In an air fryer, how long should a duck leg be cooked? A sweet and spicy orange sauce tops this quick and delectable air fryer duck leg recipe. Duck legs can be roasted in an air fryer and are low carb, keto, and gluten-free. Make your roast duck legs for a fraction of the cost of a fine restaurant meal. Duck drumsticks are used instead of duck legs in this dish, and they’ll cook up extra soft and juicy because they’re bone-in and skin-on. Duck leg quarters, the duck thighs with the duck drumsticks connected, are also available in somewhat bigger sizes.
Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200C). Using paper towels, pat the duck legs dry. Season the duck legs with salt and pepper after spraying them with cooking oil spray. Place the duck legs on a tray in a hot air fryer (or in the hot air fryer basket). With a 10-quart Kalorik Digital Air Fryer Oven, I produced this recipe. In a Ninja Foodi, Philips, Nuwave, Pampered Chef, Actifry, Instant Pot Vortex, Cosori, Breville, or similar air fryer, create air fryer duck legs.
How to Make Duck Leg Recipe in Air Fryer?
Duck is not considered a lean protein because of its high-fat content, and duck, on the other hand, provides plenty of high-quality protein. Vitamins and minerals essential: Duck legs are a good source of zinc, phosphorus, and iron (per Cronometer).
Duck also contains various B vitamins, such as riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12. It also contains a lot of choline (a nutrient sometimes grouped with B-complex vitamins). Gluten-free, low-carb, and keto: Air-fried duck legs are inherently keto, sugar-free, low carb, and GF friendly if you eliminate the orange sauce in this recipe.
If your air fryer basket is small, you may only be able to cook one duck leg at a time. Remember that some air fryer brands cook faster than others. When trying a new air fryer recipe, always check the food early.
When cooking fatty foods, certain air fryers produce more smoke than others. Smoking can be avoided by placing a slice of bread or a small amount of water in the drip pan of your air fryer.
Duck legs may be air-fried in as little as 10-15 minutes! This simple recipe requires no marinating. Delicious: I don’t know about you, but I eat duck because it tastes wonderful. The spicy-sweet glaze elevates the dish. All ingredient quantities are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of the page!
This recipe calls for bone-in, skin-on duck legs that weigh around 10 ounces each (283 grams). The cooking time will be affected if your duck legs are of different sizes.
Duck can be difficult to come by in American supermarkets, and the duck is periodically sold at Aldi, Costco, and other supermarkets, especially on holidays.
If you’re having trouble finding a duck in your area, order it online from US Wellness Meats. Here you can obtain pastured duck legs or pastured duck leg quarters. Pekin ducks, to be precise.
Use sugar-free BBQ sauce, sugar-free marmalade, and sugar-free ketchup to create the orange glaze sugar-free. Of course, the glaze will still contain natural sugar from the orange juice and tomatoes from the ketchup.
I recommend seasoning the duck legs differently for a low-carb option. Season with ginger and garlic, or drizzle with sugar-free teriyaki sauce.
Ingredients
- Duck legs, two counts. Total weight: 20 ounces/567 grammes (bone-in, skin-on)
- choice of cooking oil spray
- seasonings (salt and pepper)
For the glaze
- 14 cup marmalade orange
- 1 tbsp. barbecue sauce
- One tablespoon of freshly squeezed orange juice
- 12 tablespoon ketchup (no sugar added)
- 14 teaspoon red pepper flakes, crushed (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius). Using paper towels, pat the duck legs dry.
- Season the duck legs with salt and pepper after spraying them with cooking oil spray. Place the duck legs on a tray in a hot air fryer (or in the hot air fryer basket).
- Duck legs should be air-fried for 10-15 minutes in a 400°F (200°C) air fryer. If you have an air fryer oven, use the top rack. I got a medium-rare duck in ten minutes (but be sure to read the article above for food safety tips). Duck should be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 165°F (74°C), which is well done.
- Allow 5-10 minutes for the duck to rest while preparing the orange glaze.
Whisk the marmalade, barbecue sauce, juice, ketchup, and red pepper flakes to produce the glaze. Bring the mixture to a low simmer for 5-10 minutes over medium heat in a small saucepan. - Apply the heated glaze over the fried duck legs using a silicone pastry brush. Enjoy, but keep in mind that roasted duck has a texture closer to red meat than chicken.
