Roast duck legs with red wine sauce

Name: Roasted duck legs with red wine sauce
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 110 min
Ingredients: 4 duck legs (approx 300 grams or 10½ ounces each); 2 pounds / 900 grams potatoes (peeled and cut into pieces (or washed and left unpeeled if using baby potatoes)); 2 large carrots (peeled and sliced); 2 large sprigs fresh rosemary; ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste); ¾ cup / 180 ml red wine; ¾ cup / 180 ml chicken stock (you can make it with a stock cube); ¼ cup / 60 ml redcurrant jelly (or more to taste); ½ teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves); 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar (optional); 2 teaspoons cornflour/cornstarch (for thickening)

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These roast duck legs with red wine sauce are ideal for serving when you want to impress dinner guests, but because they are so easy to prepare, they also make a delicious and easy meal for the family.

2 oven-roasted duck legs in a baking dish with potatoes and carrots.

I'm a HUGE fan of duck legs and I simply love this recipe for roast duck legs with red wine sauce. You may already have tried my recipe for oven-baked duck legs with plum sauce (if not, it is highly recommended)!

And while duck legs do take some time to cook in order to achieve tender, succulent meat, the preparation is minimal and the oven handles most of the effort. Long, slow cooking is essential to break down the muscular duck leg, ensuring it becomes tender and flavourful.

For this recipe, I rubbed the duck legs with salt, laid them on a few rosemary sprigs, added some baby potatoes and chunky carrots around the edges and baked them in the oven. There's no need to add any oil. There is a lot of fat in the skin of a duck that renders out and adds the most amazing flavour to roast vegetables!

While these slow-roasted duck legs taste amazing once roasted, I think the real star of the dish is the red wine sauce with redcurrant jelly. The red wine gives the sauce a rich, slightly tangy base, while the redcurrant jelly adds just the right touch of sweetness to balance it out. Combined with chicken stock and a hint of thyme, it creates a smooth, flavorful sauce that pairs perfectly with the duck’s richness.

The sauce is made in a saucepan, and you have two options on how to use it:

Make the sauce in a saucepan, but don't thicken it immediately. Pour the unthickened sauce over the duck and braise the duck legs in the sauce, basting occasionally, for 20 minutes in the oven. Then pour the sauce into a saucepan and thicken it before serving it poured over the duck;
Don't braise the duck legs. Make the sauce and thicken it in a saucepan, then pour the sauce over the roasted duck legs to serve. If you choose this option you should allow the duck legs to cook in the oven for an extra 20 minutes.

Two red-wine braised duck legs on a bed of roast potatoes an carrots.

Now it may look as though the duck legs are overcooked and burnt, but let me assure you this is entirely due to my lack of photography skills! These duck legs have been braised in the sauce, and it is simply the sweetness of the redcurrant jelly that has caramelised on the skin. In reality, the skin has remained crispy and tasty but is coated in a sticky sweet glaze.

I like to add a side of freshly steamed green vegetables when I'm serving this dish, but if you wanted to turn it into a one-dish meal you could easily add extra root vegetables such as chopped parsnips or swedes (rutabagas) to the roasting pan.

Let me show you how to make it!

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Ingredients
Instructions
Tips for a successful outcome
Serving suggestions
Equipment
Storage
FAQ
Save for later
Related recipes
📋The recipe

Ingredients

This recipe will feed 4 people.

Duck legs - the duck leg is cut Maryland style, ie with the drumstick and thigh attached. There is quite a lot of meat on a duck leg so I normally allow one leg per person, but you can add extra if your family has a large appetite.
Potatoes - these are small baby potatoes which don't need peeling, but you could use any potato that you would normally use for roasting. Larger potatoes should be peeled and cut into chunks.
Carrots - I like roasting carrots with the potatoes in the duck fat. However, these are optional or you could swap them for parsnips or other root vegetables that stand up well to being roasted.
Rosemary - this serves 2 functions. Firstly it adds a super flavour to the duck, and secondly, it keeps the duck legs elevated above the fat. Leave it out if you don't like the flavour of rosemary.
Salt - for seasoning the duck.

And for the sauce:

Redcurrant jelly - you can buy this in jars from the local supermarket - normally in the pickle and chutney aisle.
Red wine - for maximum flavour use a good quality, full-bodied red wine, one that you would actually drink. I used Shiraz. If you don't want to use alcohol substitute with red grape, pomegranate or cranberry juice and a tablespoon of vinegar.
Thyme - complements the flavour of the rosemary perfectly.
Balsamic vinegar - optional but adds an extra depth of flavour to the sauce.
Chicken stock - use fresh chicken stock or if you don't have any you can make it with a stock cube.
Cornflour (or cornstarch) - I forgot to include this in the photo. It's used to thicken the sauce once the duck has been braised.

**You can find the exact ingredient measurements to make these duck legs with red wine sauce on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**

Instructions

I used my battered old stainless steel roasting pan to make this recipe as I can use it on the hob to brown the duck. If your roasting pan isn't suitable for use on the hob, you can do the first 2 steps in a frying pan.

Step 1: Prick the skin of the duck legs with a fork and rub them all over with salt. Lay them skin side down in a roasting pan.

Two browned duck legs in a roasting tray.

Step 2: Brown the legs over moderate heat for about 4 minutes per side until the fat starts to render and the skin is browning.

2 duck legs on bed of rosemary surrounded by potatoes and carrots in a roasting pan.

