(This is the easiest recipe for Duck Leg Confit that you’ll ever find. Duck Leg Confit is a classic French recipe that began as a method of preserving and grew to be one of the most cherished dishes of France. It’s said to have originated in the Gascony area of southwest France, but is now made across the country. This version is made in the slow cooker and requires just 10 minutes of active time including pan searing!
Let’s get it out of the way up front that this is not a traditional method of preparing duck leg confit. I’ve ordered traditional duck confit dozens of times in restaurants and wanted to figure out a no-fuss way to make it at home. I promise you that this version measures up to the best I’ve had with it’s deep flavor, crispy skin and melt-in-your mouth meat.
To make this recipe cost effective and ultra-simple, here’s how you’ll break from tradition.
How to Make Easy Duck Leg Confit:
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Season the legs one day in advance if you have time; cover and let them rest in the refrigerator. You can also season just before cooking, but they’ll be slightly less flavorful.
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Instead of spending a fortune on duck fat (some recipes call for as much as 6 cups), drizzle olive oil in the crock of a slow cooker and arrange the legs in a single layer fat side up. Their fat begins to render quickly and they bubble away in it just as they would in a method where they’re submerged in fat.
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Cook them within a couple of days, no need to worry about the legs being completely covered in fat in the refrigerator.
Once the legs are pulled from the fat, the method is the same – a quick pan sear and you have a magnificent meal on your hands. You’ll also have a generous amount of leftover duck fat and if you’ve ever had duck fat fried potatoes, you know why this is a very good thing.
I love to serve these crisped duck legs with a green salad or Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower and Twice Baked Potatoes, Cheesy Potatoes or Mashed Red Potatoes (pictured above) that are seasoned with a liberal glug of olive oil, a bit of butter and some fresh garlic.
I often turn to my favorite Slow Cooker Recipes for meals that taste like they took all day, but were actually prepared in minutes like: Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas, Slow Cooker Vegetable Beef Barley Soup, Slow Cooker Jambalaya and White Chicken Chili. I even use the slow cooker to make Bone Broth!
Easy Duck Leg Confit Recipe Video
Slow Cooker Duck Leg Confit
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 4 duck legs
- salt to taste
- freshly ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Arrange duck legs in a single layer in a baking dish and season generously with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate overnight. (You can skip this and season them just before cooking, but if you have time it’s worth it to season them a day in advance.)
- Drizzle olive oil in the bottom of a slow cooker. Arrange duck legs over the oil in a single layer. Cook on low for 6 hours.
- Transfer duck legs to a loaf pan and pour rendered fat from slow cooker over legs. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- When you are ready to eat, heat a heavy skillet (ideally cast iron) over medium-high heat. Place legs in the dry pan, skin side down, and cook until skin is golden brown and crispy and leg is heated through, 4 to 5 minutes. Carefully turn legs and let cook on opposite side for 1 to 2 minutes more. Serve.
Thrilled by the ease and deliciousness of this recipe! I’ve wanted to make duck confit for ages now, but am always put off by the amount of duck fat required with other methods. This recipe was simple and yielded fantastic results. Thank you so much!
I’m so happy to hear this, Nancy!! Thank you for coming back to let me know!
I would love to try this recipe but would love to use the whole duck, is it possible?
Hi, Lisa! I haven’t made this with a whole duck, but I think it would work well. I suggest breaking down the duck (here’s a good tutorial), separating the legs, half breasts and wings and layering all (including any fat you’ve trimmed off) into the slow cooker, with the legs on the bottom. It may take a bit longer, my guess is 30 to 60 minutes more than my original recipe. Then make stock from the wings and carcass, roasting them first if you like a richer stock. Hope that helps!
Hi Marissa,
I have a whole duck minus skin and want to slow cook to attain a confit result. All the recipes assume skin on..Can you suggest anything to achieve the same succulent meat? I can live without the crispy skin, as long as the meat is tender. Do you suggest cooking the legs differently to the breast?
Thanks for any help with this, I am off to season it while it stays in the fridge!
Marianne
Hi, Marianne! I’ve always made my duck confit with skin-on legs and typically sear the breasts (also with the skin on). I think that the same confit method in this recipe will work pretty well. If I were doing it, I would increase the added oil to 1/2 cup (ideally duck fat though the olive oil will still work) and turn the legs once during cooking. My concern with the skinless breasts is that they may dry out using this method. The legs have quite a bit of fat and connective tissue that breaks down during this long and low cooking (essentially braising) and gets tender and succulent. The breast meat, especially without skin, may be too lean. Personally, I’d go ahead and confit the legs and sear the breasts instead. Hope that helps! Let me know how it goes.
