Roasted Duck Leg Confit with Garlic and Thyme

By AislePrompt Editorial · ·

How this recipe was made — this recipe was drafted by AislePrompt's AI-assisted pipeline from technique templates and USDA-sourced nutrition data, and published by AislePrompt Editorial — see how AislePrompt recipes are drafted and published.

Duck legs slow-cooked in their own fat with aromatic garlic and thyme, then roasted to crisp skin perfection. This French-inspired quick recipe, ready in about 200 minutes, pairs duck legs, coarse salt, garlic cloves for a weeknight-friendly dinner that comes together with one pan and minimal cleanup. Each serving lands at about 650 calories and feeds 4, so it slots cleanly into a weekly meal plan and pairs well with a quick salad or grain on the side. Tap "Plan a meal with the AI" below to drop this recipe into your week and send the ingredients straight to Instacart. Nutrition values are approximate, calculated from USDA FoodData Central (fdc.nal.usda.gov) — verify against ingredient labels for any health-driven dietary plan.

Prep: 10 min Cook: 190 min Serves 4 French cuisine 650 cal/serving
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Ingredients

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Instructions

  1. Step 1: Rub 2 tbsp coarse salt evenly over 4 duck legs, then place them in a dish with 4 sprigs fresh thyme and 6 smashed garlic cloves. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours to cure.
  2. Step 2: Preheat oven to 225°F. Rinse the salt off the duck legs and pat dry with paper towels.
  3. Step 3: Submerge the duck legs completely in 3 cups melted duck fat in an oven-safe pot. Add the smashed garlic and thyme sprigs from curing.
  4. Step 4: Cook in the oven for 2.5 to 3 hours until the meat is tender and pulls away from the bone easily.
  5. Step 5: Remove duck legs from fat, discard solids, and place legs skin-side up on a baking sheet.
  6. Step 6: Increase oven temperature to 400°F and roast duck legs for 15-20 minutes until the skin is crisp and golden. Season with 1 tsp black pepper before serving.

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