[ Prep Time: 12 hr | Cooking Time: 40 min | Serving: 4 ]
The secret to making perfect roast duck legs is to add baking powder to speed up the dehydration of the skin! It also accelerates the Maillard reaction during roasting to give you the perfectly crispy and juicy roast duck legs every time!
Ingredients
1 kg Duck Legs
1 Tbsp Vinegar
½ Tsp Honey
½ Tsp Salt
½ Tsp Baking Powder
Marinade
½ Tbsp Yellow Bean Paste
½ Tbsp Oyster Sauce
1 Tsp White Sugar
1 Tsp Salt
½ Tsp Five Spice Powder
Method
1. Pour boiling hot water over the skin of the duck legs (1 kg) until it shrinks then pat dry with some kitchen towel.
2. Prepare the marinade by mixing salt (1 tsp), white sugar (1 tsp), five-spice powder (½ tsp), yellow bean paste (½ tbsp), and oyster sauce (½ tbsp).
3. Brush the marinade on the meat side of the duck legs evenly.
4. Combine salt (½ tsp) and baking powder (½ tsp).
5. Rub the salt and baking powder on the skin and then refrigerate them uncovered overnight (or at least 12 hr).
6. Place the duck legs on a baking tray, let it warm up back to room temperature. Brush some vinegar mixture (1 tbsp vinegar + ½ tsp honey) on the duck skin and then bake in a fan oven or air fry at 200 °C / 390°F for 40 min.
Notes
A rub containing salt and baking powder is crucial to achieving super crisp skin in roast duck legs.
The baking powder acts as a mild alkali to break down some of the proteins and fat in the duck as well as speeding up dehydration of the skin while marinating it overnight.