Peking duck
北京烤鸭
A whole duck scalded, glazed and air-dried for a day, then roasted on a rack until the skin is thin and crisp. Carved and rolled in thin pancakes with cucumber, spring onion and sweet bean sauce.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: 北京烤鸭.
- Prep
- 1 hr 15 min
- Cook
- 1 hr 50 min
- Rest
- 24 hr
- Total
- 27 hr 5 min
- Difficulty
- A bit of work
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Treat yourself$28+ USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Peking duck is about the skin. In Beijing the duck is inflated so the skin lifts off the meat, scalded, painted with maltose, hung to dry and roasted in a wood-fired oven, then carved at the table into thin slices that are half skin. At home you cannot inflate it or hang it over fruitwood, but you can do the two things that matter most: scald the skin so it tightens, and dry it uncovered in the fridge for a full day. Roast it on a rack over water, moderate then hot, and carve the skin first. The pancakes are flour and boiling water, rolled in pairs.
What you'll need
16 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
- Duck
- Glaze
- Pancakes
- To serve
Ingredients
Duck
- Whole duck, about 2.2 kg, giblets out, neck skin left long if possible1
- Salt, for the cavity9.9 ml
- Chinese five-spice, for the cavity (optional)4.9 ml
- Ginger, sliced, for the cavity20 g
- Water, boiling, for scalding2 l
Glaze
Pancakes
- Wheat flour, plain250 g
- Water, just boiled180 ml
- Salt1 pinch
- Toasted sesame oil, for brushing between the pancakes30 ml
To serve
Choose one
Sweet bean sauce, fried with the sugar, or use hoisin straight from the jar74 ml- Sugar, for the sauce15 ml
- Cucumber, seeded, cut into 6 cm batons1
- Spring onion, white and pale green only, cut into 6 cm threads6
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Pull out any loose fat from inside the cavity and around the neck, and cut off the wing tips. Rub the salt and five-spice around the inside of the cavity, tuck in the ginger, and close the opening with a skewer so the bird keeps its shape.
10 min
Step 2
Set the duck breast up on a rack in a clean sink. Pour about a litre of boiling water slowly over every part of the skin, turn the duck over and do the back with another litre. The skin will tighten and turn a shade paler; that is the point.
5 min
Watch: Hold the duck steady with tongs and pour slowly; a fork would pierce the skin. Boiling water and a slippery bird are a bad mix.
Step 3
Pat the duck completely dry. Stir the honey, vinegar and hot water together and brush a thin coat over all the skin. Put the duck uncovered on a rack over a tray on the bottom shelf of the fridge, away from anything ready to eat, for 24 hours, up to 48, brushing on a second coat after about 12 hours. It is ready when the skin feels dry and papery.
1440 min
Tip: A small fan pointed at the duck for the first two hours speeds the drying a great deal.
Step 4
For the pancakes, stir the boiling water into the flour and salt with chopsticks, then knead into a smooth, soft dough as soon as it is cool enough to handle. Cover and rest 30 minutes. Roll into a log, cut 16 pieces and flatten each. Brush half of them with sesame oil, press a dry piece on top of each, and roll each pair out to a 15 cm round.
50 min
Step 5
Cook each pair in a dry frying pan over medium heat for about 40 seconds a side, until it puffs in spots but barely colours. Peel the two layers apart while hot and stack them under a damp tea towel. Steam or microwave them briefly to rewarm before serving.
15 min
Step 6
Heat the oven to 200°C. Put the duck breast up on a rack over a roasting tray holding 2 cm of water, which catches the fat and stops it smoking. Roast for 20 minutes, turn the oven down to 170°C for 60 minutes, then up to 220°C for a final 10 to 15 minutes until the skin is deep mahogany and crackles when tapped, and a probe in the thickest part of the thigh reads at least 75°C. Top up the water if the tray boils dry.
95 min200°C
Watch: Honey browns faster than maltose. If the breast darkens too early, lay a loose sheet of foil over it.
Step 7
Rest the duck 10 minutes. Meanwhile fry the sweet bean sauce with the sugar and a spoon of water in a small pan for 2 minutes until glossy. Carve the skin off in thin pieces with a little meat attached, then slice the rest of the meat, and serve with the warm pancakes, sauce, cucumber and spring onion.
