These are my favorite duck leg recipes. These are the most flavorful parts of a duck or goose, but they also need long, slow cooking to become tender. Not so much as the legs of upland game birds like pheasants — they do a lot more walking around than ducks do — but you still can’t eat a goose leg rare without a lot of chewing. And the wings? Man, but they can be tough. Think about it: Ducks and geese migrate thousands of miles. That’s a lot of work for those muscles.
For most of my duck leg recipes, you will be braising them until they are tender. If you are looking for an internal temperature, in general at least 160°F and beyond that is fine because you are looking for slow and low here.
Below are recipes both easy and advanced. I’d start with the confit and move to the braises.
Duck Confit
A basic tutorial on making one of the best things you can possibly make with duck or goose legs.
Easy Roast Duck Legs
Here is a quicker method for getting close to a real confit that only takes a few hours. It’s easy and really good.
And once you have either confit or this easy version of it, make Shredded Duck Confit with Pasta, lemon zest and garlic (also hosted on Simply Recipes).
Duck Tacos
Mmm, hmmm. Duck confit tacos. You want these. Yes you do.
Braised Duck Legs with Leeks
One of my favorite slow-cooked dishes with duck or goose legs.
Like the Recipe? Buy the Book!
You'll find everything you need to know to master waterfowl in Hank Shaw's cookbook Duck, Duck, Goose.
Teriyaki Duck Legs
A definite crowd pleaser, and easy to make.
Honey Sriracha Duck Legs
A crowd-pleaser. Simply roasted duck legs coated in a honey-lime-Sriracha sauce. Excellent for parties!
Chinese Duck Legs
Chinese barbecue duck or goose legs. Slow cooked, sweet, sticky and spicy. Great party food.
Smoked Goose Wings
Oh yeah, baby! So good! The trick here is to braise the wings first, then smoke them.
Classic Duck Ragu
Cooked down legs or wings, shredded and simmered in a rich Italian pasta sauce. A great use for skinless or skin-on legs and wings.
Shredded Goose with Lemon
My take on a Spanish dish normally made with lamb. If you like lemons, you’ll like this dish.
Wild Duck ‘Buffalo Wings’
Yes, you can make Buffalo wings with duck. You just need to simmer them for a while to make them tender.
Honey Mustard Wings
Another great recipe for duck wings. Like the Buffalo wings, only with a honey mustard sauce!
English Duck Pie
A giant “pot pie” you can eat hot or cold with your hands for lunch. It’s a meat bomb.
Classic Salmis of Duck
A classic from as least as early as the 1800s, this is a weekend dish that’s well worth the time. You can eat leftovers all week, too.
German Braised Duck
A venerable braised duck dish from Germany, the combination of duck, smoked sausages and sauerkraut is always a winner.