Traditional Duck Confit Recipe (2024)

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For this classic French preparation, duck legs are cured overnight before being submerged in duck fat and gently cooked until silky and tender.

Sasha Marx

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Sasha is a senior culinary editor at Serious Eats. He has over a decade of professional cooking experience, having worked his way up through a number of highly regarded and award-winning restaurant kitchens, followed by years spent in test kitchens for food publications.

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Updated September 07, 2023

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Why It Works

Curing duck legs with salt, alliums, and aromatics seasons the meat deeply and gives it a subtle background vegetal sweetness.
A gentle and slow cook in a low oven yields tender and silky duck confit.
Fully submerging legs in duck fat allows them to be stored for a long time after cooking, while also imparting the fat with extra flavor for subsequent cooking projects.

Duck confit is a classic French preparation that produces silky, tender meat that can be preserved (what "confit" means in French) for a long period of time, thanks to the protective, air-blocking seal formed by the rendered fat that the duck is submerged and cooked in.

For this traditional confit (the analog alternative to our more modern and streamlined sous vide duck confit recipe, we start by curing duck legs for 24 hours with salt, black pepper, and an allium cure made with shallots, onion, garlic, parsley, and thyme. This cure seasons the meat and gives it a touch of vegetal sweetness, and it's then rinsed off (which allows for the duck fat to be reused later for subsequent batches of confit). The duck legs are submerged in the fat and cooked gently in a low oven until completely tender.

Submerged in fat, the confit can be refrigerated for at least one month. Reheat and serve it with a refreshing salad or use it in dishes like French cassoulet.

January 2020

Recipe Details

Traditional Duck Confit

Prep10 mins

Cook4 hrs 5 mins

Active20 mins

Curing Time24 hrs

Total28 hrs 15 mins

Serves4 servings

Ingredients

4 duck legs (about 2 1/4 pounds total; 1kg) (see note)
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon (16g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use about half as much by volume or the same weight
6 large shallots (12 ounces; 340g), quartered
1 small onion (4 ounces; 110g), cut into 2-inch pieces (see note)
6 medium cloves garlic (30g)
1/2 bunch (2 ounces; 55g) flat-leaf parsley leaves and tender stems, roughly chopped
10 sprigs fresh thyme
2 teaspoons (6g) whole black peppercorns
2 to 4 cups (475 to 950ml)rendered duck fat(see note)

Directions

The Day Before Cooking Confit: Season duck legs evenly on all sides with salt; set aside. Combine shallots, onion, garlic, and parsley in food processor bowl and pulse until finely chopped but not puréed, about 15 pulses.
Transfer half the vegetable mixture to a nonreactive container that can fit duck legs snugly, such as a baking dish, and spread in an even layer. Scatter half the thyme sprigs and peppercorns over vegetable mixture, then arrange duck legs skin-side up in an even layer on top, pressing them into vegetable mixture. Distribute remaining thyme sprigs and peppercorns over duck legs, followed by the vegetable mixture, spreading it evenly so legs are well-coated. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours and up to 48 hours.
Alternatively, combine duck legs, vegetable mixture, thyme, and peppercorns in a 1-gallon zipper-lock bag. Seal bag, pressing out as much air as possible. Massage bag until duck legs are evenly coated on all sides. Lay bag flat on rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 24 hours and up to 48 hours.
When Ready to Cook: Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 225°F (105°C). Melt duck fat, either in 3-quart saucier over low heat or in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave. Remove duck legs from cure, wiping away as much of the cure mixture as possible before rinsing legs gently under cold water to remove all seasonings; discard cure. Pat duck legs dry with paper towels, then arrange in single layer in saucier with duck fat (if using), making sure they are completely submerged in fat. Alternatively, arrange duck legs snugly in a small baking dish and cover with melted duck fat, making sure legs are fully submerged in fat.
Cover saucier or baking dish with lid or aluminum foil, and transfer to oven. Cook until duck is completely tender and meat shows almost no resistance when pierced with a paring knife, and skin has begun to pull away from bottom of the drumstick, 3 1/2 to 4 hours.
Remove from oven and cool duck to room temperature in its cooking vessel, removing lid but keeping it submerged in fat. Once cool, cover container tightly and transfer to refrigerator, where confit can be stored for up to 1 month.

Special Equipment

Food processor, 3-quart stainless steel saucier, rimmed baking sheet

Notes

This recipe will work with all breeds of duck, but it was developed using Pekin (also known as Long Island) and Alina ducks.

If you don't have a spare onion for the allium cure, substitute with an additional 3 to 4 shallots.

The amount of duck fat needed for this recipe is dependent on the size of your cooking vessel. You need enough rendered duck fat to fully cover the legs and keep them submerged throughout cooking. You can render duck fat yourself from breaking down whole ducks or purchase containers of rendered duck fat at well-stocked supermarkets or online.

