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Confit de Canard

Duck legs slowly cooked in their own fat until meltingly tender, with shatteringly crisp skin.

⏱ 20 minPrep time
🔥 3 hrCook time
🍽 4Servings
🏷 DinnerCategory
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Confit de Canard is duck transformed: legs gently poached in their own rendered fat until the meat is impossibly tender, then crisped skin-side down until burnished and shatteringly golden. It is the pride of Gascony and a bistro staple across France.

Traditionally the fat was a way to preserve the duck through winter, and the method still delivers extraordinary flavor. Serve with crisp potatoes fried in the same fat and a sharp green salad to cut the richness.

Step by stepInstructions

  1. Rub the duck legs with salt, pepper, garlic, thyme, and bay leaves. Cover and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours.
  2. Rinse the legs and pat completely dry; place them snugly in a pot and cover with melted duck fat.
  3. Cook at 225°F for 2 ½ to 3 hours, until the meat is tender but the legs hold their shape.
  4. Cool the legs in the fat, then store submerged, or proceed to serve.
  5. To serve, sear the legs skin-side down in a hot, dry skillet for 5 to 7 minutes, until the skin is deeply golden and crisp. Turn and warm the flesh side briefly.

💡 Chef tips & storage

Save the strained fat — it is liquid gold for roasting potatoes. Confit keeps for weeks in the refrigerator, fully submerged in its fat.

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Recipe details

Prep20 min
Cook3 hr
Servings4
CategoryDinner
PublishedAugust 17, 2026
Emily — the cook behind My Comfort Recipes

Hi, I'm Emily 🧡

Hi, I'm Emily — the cook behind My Comfort Recipes. Simple, tested comfort food for real weeknights, written down the way grandma would. Pull up a chair. More about me →