Slow roasted duck with crispy skin counts as a festive dish in the Czech Republic. It is most often served with braised red cabbage and potato dumplings. Let's roast the duck according to this simple Czech recipe!
The cleaned duck is only thoroughly salted and seasoned with caraway seeds, a typical Czech spice. Easy! Then just put the duck in a baking dish, place it in the oven, and bake until golden on the surface.
➤ Czechs traditionally make roast duck on special occasions, usually at family celebrations. Duck is also served on St. Václav's Day (28 September) and on Christmas Day (25 December – Czech Boží hod vánoční), when poultry should be served on the table.
How do you say roast duck with cabbage in Czech? Here is the translation: Pečená kachna se zelím
MY TIP: Try also this delicious roasted rabbit (a real Czech thing!)
Ingredients
You only need three ingredients for the roast duck:
- Duck, whole, without giblets, ready to roast. If you use a frozen duck, let it thaw completely beforehand.
- Salt
- Caraway seeds; do not confuse this spice with cumin! You will need crushed caraway seeds - learn one easy method, how to grind caraway seeds by hand.
✅ You’ll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.
Instructions with Photos
STEP 1: Rinse the duck well under cold running water. Dry with paper towels. Cut the wings off, if desired. I cut the extra skin off the neck (depending on how the store prepared the duck).
STEP 2: Salt generously on all sides. Pour the salt into the belly cavity as well. Rub the caraway seeds into the skin of the duck.
STEP 3: If you cut the wings off, put them in the bottom of the baking dish. Place the duck on top of them, breast side down. Cover the roasting dish with a lid and place it in a preheated oven at 320 °F (160 °C) for 2 hours.
STEP 4: After two hours, remove the lid from the roasting dish and turn the duck breast side up. Increase the temperature to 360 °F (180 °C) and let the duck roast until a crispy crust forms on the surface. This takes about half an hour.
Duck roasting pan: I use an oval cast iron pot with a lid; it's my absolute go-to for all purposes. It's perfect for the oven and stove, slow braising and roasting, and all types of heating, including induction.
What to serve with roast duck?
The best side dishes for Bohemian roast duck are braised red cabbage and dumplings. There are two options available: either potato dumplings or bread dumplings.
If desired, substitute red cabbage for stewed sauerkraut; however, sauerkraut is more likely to be served with roast pork.
Divide the roasted duck into individual portions and serve as follow:
First, spread the slices of dumplings around the perimeter of the plate, tip two fair spoonfuls of the braised cabbage to one side, and finally, place the duck roast on the remaining space. Pour over two spoonfuls of the fat rendered from the duck.
Useful Tips
- I cut the wings off because I am laying them on the bottom of the roasting pan where the duck will be made. The wings create a kind of insulation between the meat and the bottom of the roasting pan. The duck doesn't stick to the bottom, and its skin doesn't tear when turning.
- If you want crispier skin, you can switch over to the grill function (if your oven has one) after removing the lid. Be careful; the grill is quite powerful and will produce a golden crust on the duck within 10-20 minutes.
- How long does it take to roast a full duck? The duck in this recipe is first slow-roasted, or more accurately braised under the lid, for 2 hours in the oven at 320 °F (160 °C). Then remove the cover and let the duck roast at a higher temperature of 360 °F (180 °C) for about half an hour until a golden crust forms on the surface.
More Czech recipes:
- Svickova sauce – an iconic Bohemian dish
- Braised beef cubes – a recipe using plenty of garlic!
Tried this recipe?
Leave a review down in the comments! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Bohemian Roast Duck (Pečená kachna)
Ingredients
- 1 duck whole, 5-6 lbs / 2-3 kg
- 1 Tbsp salt
- ½ Tbsp caraway seeds whole, not crushed
Instructions
- Rinse the duck well under cold running water. Dry with paper towels. Cut the wings off , if desired. I cut the extra skin off the neck (depending on how the duck is prepared from the store).
- Salt generously on all sides. Pour the salt into the belly cavity as well. Rub the caraway seeds into the skin of the duck.
- If you cut the wings off , put them in the bottom of the baking dish. Place the duck on top of them, breast side down. Cover the roasting dish with a lid and place it in a preheated oven at 320 °F (160 °C) for 2 hours.
- After two hours, remove the lid from the roasting dish, turn the duck breast side up. Increase the temperature to 360 °F (180 °C) and let the duck roast until a crispy crust forms on the surface. This takes about half an hour.
Notes
- SIDES: The best side dishes for Bohemian roast duck are braised red cabbage and dumplings. There are two options available: either potato dumplings or bread dumplings. If desired, substitute red cabbage for stewed sauerkraut; however, sauerkraut is more likely to be served with roast pork.
- SERVING: Divide the roasted duck into individual portions and serve as follow: First, spread the slices of dumplings around the perimeter of the plate, tip two fair spoonfuls of the braised cabbage to one side, and finally, place the duck roast on the remaining space. Pour over two spoonfuls of the fat rendered from the duck.
- I cut the wings off the duck because I am laying them on the bottom of the roasting pan where the duck will be made. The wings create a kind of insulation between the meat and the bottom of the roasting pan. The duck doesn't stick to the bottom, and its skin doesn't tear when turning.
DISCLAIMER: Because I come from Central Europe, my recipes are based on metric units such as grams or milliliters. Check out how I convert metric units to the U.S. system:
Conversion chart
Mary Louise
Dearest Petra! I'm so glad I found you! You are from the part of Europe that my grandfather was from! The recipe for the roasted duck is spot on to how my German mother and Bavarian grandmother made it. We always used the grease from the pan over top of the sliced Houskove Knedlíky (Knodel). Incidentally, your recipe for "Houskove Knedlíky" is exactly how my mother taught me how to make it! I've been passing what I learned down to my own daughter and gave her the link to your website (of which I will be a "regular" viewer).
Thank you so much!
Petra Kupská
Ahoj Mary, thank you very much for your nice words! We are neighbors with Germany, and I dare to say we share many foods. The grease from the pan (duck or pork roast) is the best you can get out of such a meal! In our house, we fight about it. We usually wait until the grease cools down and then spread it on bread or wipe the pan with bread 🙂 I am happy you like the recipes and will be ready here if you wanted to ask anything! Best wishes, Petra
Mary Louise
Here are five stars for you!
Annette Cook
Just made this and it was perfect. So easy! Reminded us of the many mom and pop Bohemian restaurants we would frequent in the Chicago suburbs of Cicero and Berwyn for Sunday dinner in the 70's. Half duck, red cabbage, dumplings and kolachky for $8!
Petra Kupská
Thank you for your nice feedback, Annette! Also for the lovely nostalgic memories of the good old days.