Chinese Crispy Duck (Air Fryer or Oven)
, Updated Oct 12, 2025
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Make irresistible crispy aromatic duck with Hoisin sauce and pancakes at home following this easy recipe. Duck legs are first marinated, slowly simmered until tender, before crisping up in the Air Fryer or your oven. Everyone will LOVE this homemade Chinese Crispy Duck recipe!
Check out my Air Fryer Roast Duck!
Crispy duck with pancakes is my kids’ fave dish and I must admit I adore it myself. It’s the ultimate sharing treat to enjoy with family and friends – never a shred left.
Up until recently we would order in Chinese Crispy Duck or buy one of those kits in the supermarket to make it at home. I really wanted to crack a homemade version of crispy duck and, after quite a bit of trial and error, I think I have it!
It is not complicated but it IS a little time consuming. Most of that time is completely hands and with the aid of a slow cooker and the air fryer you can make excellent crispy duck legs at home. Tender, fall apart and flavor-packed meat and crispy skin… just grab some Chinese pancakes and Hoisin sauce and serve up a feast!
Ingredients for Homemade Crispy Duck
Here’s what you will need to make this recipe. I chose duck legs rather than breasts or a full duck as it is much easier to handle.
- Duck legs or quarters (skin-on, bone-in) are ideal for this recipe. The dark meat stays juicy, the bone adds flavor and the skin crisps beautifully.
- Dark soy sauce – adds deep umami, color and saltiness.
- Shaoxing rice wine – this fragrant Chinese cooking wine gives that distinctive restaurant-style flavor.
- Brown sugar or honey – balances the salt and helps the skin caramelize into a deep golden-brown color as it crisps.
- Chinese five spice powder – this signature blend of star anise, cinnamon, cloves, fennel and Sichuan pepper gives crispy duck its warm, aromatic flavor.
- Fresh ginger – brings brightness and a gentle heat to the marinade.
- Spices: For irresistible aroma and distinctive flavor make sure to add star anise and a cinnamon stick.
- Green onions (scallions) – add freshness and help perfume the cooking liquid.
- Garlic cloves – for savory depth; lightly crushed so they infuse the broth.
- Chicken stock or low sodium broth – used for the simmering stage to tenderize the duck and keep it juicy.
- Chinese pancakes – soft, thin pancakes you can steam or microwave. Often sold frozen or vacuum-packed in Asian grocers.
- Hoisin sauce – sweet, tangy, and essential for that Peking duck experience. You can also use plum sauce or a mix of hoisin and soy if preferred.
- Julienned cucumber and thinly sliced green onions to serve.
How to Make Crispy Duck Step-By-Step
MARINATE THE DUCK
- Combine all the marinade ingredients in a large pot or the slow cooker insert. Add the duck, turning over a few times to coat in the marinade. Cover and marinate the duck for at least two hours, or ideally overnight in the fridge.
SLOW COOK FOR TENDERNESS
- Cook on the LOW setting in the slow cooker for 5-6 hours, or simmer very gently in a pot for at least 90 minutes. If you are cooking on the stovetop, check whether you need to top up the liquid.
DRY THE DUCK LEGS
- Remove the duck from the slow cooker / pot and place on a wire rack, uncovered, to cool down and dry out. At this point you can store the duck in the fridge for a couple of days, if you like, until ready to serve.
MAKE IT CRISPY
- Preheat the air fryer to 200°C/400°F for 5 minutes. Place the duck legs skin side up on a rack (or directly in the basket) and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the skin is crisp and burnished. You can also crisp up the duck in a preheated oven at 200°C/400°F for about 15 minutes.
SHRED THE MEAT
- Cut two green onions (scallions) into thin strips. Slice a cucumber into thin strips (use a julienne peeler for ease).
- Rest the duck for five minutes, or until cool enough to handle, then use two forks to shred the meat from the bone.
SERVE AND ENJOY!
- Prep the pancakes by steaming for 6 minutes or microwaving (in the packet) for about 30 seconds.
- Serve the duck, pancakes, sauce and vegetables immediately. Spread Hoisin sauce on a warm pancake, add the shredded duck, spring onion and cucumber, roll up and enjoy!
How To Get Crispy Skin On Peking Duck
You can make beautifully crispy duck using only the air fryer. It cooks in about 30 minutes, looks and tastes delicious. BUT, and that’s a biggie for me, the meat won’t be tender enough to shred (you can slice it instead).
I got the best restaurant-worthy results by first marinating for flavor, then long slow simmering to make the meat tender and finally air frying to create beautifully crispy skin.
Substitutions and Variations
- No Shaoxing wine? Use dry sherry, sake, or apple juice with a splash of rice vinegar for a quick fix.
- For a gluten-free version, substitute tamari or coconut aminos for soy sauce and check your hoisin is gluten-free.
- For a sweeter glaze, brush a mix of honey and soy sauce over the duck during the final few minutes of crisping.
- For extra crispy skin, let cooked duck legs sit, uncovered, in the fridge for a few hours before crisping, this dries out the skin beautifully.
Leftovers and Storage
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to three days in the refrigerator. Reheat in the air fryer for 5-10 minutes at 200°C/ 400°F to refresh before serving.
- You can also freeze the duck, after simmering but before crisping up for up to two months, wrapped well. Thaw overnight in the fridge, pat dry and air fry or oven roast as per method.
👉 If you love this classic Chinese dish, make sure to check out these recipes: One Pot Chicken Chow Mein, Chinese Chicken Curry, Spicy Pork Noodles.
