Balsamic Cherry Glazed Duck Recipe
Duck can be intimidating, but this balsamic cherry-glazed duck makes it surprisingly doable. The rich, crispy skin pairs with a tangy cherry glaze for a dinner worth the effort.
This recipe walks you through preparing a whole duck with a simple balsamic cherry glaze. You’ll get tips for rendering fat, achieving crisp skin, and using the leftover glaze for serving.
If you don’t cook a duck correctly, it can be one of the fattiest meats you will ever eat. Many people think they don’t like ducks for this reason.
You can extract approximately 2 cups of fat from a small roasted duck once it has been rendered. Read on to learn about the best ways to render that fat, make the skin crispy, and still have the meat tender and delicious. Finding a way to render all the fat trapped under the skin is the key.
What You Need
For the Duck
- 6 lb Whole duck: Rich, tender meat with a layer of fat, which crisps the skin during roasting, giving the dish its signature texture and flavor.
- Large carrot cut into large chunks: Adds flavor and moisture inside the cavity.
- Small onion quartered: Adds sweetness and aroma while roasting.
- 2 cloves garlic – crush with the side of your knife: Infuses the cavity with a savory base flavor.
- Large celery stalk with tops cut into large chunks: Adds mild, herbal notes and moisture inside the cavity.
- Salt: Draws out moisture for crispier skin and seasons the duck throughout.
- Pepper: Adds mild heat and depth to the duck and glaze.
For the Cherry Glaze
- Cherry preserves or jam: Brings sweet, tart cherry flavor while adding body to the glaze for a glossy finish.
- Balsamic Vinegar: Adds tangy acidity to balance the sweetness and cuts through the richness of the duck. You could substitute red wine vinegar if you don’t have balsamic.
- Salt – we use kosher salt, which seasons the glaze.
- Pepper – freshly cracked black pepper that adds a mild bite to the glaze.
- Fresh rosemary chopped: Brings pine-like herbal notes to the glaze.
- Sage, dried or fresh: Adds warm, earthy depth.
How to Make It
For the Duck
Dry the duck with paper towels. Carefully make holes in the skin, avoiding deep punctures, so the meat isn’t pierced. Use a sharp metal skewer or a paring knife. Be sure to score the leg, as well.
Turn the duck over and score the backside, as well. This is the most crucial part, so don’t skip this step.
Lightly drizzle the duck with olive oil so the spices will stick.
Season the duck inside and out with salt and pepper. Rough-chop the vegetables and fill the cavity with them.
In the last hour that the duck is cooking, add all the sauce ingredients to a small saucepan. Bring it to a boil, stirring constantly. Then, reduce the heat to low. Cook the sauce on low heat to thicken it for about 45 minutes, stirring often to prevent sticking.
Cooking can be done in the oven or on the grill. If using the oven, place the duck on a wire rack set over a roasting pan. If using the grill, cook the bird on the opposite side of the flame. Place the duck breast-side down. Preheat the oven or grill to 300°F (149 °C). Bake or grill for one hour.
Carefully remove the duck from the oven or grill, then flip it over so it is breast-side up. Bake again for another hour, then repeat the process two more times, so that it cooks for the last hour breast-side up.
In the last 15 minutes, brush the crisped skin with the glaze. Cook the balsamic cherry-glazed duck until the internal temperature reaches 165°F, according to USDA guidelines. Read the notes below.
Pro Tips for Crispy Skin and Juicy, Tender Meat
- Either score the breast side and back side with a very sharp kitchen knife in a crisscross pattern or poke holes in the skin with a sharp skewer. Take care not to score the meat under the skin.
- Cook it low and slow, flipping the bird over every hour. Start with the breast side down in a roasting pan with a rack. After one hour, flip it so that it is breast-side up. Do this two more times (a total of 4 hours).
- The USDA recommends cooking duck to an internal temperature of 165°F (74 °C). We find this is too done for us. We typically cook to an internal temperature of 135°F / 60°C. This will produce a medium rare doneness.
- Be sure to let the bird rest, tented with aluminum foil, for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
- Check for doneness about 30 minutes before the four-hour mark with an instant-read thermometer.
How to properly slice duck
- Remove the duck breasts from the bone by following the rib cage very closely to the bone. Make a horizontal cut at the bottom of the breast to remove it.
- Using a very sharp knife, place the breast skin side down on a cutting board. Slice the meat about ¼ inch (0.6 cm) thick, against the grain of the meat.
More Recipes That Use Cherries
Roast duck is a good source of protein, selenium, iron, zinc and B vitamins. Roasting the duck in this fashion renders it better, as it releases all the fat that is underneath the skin.
Other Great Duck Recipes
Helpful Tools
This balsamic cherry-glazed duck is a delicious way to serve a special dinner with crispy skin and rich flavor.
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I hope you enjoyed the recipe today.
Enjoy. And have fun cooking!
Balsamic Cherry Glazed Whole Duck
Ingredients
For Duck
For Glaze
- 3/4 cup cherry preserves
- 1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Pepper
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary chopped
- 1/8 teaspoon sage, dried
Instructions
For Duck
- Wash and dry duck thoroughly, inside and out. Either poke holes into the skin being careful not to pierce the meat or use a sharp knife to score the skin in a crisscross pattern. Season duck inside and outside with salt and pepper. Place onion, celery and carrot in the cavity.
- Place on roasting pan that has a wire rack, breast side down.
- Bake at 300°F for one hour. Carefully remove the duck from the oven and flip it over so that it is breast side up. Bake again for another hour and repeat the process two more times, so that it cooks for the last hour breast side up. The last 45 minutes or so, brush the skin with the cherry balsamic glaze.
- Let rest for at least 30 minutes before cutting.
Grilling Instructions
- Preheat to 300°F with flames on only one side. Grill on the unlit side of the grill.
- Grill at 300°F for one hour, breast side down, on the unlit side of the grill. Flip it over so that it is breast side up. Grill again for another hour and repeat the process two more times, so that it cooks for the last hour breast side up. The last 45 minutes or so, brush the skin with the cherry balsamic glaze.
For Glaze
- Use to same pan you melted the butter in. Place all of the ingredients in the pan. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to very low, simmering for 30-60 minutes until thick.
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Nutrition
Originally published March 14, 2017. Updated July 13, 2025.
we tried for Thanksgiving this year. our family agrees this glaze is perfect. we cooked about 3 hours and it was already done. it was so delicious. we will coo, again. this will be our favorite duck recipe. thank you!
Great TNJ! I’m so glad that you liked it!