Deep-Fried Duck With Fig-Orange Glaze

Looking down on a deep-fried duck with candles to the left and orange slices and cranberries scattered around the bird.

Deep-Fried Duck With Fig-Orange Glaze

For the most impressive holiday dinner, serve this deep-fried duck with a fig-orange glaze and watch your family swoon over every mouth-watering bite! Deep frying gives a whole duck crispy skin and makes that succulent meat even juicer and more flavorful. Whether you’re celebrating Thanksgiving, Christmas or another special occasion, this duck makes the perfect dinner centerpiece.

Course Main Dishes

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 25

Total Time 40

Servings people

Calories 573kcal

Author Amanda McGrory-Dixon

Equipment

Deep fryer
Kitchen twine
Kitchen shears
Meat thermometer

Ingredients

Deep-Fried Duck

1 whole duck fully thawed with giblets and innards removed
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
Peanut oil

Fig-Orange Glaze

1 cup fig jam
½ cup orange juice
1 garlic clove grated or minced
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
Pinch of cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon freshly grated orange zest

Instructions

Deep-Fried Duck

Heat the peanut oil in a deep fryer to 375 degrees F. As the oil heats, pat the duck dry with paper towels. Trim off excess fat on the side opposite of the duck cavity. If there's excess fat by the cavity, you can trim that too.
Mix together the salt, black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Rub the spices all over the duck and tie the legs together using kitchen twine. (See notes for dry brining instructions.)
When the oil reaches temperature, carefully lower the duck into the oil so that it's fully submerged. Cover the fryer and fry the duck until the leg joint reaches 180 degrees F, about four minutes per pound, but use the internal temperature as your ultimate guide. Make sure the oil temperature stays consistently between 350-375 degrees F as the duck fries.
Remove the duck from the fryer and place on a cutting board. Brush with the glaze and allow the duck to rest for 10 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute to the meat before carving. Serve with additional glaze on the side. Enjoy!

Fig-Orange Glaze

In a small saucepan, stir together the fig jam, orange juice, garlic, ginger, salt, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce the heat and simmer until it slightly reduces.
Turn off heat and stir in orange zest. Use to glaze the duck. You'll also have additional glaze leftover to serve on the side. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

If you'd like to dry brine the duck, trim it, add the dry rub, tie the duck and place it uncovered in the refrigerator for at least eight hours but preferably up to 24 hours. This helps make for even juicier meat and crisper skin.
Do not fry until the duck is fully thawed. If it's still frozen, it can cause the hot oil to overflow. Placing the duck in the refrigerator for two to three days ahead of frying should be enough time to thaw. You can speed up the process by submerging the duck in cold water in the refrigerator.
For the deep fryer, you can use an indoor turkey fryer, which has a much larger basket than a standard indoor deep fryer, or you can use an outdoor propane fryer. I prefer an indoor turkey fryer for ease of use and better safety controls.
If using an outdoor fryer, keep a fire extinguisher handy. You do not want to put out a grease fire with water, which just spreads the flames.
Plan for this duck to serve three to four people. If you need to serve more, simply fry more than one duck.
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Nutrition