HAVE YOU MADE MY CRISPY DUCK RECIPE? Please leave a rating, post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram with @supergolden88 and the tag #supergoldenbakes and make my day! I have also just launched my TikTok channel and would love to meet you there 🙂
Chinese Crispy Duck (Air Fryer or Oven)
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
FOR THE MARINADE
- 4 duck legs or whole duck cut into quarters
- ½ cup (125ml) Chinese Shaoxing cooking wine substitute dry sherry or Mirin
- ½ cup (125ml) dark soy sauce
- ½ cup (100g) brown sugar
- 2 star anise
- 2 sticks cinnamon
- small piece fresh ginger , sliced
- 4 spring onions (scallions), roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp Chinese Five Spice seasoning
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cloves
TO SIMMER
- 2 cups (500ml) low sodium chicken broth or chicken stock
TO SERVE
- 10 Chinese pancakes (1 pack)
- 2 spring onions (scallions)
- 1 cucumber , seeds removed
- Hoisin sauce as needed
Instructions
MARINATE THE DUCK
- Combine all the marinade ingredients in a large pot or the slow cooker insert. Add the duck, turning over a few times to coat in the marinade. Cover and leave for two hours or even overnight in the fridge.4 duck legs, ½ cup (125ml) Chinese Shaoxing cooking wine, ½ cup (125ml) dark soy sauce, ½ cup (100g) brown sugar, 2 star anise, 2 sticks cinnamon , small piece fresh ginger, 4 spring onions, 2 tbsp Chinese Five Spice seasoning, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp ground cloves
SLOW COOK OR SIMMER
- Add the chicken broth. Cook on the LOW setting in the slow cooker for 5-6 hours or simmer gently over low heat in a pot for 90 minutes (you may need to top up the liquid if cooking on the stove).2 cups (500ml) low sodium chicken broth
DRY THE DUCK LEGS
- Remove the duck from the slow cooker / pot and place on a wire rack, uncovered, to cool down and dry out. Discard the cooking liquid. At this point you can store the duck in the fridge for a couple of days, if you like, until ready to serve.
MAKE IT CRISPY
- Preheat the air fryer to 400°F (200°C) for 5 minutes. Place the duck legs skin side up on a rack (or directly in the basket) and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the skin is crisp and burnished. You can also crisp up the duck in a preheated oven at 400°F (200°C)for about 15 minutes.
SHRED THE DUCK AND SERVE
- Cut two spring onions (scallions) into thin strips. Slice a cucumber into thin strips (use a julienne peeler for ease).2 spring onions, 1 cucumber
- Rest the duck for five minutes, or until cool enough to handle, then use two forks to shred the meat from the bone.
- Prep the pancakes by steaming for 6 minutes or microwaving (in the packet) for about 30 seconds.10 Chinese pancakes, Hoisin sauce
- Serve the duck, pancakes, sauce and vegetables immediately. Sread hoisin sauce on a warm pancake, add the sredded duck, spring onion and cucumber, roll up and enjoy.
Notes
- Leftovers will keep for up to three days in the refrigerator. Reheat in the air fryer for 5-10 minutes at 400°F (200°C) to refresh before serving.
- You can also freeze the duck, after simmering but before crisping up for up to two months, wrapped well. Thaw overnight in the fridge, pat dry and air fry or oven roast as per method.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate, and will depend on quality of ingredients and serving sizes.
My wife and I really enjoyed crispy duck when we lived in England and we’ve been unable to find it here. After having had crispy duck for years it turns out I am now allergic to duck. Has anyone kept the recipe as is but used chicken or turkey instead of the duck ??
Hiya – chicken and turkey are too lean and would end up very dry cooked this way. Duck has a lot of fat which renders as it cooks keeping it moist
I followed the recipe to the letter (slow cooker followed by air fryer), I don’t know what went wrong but the duck wasn’t cooked through and really tough. I put it back in the air fryer for 10 minutes which completed the cooking and whilst the flavour was superb the flesh did not shred easily. I would definitely do this recipe again but would slow cook it either at a higher heat for 3 hours or slower for 5/6 hours. It was disappointing, especially as we had been tantalised by the wonderful aroma!
Hi Julie – sounds like the duck needed to be cooked for longer. It’s very unusual for it not to be cooked after being slow cooked first though. Was the duck cold or frozen when added to the slow cooker? I have had wonderful feedback on this recipe!
Amazing! I was craving Crispy Duck for so long, this recipe surpassed all expectations and tops most of the restaurant experiences we’d had in the last 5 years. Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe!
that’s awesome to hear!!
Made the duck for my daughter and it turned out beautifully. Could possibly have done with a few minutes more in the oven but it was delicious if. A little difficult to shred.
Will save this recipe for future use! 🙂
Thank you so much Gael, that’s very kind of you!
I made this recipe yesterday and the result was spectacular. I simmered the duck legs in the marinade and chicken broth and added a green and red chili. Once I removed the cooked duck I added a mixture of cornstarch and water to the broth and boiled it down. I used this broth as a sauce (I also made basmati rice because my partner wanted rice). I added fresh coriander to the cucumber and spring onion fresh mix which gave it a lovely extra kick of flavor. The duck was perfect, albeit the skin wasn’t very crispy (next time I will try the stove not the air fryer). Thank you for the recipe – I will definitely add this to my list of favourites and can’t wait to entertain friends and family with this meal!
Just finished eating this now, amazing recipe, won’t be going to Chinese takaway again!
We just had two duck legs, marinated for two hours and crisped up in the oven.
Amazing recipe!
awesome thanks for your comment Mick!
Made this and it turned out lovely. Great recipe.
I put some of the marinade in with the stock when simmering, and the result was delicious. I then froze that stock and made noodle soup with it! So nothing went to waste.
Excellent!