This recipe can easily be scaled up or down for any number of duck legs you want to make; just note that the ratio of rendered fat to duck may change dramatically as the size and shape of the cooking vessel does.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Duck confit can be refrigerated in an airtight opaque container, with legs completely submerged in fat, for up to 1 month. The duck fat from the confit can be reused at least 2 more times for subsequent batches of confit; after the third use, taste it for salinity as it will eventually become too salty.

How to Make Classic Duck Confit (and Give It a Koji Twist)
Break Out Your Nonstick Skillet for the Best Crispy Duck Leg Confit

Poultry Fats
Duck Mains

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
336	Calories
19g	Fat
1g	Carbs
38g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	336
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 19g	25%
Saturated Fat 5g	26%
Cholesterol 163mg	54%
Sodium 1124mg	49%
Total Carbohydrate 1g	0%
Dietary Fiber 0g	0%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 38g
Vitamin C 3mg	15%
Calcium 17mg	1%
Iron 3mg	17%
Potassium 12mg	0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

FAQs

What makes a duck confit? ›

Duck Confit is an adored, age-old French preparation for duck. Called Confit de Canard in French, duck legs are slow-cooked in duck fat until the meat is meltingly tender, then the skin crisped to golden perfection. This is a traditional Duck Confit recipe that's low-effort and DOESN'T require buckets of duck fat!

Discover More ›

What is traditionally served with duck confit? ›

Potatoes with duck fat and garlic

This is the classic accompaniment with confit, though I make it all the time as a side dish for baked mushrooms, or a steak, or sometimes as a main dish in its own right, in which case I make a salad, too, perhaps with frisée or French beans. Serves 4, as an accompaniment.

What oil is best for confit duck? ›

Select a traditional duck confit recipe and simply use an equal amount of quality extra virgin olive oil in lieu of fat. According to Fat Secret, duck fat and a typical extra virgin olive oil have about the same amount of calories and overall fat, but has less than half the saturated fat found in duck fat.

How many times can you use duck fat for confit? ›

Duck confit can be refrigerated in an airtight opaque container, with legs completely submerged in fat, for up to 1 month. The duck fat from the confit can be reused at least 2 more times for subsequent batches of confit; after the third use, taste it for salinity as it will eventually become too salty.

Find Out More ›

What are the basics of confit? ›

Confit refers to the process of slow cooking and storing food in fat. Confit is a French word that means "preserved." In the confit method, meats are cooked in fat for a long time at low temperatures. This renders tough cuts like duck legs more tender, and when stored in duck fat in a cool place, they last all winter.

Keep Reading ›

Is confit duck healthy? ›

Duck confit is a good option for anyone monitoring their weight because it is low in calories. High quantities of oleic acid found in duck fat have been demonstrated to decrease cholesterol and lessen the risk of heart disease. Duck fat also has antioxidants that can help shield your cells from harm.

Learn More Now ›

What vegetables go with duck confit? ›

A Broccoli salad is a simple and healthy side dish for your Duck Confit. The crisp texture and fresh flavour of the broccoli can help to cut through the rich flavours of the Confit, providing a refreshing contrast.

Read On ›

Why is my duck confit tough? ›

To be honest badly done or stringy duck confit is generally the fault of the chef rather than the method. Tough or dry confit is generally either due to way too aggressive cooking temperatures, or leaving it too long in the frying pan when you reheat. Long term cooking doesn't compromise the flavor of the meat.

Learn More Now ›

How long does confit duck last? ›

The preserved duck can be stored in the fridge for 6 months or more. When required, it is freed from its suspended animation in the solid fat, and given a quick, hot blast of cooking that crisps the skin. The best and most cost-effective way of making duck confit is to buy a whole duck.

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What is the difference between sous vide and duck confit? ›

The main difference between confit vs. sous vide lies in how the food is heated on the cooktop. With confit, food is immersed and cooked at low temperatures in fat, oil or syrup. With the sous vide method, ingredients are sealed in a vacuum-sealed bag and cooked in hot water.

Show Me More ›

Why is my duck confit too salty? ›

When improperly seasoned, confit can easily become either too salty or lacking in flavor. To avoid this, it's important to first understand how confits are seasoned. Confits are seasoned with a salt cure, which (besides salt) can also contain herbs like pepper, thyme, leeks, or bay leaves (via MasterClass).

Get More Info ›

Can I mix duck fat with olive oil for confit? ›

Sure, procuring duck fat within which you submerge the duck legs can be expensive and tricky. However, rest assured, you can do this all in olive oil or some combination of duck fat and olive oil if you so desire.

See Details ›

What to do with duck fat after confit? ›

You can reuse the fat for subsequent rounds of confit or other duck fat–related recipes. Just strain the fat into a clean container and pop it back in the fridge. Once the fat has chilled and solidified, you can separate it from the jellied duck confit juices that will have settled at the bottom of the container.