Step 3: Remove the duck legs from the pan and add the potatoes and carrots. Stir to coat them in the rendered fat and sprinkle with salt. Move the vegetables to the side and place two rosemary sprigs into the centre of the pan. Place the duck legs skin side up on the rosemary.

Two cooked duck legs with potatoes and carrots in a roasting pan.

Step 4: Roast the duck legs for one hour and 10 minutes (if you are going to braise them with the red wine sauce). Otherwise, roast the legs for one hour and 30 minutes. In both cases, rest the cooked duck for 10 minutes before serving.

Important- please take note of the cooking time.

Depending on the size of your duck legs, this can be anywhere between 90 minutes to 2 hours. The duck legs I used in this recipe were around 300 grams each or just over 10 ounces.

Braised in red wine sauce - roast the duck legs for one hour and 10 minutes, add the sauce and braise for 20 minutes (one hour and thirty minutes in total);
Unbraised - roast the duck legs for one hour and 30 minutes.

In both cases, a few extra minutes won't hurt, but don't leave them too long or they will start to dry out. If you have a digital probe thermometer the temperature should register 74C or 165F.

Make the sauce

Ingredients for red wine sauce in a saucepan.

Step 5: To make the sauce, pour all the ingredients (except the cornflour) into a saucepan and bring to a boil.

Step 6: Turn the heat to low, cover the pan with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes. Taste the sauce and add extra redcurrant jelly if necessary.

Braise the duck legs

2 duck legs in a roasting pan covered in red wine sauce.

Step 7: Remove the potatoes and carrots to a serving dish and keep warm. Discard the rosemary sticks. Pour off any excess fat and save it for your next dish of roast potatoes. Pour the sauce over the duck legs in the roasting pan and return to the oven.

Two braised duck legs in aroasting pan of red wine sauce.

Step 8: Continue to cook for a further 20 minutes, basting at least twice, until the legs are browned and sticky.

Thicken the sauce

Thickened red wine sauce in a saucepan with a spoon showing the consistency.

Step 9: Pour the sauce back into the saucepan and stir in a slurry of cornflour and water. Stir over medium heat until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon.

Tips for a successful outcome

Here are my top tips to ensure your roasted duck legs with red wine sauce turn out perfectly:

Prick the skin of the duck legs with a fork or a skewer as this will help ensure a more crispy skin. Take care not to prick into the meat.
When seasoning the duck legs with salt, rub it well into both the skin and the exposed meat for maximum flavour.
Don't skip the step for browning the duck legs. This not only allows a little of the fat to render out which is perfect for coating the potatoes and carrots, but also gives the duck legs a nicer colour.
I would recommend adding at least potatoes to the pan with the duck legs. I added carrots because I like them but you can use whatever firm vegetable you prefer or omit them altogether.
The bed of rosemary is also optional. You can place the duck legs directly on the base of your baking pan if you don't want to use rosemary.
In order for the duck to tenderise fully, you should allow it to cook for at least 90 minutes in the oven.
If you decide to braise the duck legs in the red wine sauce, baste at least twice while the duck legs are braising.
Also if braising the duck legs in the sauce, pour off any excess duck fat before adding the sauce to the baking dish. You can keep it in a container in the refrigerator - it's great for making roast potatoes.
Depending on the brand of redcurrant jelly you use, you may need to add extra to taste.
The sauce should be thickened with a slurry of cornflour and water before being served.
Allow the duck legs to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Serving suggestions

I like to serve these duck legs with roasted potatoes and carrots and add a few steamed green vegetables such as beans and/or brussels sprouts on the side. A sweet vegetable such as yams or sweet potato also makes a nice accompaniment.

Two roasted duck legs on a serving platter with potatoes and carrots.

Equipment

For roasting the duck legs you will need a baking dish. I like to use my battered old stainless steel dish because I can use it for browning the duck legs on the hob. You could use a frying pan to do this, but be sure to pour any rendered fat into the baking dish before placing the dish in the oven.

For making the red wine sauce you will need a small saucepan.

Storage

If you would like to freeze the duck legs as part of your meal prep, you can allow the legs to cool and then pack them into small individual plastic bags. You can safely freeze the cooked duck legs for 2 to 3 months.

To use, allow the duck legs to thaw in the refrigerator and then reheat them on a baking tray in a hot oven (200C/400F) for 10 to 15 minutes until well heated through.

Leftover duck can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Shredded duck leg makes delicious sandwiches for lunch!

Close up of a roast duck leg which has been cut open to show the meat inside.

FAQ

Should I remove the skin from the duck legs before cooking?

No, don't remove the skin. The skin is essential for keeping the meat moist and creating a crispy flavourful exterior.

What breed of duck should I use?

You can use any breed of duck, but the most common are mallard or Pekin duck. In the UK I use ducks which are bred by Gressingham. They are a unique breed of duck, where the smaller flavoursome wild mallard has been crossed with the larger Pekin duck.

Can I reuse the fat from the roasted duck legs?

Yes, the fat can be reused to make roast potatoes.

Why should I rest the duck before serving?

Resting the duck allows the juices to settle back into the meat resulting in juicier flesh. If you cut meat immediately it comes out of the roasting pan you will find the juices leak out of the meat and pool onto the plate.

Save for later

If you would like to make these duck legs with red wine sauce, why not save the recipe to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it easily? Just click on the image below.

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Visit my chicken and poultry recipes page for other easy recipes. Here are a few duck recipes you might enjoy:

📋The recipe

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Roast duck legs with red wine sauce

Ingredients