Who’s ready for some Instant Pot Orange Duck and Gravy? This recipe takes just a fraction of the time it would take to roast it in the oven—and best of all, it’s a perfect make-ahead recipe; just crisp up the cooked duck legs and reheat the gravy when you’re ready to serve!
If you ask me to pick a bird to prepare for dinner, I’m always going to choose duck. Trust me: You have not lived until you’ve experienced the pleasures of fatty, crispy duck skin giving way to perfectly cooked flavorful meat. Duck, whether roasted, braised, or shredded in stir-fries, has been a favorite of mine since childhood. It was a special-occasion food; it would make welcome appearances at birthday dinners, holiday suppers, and Chinese New Year celebrations.
Thankfully, as an adult, I no longer have to wait weeks on end for my mom to bust out my favorite bird. I’m a big girl (a.k.a. old lady) now, so I can make it myself—and in an Instant Pot, no less! Of course, no electric pressure cooker has the ability to crisp up duck skin like I want, so a skillet is still needed to finish the recipe for this hearty, flavor-packed Orange Duck. But with an Instant Pot, I can make deliciously tender duck legs in just a fraction of the usual time. And you can, too!
Best of all, this Orange Duck and Gravy is a perfect make-ahead recipe; just crisp up the cooked duck legs and reheat the gravy when you’re ready to serve!
Time to make Instant Pot Orange Duck and Gravy!
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon herbes de Provence
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 duck legs
- 2 tablespoons ghee, duck fat, or avocado oil, divided
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 medium celery rib, diced
- 1 large carrot, diced
- 8 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ cup bone broth or chicken stock
- 1 medium navel orange
- 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped Italian parsley
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1 fresh thyme sprig
Equipment:
- Measuring spoons
- Chef’s knife
- Cutting board
- 6-quart Instant Pot or stovetop pressure cooker
- Measuring cup
- Vegetable peeler
- Silicone spatula
- Immersion blender
- 12-inch cast iron skillet
- Stainless steel wire rack (optional)
- Rimmed baking sheet (optional)
- Tongs
- Silicone ice cube molds
Method:
In a small bowl, combine 1½ teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt (use ½ the amount of salt if you are using Morton’s brand or a fine grain salt), herbes de Provence and black pepper. Pat the duck legs dry with a paper towel and sprinkle the seasoning all over the legs.
Turn on the sauté function on the Instant Pot, and add 1 tablespoon cooking fat once the insert is hot.
Once the fat melts, add the onions, celery, and carrots, along with ½ teaspoon kosher salt.
Cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables have softened, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Toss in the garlic cloves and add the tomato paste. Cook, stirring, for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
Pour in the broth, scraping up any browned bits.
Use a vegetable peeler to peel the zest off the orange in strips, making sure you don’t peel into the bitter white pith underneath. Juice the orange…
…and add it to the Instant Pot. Toss in the orange zest…
…parsley, bay leaf, and thyme.
Stir well, and turn off the sauté function.
Place the seasoned duck legs skin side up in a single layer on top of the vegetables in the Instant Pot.
Lock the lid and make sure the valve is pointed to the sealed position. Program the Instant Pot to cook under high pressure for 45 minutes.
After the duck is done cooking, let the pressure drop naturally. If you’re impatient, you can manually release the pressure after 20 minutes has passed.
Carefully remove the duck legs. The meat should be fork-tender, so you don’t want to manhandle the cooked legs or the legs might fall apart on you. At this point, if you’re not eating right away, you can store the duck in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Discard the thyme sprig, bay leaf, and orange zest…
…and use an immersion blender to purée the remaining contents of the Instant Pot to make a thick gravy. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper if needed.
You’ll have tons of gravy, so freeze the extra in ice cube molds for up to 4 months.
When you’re ready to cook the duck legs, pat them dry and heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, swirl in the remaining tablespoon of fat. Add the duck legs skin-side down and fry ’em undisturbed for 2-3 minutes or until the skin is crispy and golden brown. Flip the legs over and brown on the other side.