When Cooking Duck Legs, What Temperature do you Use?
However, the breast is lighter and should only be roasted to 135°F (57°C) to prevent the flesh from drying out. To assist break down connective tissue and making a more tender dish, the thighs and legs should be cooked to 165°F. Roasting is one of the most typical ways to prepare a duck. Because the duck will continue to rise in temperature after leaving the oven, cook it to an internal temperature of at least 145°F. Allow at least 20 minutes for resting before carving. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Check the duck for any remaining pin feathers and remove them if necessary. Using water, rinse the duck. Using paper towels, thoroughly dry the area.
The duck will be roasted in the oven for 3 hours at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and you’ll end up with a lot of duck fat, which I highly recommend you keep and use for roasting veggies, potatoes, and even frying your breakfast eggs! Roasting the duck vertically ensures that it cooks evenly and that the fat drains out of the bird, allowing the skin to crisp. Save your duck fat because it’s gold in the kitchen. Eliminate any large fat pockets from the duck before boiling it and gently reduce them over low heat until they melt, then sieve to remove any lumps.
In an Air Fryer, How do you Cook a Half Duck?
Place the duck breast skin-side up in the air fryer basket and air fry for 5 minutes at 390°F/ 195°C. When the timer goes off, reduce the heat to 320°F (160°C) and air fry the duck breast for another 10-12 minutes. Use an instant-read meat thermometer to check the interior temperature. Brush the duck with olive oil, then season it with the seasonings. Place the duck, breast side up, in the air fryer basket, and air fry for 45-55 minutes at 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
The legs should not be tied throughout the cooking process because they need to move freely to allow the duck’s juices and fat to drain. Place the duck halves cut sides down on the vegetables, and cook for 10 minutes. Prick the duck skin once more, cover with foil, and lower the oven temperature to 275°. Roast the duck for another 3 hours, or until the meat is very soft and the fat has mostly been rendered.
How Long does Duck Take to Cook?
Fry the breasts until the fat has melted, and the skin has crisped. Continue to fry until the skin is crisp and brown and all of the visible white fat has melted away. This could take anything from 10 to 15 minutes. Use a food thermometer to check the temperature of the thickest section of the bird, either the drumstick or the breast, if you have one. When the thermometer reads around 80°C / 175°F, the chicken, duck, or turkey is done.
Duck is often cooked in the oven for several hours, which may seem excessive compared to roasting a chicken or turkey, and this gives the fat time to melt away and the skin time to crisp. Whole ducks are commonly roasted in one of two ways: Chinese-style, where the skin is dried and lacquered while cooking, or in a hot oven like a roast chicken. However, unlike chicken, roast duck needs a lot of help de-fatting, or it would taste greasy.
How do you Cook Crispy Duck at Home?
To produce the crispy skin, delicately score the fat (not the flesh) all over the breast side of the bird, then season it and bake it as is. The duck will take 3 hours and 40 minutes to cook, and you will turn it over every hour. Weigh the duck without the giblets and dry the skin with a dishtowel. Prick the skin around the legs of the duck. Season the duck with salt and pepper all over. Place the duck on a rack in a roasting pan and roast for 40 minutes per KG + 10 minutes more in the center of the oven.
Use this recipe as a fun twist on a holiday dinner or a special dinner any day of the week. The sauce is simple to create and goes well with the crispy duck. Watch how to carve your bird for serving in this video. This quick entire duck roasting dish is perfect for any occasion. This recipe calls for cooking the duck for 10 minutes to help render the fat, resulting in crispy skin and juicy flesh.
Conclusion
I didn’t turn the duck legs, but you can if they look a little dry. The duck legs’ skin should be somewhat crispy around the edges. Allow the duck to rest for 5-10 minutes while creating the orange glaze. The duck grease that collects in the drip pan after cooking can be used to roast vegetables. Please don’t throw it out! Whisk together the marmalade, barbecue sauce, ketchup, orange juice, and red pepper flakes to make the orange glaze. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat for 5-10 minutes. Apply the hot glaze to the fried duck legs with a silicone pastry brush.