15 min
Tip: Carve the breast skin first and eat it straight away. It is the best part and it does not wait.
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 2659 kcal
- Protein
- 74.7 g
- Carbs
- 77.1 g
- Fat
- 224.3 g
- Saturated fat
- 73.6 g
- Fibre
- 3.2 g
- Sugar
- 19.4 g
- Sodium
- 3065 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- Wheat
- Soy
- Sesame
- Dairy-free
- Nut-free
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 13 November.
Substitutions
Sweet bean sauce → Hoisin sauce
Hoisin is sweeter and spiced, and it is what most Cantonese restaurants abroad serve. Use it straight from the jar, no frying needed.
Homemade pancakes → Frozen duck pancakes
Steam them for 3 minutes from frozen. They are thicker than good homemade ones but they save an hour.
Tips
- Buy the duck from a Chinese butcher if you can and ask for it with the neck skin on. Intact skin with no cuts dries and crisps far better than a trimmed supermarket bird.
- Save the carcass. Simmered for an hour with ginger, napa cabbage and tofu, it makes the duck-bone soup that ends the meal in Beijing.
- Maltose is sold in tubs in Chinese shops. Stand the tub in hot water until it pours and use it in place of the honey for a clearer, harder glaze.
History & culture
Roast duck is a banquet dish in Beijing, ordered for visitors, birthdays and business dinners rather than cooked at home. The chef carves it beside the table, skin first, then meat. Each diner brushes a pancake with sauce, adds a few slices with cucumber and spring onion, and rolls it up. The carcass often goes back to the kitchen to become soup.
The usual account is that roast duck came north with the Ming court when the capital moved from Nanjing to Beijing in the early 15th century. Bianyifang, which uses a closed oven, dates itself to 1416. Quanjude opened in 1864 and made the hung-oven style famous. The white Pekin duck was bred around the city over the same centuries for exactly this purpose.
Modern adaptation — Beijing restaurants pump air under the skin to separate it from the meat, fill the cavity with water so the bird steams from inside, and roast it hanging in a fruitwood-fired oven. None of that works in a home oven. Scalding, a long fridge-dry and a rack over water get you most of the thin, crackling skin; the meat is a little less moist and the smoky edge is missing.
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Peking duck take?
27 hr 5 min all in — 1 hr 15 min prep, 1 hr 50 min cook, 24 hr rest. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 4 people. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
A bit of work.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Wheat, Soy, Sesame. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Dairy-free, Nut-free.
11 more questionsFewer questions
What does it cost to cook?
Treat yourself — about $28+ USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Oven, Baking tray, Frying pan, Rolling pin, Mixing bowl, Chef's knife, Cutting board, Tongs.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 2 tsp (for the cavity).
How much honey?
2 tbsp (or maltose, which is more traditional) of Honey.
How much vinegar?
2 tbsp (rice vinegar or white vinegar) of Vinegar.
How much toasted sesame oil?
2 tbsp (for brushing between the pancakes) of Toasted sesame oil.
How much sugar?
1 tbsp (for the sauce) of Sugar.
What can I use instead?
Sweet bean sauce → Hoisin sauce. Hoisin is sweeter and spiced, and it is what most Cantonese restaurants abroad serve. Use it straight from the jar, no frying needed. Homemade pancakes → Frozen duck pancakes. Steam them for 3 minutes from frozen. They are thicker than good homemade ones but they save an hour.
What should I watch for?
Hold the duck steady with tongs and pour slowly; a fork would pierce the skin. Boiling water and a slippery bird are a bad mix. Honey browns faster than maltose. If the breast darkens too early, lay a loose sheet of foil over it.
Any tips from this recipe?
Buy the duck from a Chinese butcher if you can and ask for it with the neck skin on. Intact skin with no cuts dries and crisps far better than a trimmed supermarket bird. Save the carcass. Simmered for an hour with ginger, napa cabbage and tofu, it makes the duck-bone soup that ends the meal in Beijing. Maltose is sold in tubs in Chinese shops. Stand the tub in hot water until it pours and use it in place of the honey for a clearer, harder glaze.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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