Crispy Duck – Chinese Duck Legs with Plum Sauce

In a Chinese restaurant you order crispy duck as a leg or half duck, with vegetables, rice and sauce. At home, you first simmer the legs for 75 minutes in a broth with star anise, cinnamon, ginger and soy sauce. The meat is then tender and seasoned, and you bake the legs at 220 °C (430 °F) until the skin crackles.

By Laura Chen· October 27, 2026

2 Std 25 Mintotal

4servings

540kcal

ChineseCuisine ›

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The recipe has little in common with Peking duck. For Peking duck, you dry and glaze a whole duck, roast it in one piece and eat the skin with the meat in thin pancakes. The restaurant-style crispy duck comes out of the broth and tastes of star anise and cinnamon.

A duck from the braising pot is lu shui ya. Spring rolls work as a starter and fried banana with honey for dessert.

Crispy Duck – Chinese Duck Legs with Plum Sauce

Name: Crispy Duck – Chinese Duck Legs with Plum Sauce
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 1 h 40 min
Total time: 2 h 25 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 4 duck legs (about 300 g each); 2 l water; 80 ml light soy sauce; 2 tbsp sugar; 1 tsp salt; 4 star anise; 1 cinnamon stick; 30 g ginger, sliced; 3 scallions, halved; 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns or black peppercorns; 1 tsp salt; 1 tbsp cornstarch; 8 tbsp plum sauce (sweet and tangy Chinese sauce made from plums) or hoisin sauce (seasoning sauce made from fermented soybeans); 1 cucumber, cut into sticks; 2 scallions, in thin strips

Laura Chen

Servings

Prep time

45 minutes

Cook time

100 minutes

Calories

540

Cuisine

Chinese

Ingredients

For the broth:

4 duck legs (about 300 g each)
2 l water
80 ml light soy sauce
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
4 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
30 g ginger, sliced
3 scallions, halved
1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns or black peppercorns

For baking until crisp:

1 tsp salt
1 tbsp cornstarch

To serve:

8 tbsp plum sauce (sweet and tangy Chinese sauce made from plums) or hoisin sauce (seasoning sauce made from fermented soybeans)
1 cucumber, cut into sticks
2 scallions, in thin strips

Instructions

Bring the water, soy sauce, sugar, salt, star anise, cinnamon, ginger, scallions and peppercorns to a boil in a large pot.
Add the duck legs. The broth should cover them. Simmer over low heat with the lid half on for 75 minutes, until the meat pulls away from the bone.
Lift out the legs, pat them dry and let them cool and dry uncovered on a rack for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 220 °C (430 °F) top and bottom heat. Rub the skin with the salt and starch.
Place the legs skin side up on a rack over a baking tray and bake for 25 minutes, until the skin is brown and blistered.
If the skin is still soft, switch on the broiler for the last 3 minutes. Stay by the oven, because the skin burns quickly.
Let the legs rest for 5 minutes and cut them at the joint or into slices. Serve with plum sauce, cucumber, scallions and rice.

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Crispy Duck – Chinese Duck Legs with Plum Sauce

Ingredients

For the broth:

For baking until crisp:

To serve:

Instructions

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