Alternatively, you can broil the duck legs (though the skin won’t be as crispy). Here’s how to do it: Arrange the oven rack in the middle position, and turn on the broiler. Place the duck legs on a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet, skin side up. Broil the duck until the skin is nicely browned (5-10 minutes).
Either way, don’t forget to serve the Orange Duck with the gravy!
Instant Pot Orange Duck and Gravy takes just a fraction of the time it would take to roast it in the oven—and best of all, it’s a perfect make-ahead recipe; just crisp up the cooked duck legs and reheat the gravy when you’re ready to serve!
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2021).
PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD
Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker) Orange Duck and Gravy
Ingredients
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon herbes de provence
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 duck legs
- 2 tablespoons ghee duck fat, or avocado oil, divided
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 1 medium celery rib diced
- 1 large carrot diced
- 8 garlic cloves peeled and smashed
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ cup bone broth or chicken stock
- 1 medium navel orange
- 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped Italian parsley
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1 fresh thyme sprig
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine 1½ teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt (use ½ the amount of salt if you are using Morton’s brand or a fine grain salt), herbes de Provence and black pepper. Pat the duck legs dry with a paper towel and sprinkle the seasoning all over the legs.
- Turn on the sauté function on the Instant Pot, and add 1 tablespoon cooking fat once the insert is hot.
- Once the fat melts, add the onions, celery, and carrots, along with ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables have softened, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Toss in the garlic cloves and add the tomato paste. Cook, stirring, for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
- Pour in the broth, scraping up any browned bits.
- Use a vegetable peeler to peel the zest off the orange in strips, making sure you don’t peel into the bitter white pith underneath. Juice the orange and add it to the Instant Pot. Toss in the orange zest, parsley, bay leaf, and thyme. Stir well, and turn off the sauté function.
- Place the seasoned duck legs skin side up in a single layer on top of the vegetables in the Instant Pot.
- Lock the lid and make sure the valve is pointed to the sealed position. Program the Instant Pot to cook under high pressure for 45 minutes.
- After the duck is done cooking, let the pressure drop naturally. If you’re impatient, you can manually release the pressure after 20 minutes has passed.
- Carefully remove the duck legs. The meat should be fork-tender, so you don’t want to manhandle the cooked legs or the legs might fall apart on you. At this point, if you’re not eating right away, you can store the duck in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Discard the thyme sprig, bay leaf, and orange zest and use an immersion blender to purée the remaining contents of the Instant Pot to make a thick gravy. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper if needed. You’ll have tons of gravy, so freeze the extra in ice cube molds for up to 4 months.
- When you’re ready to cook the duck legs, pat them dry and heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, swirl in the remaining tablespoon of fat. Add the duck legs skin-side down and fry ’em undisturbed for 2-3 minutes or until the skin is crispy and golden brown. Flip the legs over and brown on the other side.
- Alternatively, you can broil the duck legs (though the skin won’t be as crispy). Here’s how to do it: Arrange the oven rack in the middle position, and turn on the broiler. Place the duck legs on a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet, skin side up. Broil the duck until the skin is nicely browned (5-10 minutes).
- Either way, don’t forget to serve the Orange Duck with the gravy!
Notes
- Don't discard the extra gravy! I use it as a braising sauce for chicken thighs—simply salt and pepper boneless and skinless chicken thighs and toss them in the Instant Pot with 1 cup of gravy. Cook for 10 minutes under high pressure.
- You can make this dish in a slow cooker by cooking steps 1-5 in a large skillet. Then, transfer everything to your slow cooker and in step 8 you should program your slow cooker to cook on low for 8 hours.
Karin Levi says
Hi, looks delicious – Can Duck Breast be used in place of the legs? Thank you !!
nomnompaleo says
Nope! The timing would be much less and I’d worry about overcooking the breast!
