Peking Duck

Name: Peking Duck
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: Whole duck, 2.5kg; Maltose or honey, 3 tbsp; Shaoxing rice wine, 2 tbsp; Five spice powder, 1 tsp; Hoisin sauce, for serving; Mandarin pancakes, 20; Cucumber, cut into batons; Spring onions, cut into batons; Sweet bean sauce, for serving; Boiling water, for blanching

北京烤鸭/běi jīng kǎo yā/

Also known as: Beijing Duck, Beijing Kaoya, Roast Duck

About this dish

China's national dish — lacquered whole duck roasted until the skin is impossibly crispy, served with mandarin pancakes, hoisin and cucumber.

📍 Find the best Peking Duck near me

AI-powered — Google, TripAdvisor and food blogs

History & Origin

Peking duck is China's most celebrated dish, with a history stretching back to the imperial court of the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368), listed in the Complete Recipes for Dishes and Beverages, a court cookbook from 1330. The skin is considered the most important part — served as its own course before the meat. The lacquering process — multiple coats of maltose syrup applied over 24-48 hours of air drying — creates the mahogany colour and glass-like crackle. Quanjude restaurant in Beijing, founded in 1864, claims to have roasted over 200 million ducks and is considered the institutional home of the dish.

Ingredients

🦆Whole duck, 2.5kg

🍯Maltose or honey, 3 tbsp

🍶Shaoxing rice wine, 2 tbsp

🫙Five spice powder, 1 tsp

🫙Hoisin sauce, for serving

🥞Mandarin pancakes, 20

🥒Cucumber, cut into batons

🧅Spring onions, cut into batons

🫙Sweet bean sauce, for serving

💧Boiling water, for blanching

Method

Serves 4

Blanch the duck in boiling water for 2 minutes to tighten the skin. Dry completely with paper towels inside and out.

Brush the duck all over with a mixture of maltose, Shaoxing wine and five spice. Hang the duck uncovered in the fridge for 24-48 hours — air drying the skin is the most critical step for achieving the glass-like crackle.

Preheat oven to 200°C. Place the duck breast-side up on a rack over a roasting tray filled with water. Roast for 1 hour 20 minutes until the skin is mahogany and crackling.

Rest for 15 minutes. The skin is served first as its own course — carve it off in thin slices at the table.

Then carve the meat into thin slices.

To eat, spread hoisin on a warm mandarin pancake, add a few pieces of duck skin and meat, cucumber batons and spring onion. Roll and eat in one or two bites.

✓ What Makes it Authentic

The key is completely dry skin before roasting — hang or refrigerate uncovered for 24-48 hours. The skin is served first as its own course. Never rush this dish.

User Reviews

No reviews yet — be the first!

Members can create lists, save favourites and get recommendations.

🔥 Viral Recipes

How the world's top chefs make this dish