I would cook the breasts on the stovetop (Here's a recipe that looks good)
YASUA
Delicious recipe
Marie
Thank you!
Bea
Excited to make this recipe! Ignorant question though:
I do not know that I have ever seen canned plums. Is there a specific variety?
Marie
Where do you live? I think it's more an English/Australian thing but you may find some in the US as well. No need for a specific variety 🙂
Erica Meadows
For Christmas I am going to be fixing my family a duck. My husband is going to go out and shoot one for us. I have never cooked a whole duck and have been looking at a lot of recipes to decide which my boys would like best. I noticed in other recipes that they are stuffing the inside with oranges. I saw on yours you do not and that the outside it gets crispy. Yours looks really so good. My question is, does it come out moist? I was thinking to help keep it moist to add the oranges inside?
Marie
Hi Erica! Sounds like you are planning a feast! Yes, you can try the orange trick - or even a tangerine as oranges might be a bit big to fit in in one piece. My duck turned out moist without it but there is always room for you to play around with the recipe. If you try it, please share your experience with me - would love to know how it turned out! Happy Holidays