Crispy Duck Leg with Cherry Sauce

A truly classic flavor pairing is Duck and Cherry. This amazing flavor combination is one of my favorite pairings to eat, with the fattiness of the beautiful Duck Leg enjoying the sweet, rich flavor of a Cherry Sauce. In this recipe we will show you how to make our Crispy Duck Leg with Cherry Sauce in what is a super-simple and tasty meal. Both the Duck and Sauce preparations are easy, making this a more-than-suitable meal for midweek when you’re looking for some big flavors and something a little bit unique

Making Crispy Duck Legs with Cherry Sauce

It’s no surprise that there are two distinct components to this dish; the Duck, and the Cherry Sauce. The whole dish can come together in only 20 minutes which makes this such a wonderful dish to make. It’s one of those minimal effort / maximum reward kind of dishes. Both components taste amazing on their own, and when combined, create the most delicious flavor profile. So, let’s walk through how to prepare each component of this tasty dish

We simply pan fry the Duck Legs until cooked

Duck legs are a remarkably simple cut of protein to prepare. There is less fat on the Duck Legs than the often more popular Duck Breast, which makes rendering it quite easy. There’s less risk of having a fatty piece of Duck that isn’t crispy when cooking Duck Legs, so you’re almost assured of crispy skin every time (especially if you follow our recipe!)

All you need to do is to place the Duck Legs skin-side down on a cold pan and then turn the heat onto low. The Duck will cook slowly, and the fat will render out as the skin becomes crispy. The slow cooking method will take about 20 minutes, by which time the skin is super crispy and the Duck is almost completely cooked

Like cooking fish, 90% of the Duck is cooked on one side. You simply flip it over to finish it off on the flesh side (and to get a nice caramelization on the flesh) and it’ll be done. Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of your Duck. Once it reaches 135F, take it off the heat and allow it to rest for 7 – 10 minutes

Funnily enough, when I started out developing this recipe, I was aiming to pan fry the Duck just enough to get the skin crispy and then finish it off in the oven. Surprisingly once the Duck skin was nice and crispy, the inside was almost completely cooked. I was happy with this, as it means less steps involved in perfecting the dish

A few extra tips to ensure extra crispy Duck

To get crispy skin you want it to be as dry as possible. So, like Duck Breast, we recommend leaving the Duck Legs on a plate in the refrigerator for 1 – 2 days prior to cooking. Don’t cover it, as the cool, dry air of the refrigerator will help to dry out the skin

You’ll want to season the skin well with Salt. Salt draws out moisture in the skin, so add a generous amount of Salt before the Duck goes into the refrigerator. Finally, you can poke a few holes into the skin right before cooking it. Either using a sharp knife or a pin. This will help the Duck to render out. While not as important for Duck Legs as it is the Breast, I find it does help

Finally, cook the Duck at room temperature. This will ensure an even cook throughout. Your skin will be super-crispy by the time the flesh on the inside of the Leg is perfectly cooked. Ideally, I recommend bringing the Duck out of the refrigerator 1 hour before you begin cooking. Now onto the second step for our delicious Crispy Duck Leg with Cherry Sauce recipe

Making this amazing Cherry Sauce couldn’t be easier

There are so many sauce recipes that require a ridiculous amount of effort, ingredients, and time. Hey, we love a good Bordelaise Sauce as much as the next person. However, sometimes you don’t want to go to the effort of making a stock, turning it into a demi-glace, then adding it to a whole pile of other ingredients to make a delicious Sauce. The good news is this Cherry Sauce recipe only takes 10 minutes to make, not several days!

The two main ingredients in our Cherry Sauce recipe are Cherry Jam / Jelly (basically good quality concentrated Cherry spread), and Red Wine. The ratios are pretty much equal parts Jam to Wine. For 2 people we used about 250ml of each, and we had loads of leftovers

Add a little bit of Butter to a saucepan over medium heat along with a finely diced Shallot. Once the Shallot starts to caramelize, add some Red Wine Vinegar and Red Wine. Cook that all down until the alcohol has burned off then add the Cherry Jam

Then all you need to do is cook it for about 5 minutes to allow the ingredients to come together. Unlike other sauces, I’ve found that cooking the sauce for longer doesn’t really change the flavor or texture. The Sugar in the Jam is going to give the sauce its body so there’s no need for a long cook time to get the right consistency

Plating our Crispy Duck Leg with Cherry Sauce recipe

Ideally, you’ve made the sauce while the Duck is slowly cooking or prepared it once the Duck is resting. Either way, this is an easy dish to bring both components together at the same time without the kitchen turning into a frantic mess!

Once the Duck has rested and your Sauce is ready, all you need to do is plate the beautiful dish! Nothing beats the classic plating of a beautiful Duck Leg with a generous amount of that wonderful Cherry Sauce drizzled over the top

For a fancy presentation we finished the dish with some fresh Thyme and a sprinkling of Finishing Salt. The Thyme is optional but does add a nice freshness to the plate and helps cut through the sweetness. We also prepared some Roast Vegetables as a side, but really you can add whatever you like. Check out our Sides recipes to find something nice to pair alongside your delicious Crispy Duck Leg with Cherry Sauce!

Crispy Duck Leg with Cherry Sauce Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 Duck Legs, skin on
• 20g Unsalted Butter
• 1 Shallot, finely diced
• 1 tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar
• 250g Red Wine
• 250g good quality Cherry Jam / Jelly
• Salt
  
  

1. To prepare the Duck season the skin generously with Salt and then leave uncovered in the refrigerator for 1 – 2 days to dry out the skin
2. When ready to cook, bring the Duck to room temperature before placing on a cold frying pan, skin-side down set over a low heat
3. Cook the Duck skin-side down for 20 minutes, or until the skin has turned a golden-brown color and is crispy. Cook it 90% on the skin side, then turn over and finish cooking it on the flesh side until the internal temperature reaches 135F
4. Set the Duck aside to rest while you prepare the Sauce (you can also cook the Sauce in advance, or while the Duck is cooking)
   
   

Cherry Red Wine Sauce Recipe

1. Melt Butter in a saucepan over medium heat then add the Shallots and cook until they begin to caramelize (about 5 minutes)
2. Add the Red Wine Vinegar and Red Wine. Increase the heat to bring to a slight boil and cook for 5 minutes to burn off the Alcohol then add the Cherry Jam
3. Stir through well and continue to simmer for 5 – 10 minutes, stirring frequently to form the sauce. Reduce heat to low to keep the Sauce warm while your Duck is resting. Plate and serve
   
   

Recipe Notes

• You can prepare this dish without drying out the Duck skin for 1 – 2 days, however if you have time, we highly recommend this step for an even crispier skin
• You can prepare the Cherry Sauce in advance and simply re-heat over a low heat in a saucepan while the Duck is cooking
  
  

I love this Crispy Duck Leg with Cherry Sauce recipe as it has all the hallmark flavors and looks of a fine dining restaurant plate yet is so simple to make at home! The Cherry Sauce packs a punch of sweet flavor that balances out the fattiness of the Duck Leg perfectly

If you like this recipe then we recommend checking out these other fancy restaurant quality recipes that are easy to make at home:

• Red Wine Braised Short Ribs
• Crispy Fried Whole Fish with Tamarind Chili Jam
• Duck a L’Orange
• Crispy Skin Snapper with Fish Beurre Blanc
  
  

Happy Cooking!