Slow Roasted Duck with Herb Balsamic Glaze

Slow Roasted Duck with Herb Balsamic Glaze, cooking duck doesn’t have to be as complicated as you may think. It has a natural depth of flavor that pairs nicely with just a few spices, fresh herbs, and acidic ingredients like lemon and vinegar.

Here, balsamic vinegar is used and combined with fresh lemon juice and the fresh herb, cilantro. The mixture is coated over the duck every 20 minutes or so while the duck is slow roasting in a 325* oven for about 3 hours. If duck is not your thing, this delicious recipe works perfectly with whole chicken or turkey. And as a side note, generally speaking, domesticated duck is considered poultry while wild duck is considered to be a game bird.

Duck is naturally high in fat and therefore calories.

When eating this recipe as a meal, balance your day with a meal of arugula salad with fresh pear, for example, for lunch, remember to eat healthy snacks of raw almonds and an apple, and keep portion control in check.

If you like panini, as shown below,

roast the duck as stated, skip the sauce portion of the recipe and the roasted vegetables. Instead, slow roast the duck as instructed but add 1 cup of water and 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar to the roasting pan and cook until it is falling off the bone. Shred and drizzle with pan juices. Serve on toasted whole grain bread with a 1/2 tablespoon of goat cheese. To keep it #SOBikini friendly, slice bread in quarters and serve as an appetizer to guests at a party. Keep portions to 2 mini-panini per person.

Nutrition:
Serves 8
Calories: 839
Fat: 44.7g
Saturated Fat: 15.8g
Protein: 90.4g
Carbohydrates: 13.2g
Sodium: 846mg
Fiber: 4.3g In this calorie-slashing collection, The Bikini Chef^® Susan Irby offers recipes for switching up ingredients that keep calories to a minimum. Complete with serving-size suggestions and “Skinny Secret” shortcuts to trim calories in little ways, here you’ll get expertly crafted recipes that include offerings for every meal of the day!

Recipe

Slow Roasted Duck with Herb Balsamic Glaze

Beef & Poultry

It's Recipe Wednesday and this week it's all about the game. Game bird, that is and the bird of the day is duck. Cooking duck doesn't have to be as complicated as you may think.

Ingredients

2 4-pound ducks (wings and neck set aside)
sea salt as needed
ground black pepper as needed
2 tablespoons olive oil
7 garlic cloves, whole
4 fennel bulbs, trimmed, outer layers only, roughly chopped
7 cups chicken broth
1 lemon, sliced
12 to 15 fresh thyme sprigs
4 medium sprigs fresh rosemary
1 cup balsamic vinegar
juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 large white onion, cut into large chunks
6 medium carrots,roots trimmed and discarded, sliced into 1 inch thick slices
fennel stalks, leftover from above
1 bay leaf
1 cup water

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325*
Fit a large roasting pan with rack.
Place ducks on rack.
Season ducks with sea salt and pepper, about 1/2 teaspoon each per duck
Heat olive oil in large, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat.
Add duck wings and neck and cook until browned.
Add 3 garlic cloves and fennel bulb and reduce heat to low.
Cook until liquid is reduced and vegetables are soft, about 45 minutes.
Strain mixture into a small saucepan and set aside.
Divide remaining garlic between ducks and place inside the cavity.
Divide lemon slices, thyme and rosemary equally and place inside the cavity.
Place duck in oven.
Mix together balsamic, lemon, and cilantro.
Baste duck after 25 minutes of cooking and baste every 20 minutes until done, about 3 hours.
At the 1 hour and 45 minute mark, add white onion, carrots, fennel, and bay leaf to the roasting pan along with 1 1/2 cups of water.
Continue roasting all and basting duck until vegetables are tender and duck skin is dark brown and meat is just coming away from the bone.
Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes.
Heat sauce over medium heat until just warmed.
Serve sauce over carved duck with roasted vegetables, discarding bay leaf.

Slow Roasted Duck with Herb Balsamic Glaze