Karin Levi says
Got it! Thank you !!
babsmcphee says
I love duck so I will def. try this! But just a question regarding Step 12 (and 13)… are these steps for non-Instant Pot users? I’m confused because it appears they would already be cooked enough.
nomnompaleo says
It is cooked through, but the skin is rubbery! If you don’t want crispy duck skin (which is the best part), you can skip those steps.
Jennifer Langford says
Looks delicious! Can’t wait to try, but I’ve only got chicken drumsticks in my freezer. Is the cooking time the same for thawed drumsticks?
nomnompaleo says
Duck legs cook much longer than chicken legs in an Instant Pot. If you’re using chicken drumsticks, you only need to cook for about 15 minutes under pressure.
Jennifer Langford says
Awesome! Thank you!
Jennifer Langford says
Also, since you just posted, your print button is only allowing me to print the recipe in huge font over about 8 pages. Might be a problem on my side, but thought you might want to know.
Raj @ www.ThePrimalDesire.com says
Umm… Drool!
Martha says
Michelle,
Can’t wait to try- loved your duck confaux recipe in your new book. In fact, I am thoroughly enjoying your new book and have not cooked a recipe that I cannot wait to cook again (which is rare). Even picky paleo resistant husband is enjoying!!! Thank you!!!!!
I do have a question- my duck skin (for the confaux) keeps sticking to the cast iron skillet- any suggestions?
Gethy Cat says
Probably heresy, but can I substitute chicken legs? I’ve rescued and made friends with too many ducks over the years to be able to eat them. Happy Valentine’s Day to you and your family! Eta oops, I see you already answered this. 🙂
Jessina Riano says
@nomnompaleo:disqus I’m hosting a dinner party this weekend and am making this! That said, I’m struggling to figure out what to make as a side. Any recommendations?
Carole says
this was outstanding, fall off the bone, crispy skin deliciousness! thank you!
Slim says
hi there, this is an amazing recipe! if i want to cook 8 legs can i put them all in or should i cook 2 batches? if i do cook 2 batches, can i just take out the first batch m put in the second using the same base ingredients or do i have to use a fresh batch of vegetables? i reckon there’s enough sauce in one batch for 2 batches of legs.
Rosemarie says
Made this tonight. Substituted chicken drumsticks. Served with steamed Brussel Sprouts and Cauliflower.
The sauce is absolutely amazing. So delicious. Thank you Michelle.
Rachael Weeks says
Hi Michelle
I have a whole duck – would that be ok? If yes, what would the cooking time be please.
Thx
Rach
PS I agree with the comment above – we’ve never cooked a recipe of yours that we haven’t loved!
Michelle Tam says
I’m not sure! I haven’t cooked a whole duck in the Instant Pot yet.
Wendy says
I love all the recipes ive tried. Thank you! I made this delicious duck a few weeks ago.. but now im going to serve 5 ppl. What do you recommend for making more duck legs since 4 wont be enough. I think theres enough sauce.
Michelle Tam says
I think you can pop in an extra leg! In the recipe card at the bottom, you can change the serving size to 5 and it will adjust the ingredients.
JD says
This looks amazing. If you only have 2 duck breasts do you need to adjust the instant pot cooking time? And half everything else I assume?
Michelle Tam says
I haven’t cooked duck breast in the Instant Pot because I think you can easily over cook it. I’d stick with duck legs for this recipe.
JD says
This recipe looks amazing. I want to try it but with 2 duck legs so would I need to adjust the instant pot cooking time? Also should I just half everything else?
Michelle Tam says
I would just decrease the amount of seasoning in half but keep everything else the same (cooking time and the sauce ingredients). You will just have extra sauce at the end!
Pascale says
Is there something I could substitute for the tomato paste? Or could I omit the tomato paste? Thanks!
Regina Chan says
You could omit it but it won’t taste as good. The tomato paste adds a lot of umami!