This was a terrific method – thank you! I added a little honey to the skin, but was very, very impressed with just using the olive oil. Even my French other half was impressed!
That’s wonderful to hear, Josh! Thank you for coming back to let me know. Love the idea of a little honey on the skin.
This is SERIOUSLY good. Takes literally minutes to prepare things, and the length of time it takes to rest and cook then rest again (then cook again) means it’s basically perfect for a dinner party. Not that I made it for a dinner party. Ate the entire thing by myself. No regrets.
Lorna, you made my day! 🙂
Only had an hour before seasoned in the fridge but came out perfectly. The meat was so tender and melt in the mouth. I added some garlic cloves and a couple of sprigs of rosemary too. I never thought confit of duck could be so easy! Thank you for a great recipe.
That’s fantastic, Julie! So sweet of you to come back and let me know!
Hi Marissa, I tried this recipe yesterday after buying the duck legs because we couldn’t get duck breast, which is what we usually eat. I did miss out the overnight rest but it was still very tasty and amazingly tender! I served it with the crushed New potatoes and salad, I made an orange and star anise dressing for the salad and it went perfectly. The recipe was a revelation, I am now a duck leg convert.
I have signed up to receive more of your recipes, thank you.
Wendy
This is such a sweet comment, Wendy, thank you. 🙂 We were on the same wavelength – I made duck leg confit over the weekend. And your orange and star anise dressing sounds incredible!
This looks amazing! I️ would like to make this tonight sort of combined with a recipe I️ recently saw on Bon Appetite. Basically with an additional step of roasting the legs on a sheet pan at the end to crisp them. My question for you is – do you think I️ can skip the overnight refrigeration?! Thanks so much!
Hi Kate. The duck legs will be a little less flavorful without the overnight stay in the refrigerator, but I’ve made them that way and they’re still delicious! 🙂
This duck confit looks so incredibly impressive, Marissa! The video makes it look fairly simple too. I’ll have to try this one!
aww, thanks Sabrina! xo
I haven’t made duck confit since culinary school, so this is bringing back memories! And, I absolutely LOVE that this version doesn’t require VATS and VATS of duck fat!! This is making me droooooool, Marissa! It looks just PERFECT! Can’t wait to try it! Pinned! Cheers, dear! XO
awww, thank you so much my friend! xo
This is way too fancy looking to be a slow cooker meal! Anything in the slow cooker is a win for me, it makes life so much easier!! My husband would love this – any time we go to a French restaurant he has to get duck! Have a great weekend!!
Don’t you love it when you can barely lift a finger and it looks fancy? 😉 My favorite… Thanks, my friend!
Brilliant. Could I do the same thing with chicken?
I don’t know! But I’m going to find out – love that idea. I think I’ll try it with chicken thighs…
ooh duck confit in a slow cooker is absolutely genius. i need to get on this soon!
**blushing** – thank you, Stephanie!
I love that this is a slow cooker meal Marissa! I’m always looking to add a few more slow cooker recipes to my arsenal! Thank for sharing this tasty one. Happy weekend!
Thank you, Mary Ann! I’m the same way – always fun to find new meals that work in the slow cooker.
Fascinating! I had no idea you could cook duck confit in a slow cooker. You’re a slow cooker genius, Marissa! We’ve ordered duck confit at many restaurants, and it’s always a guessing game as to how it will come out…it’s one of those dishes that seems to cause so much trouble for chefs. But the slow cooker takes the guess work out of it! I’m totally going to have to try this one on a lazy day this winter! 🙂
awww, thanks David! If you try it, I’d love to hear how it goes!
I never dreamed you could make duck confit in a slow cooker. This is brilliant!
Thank you so much, Kelsie!
Ooh I can see exactly how crisp these duck legs are. What a wonderfully easy method too Marissa! 😀
All about that crispy skin! 😉 Thank you, Lorraine!
Hi Marissa! Duck is one of my favorites and if it’s on a restaurant menu I always order it. We buy duck from D’Artagnan in NY state. I can’t wait to try this! And, yes duck fat is a very good thing (right up there with bacon grease).
Hi Dorothy! I’d love to hear what you think when you give it a try! So true about bacon grease! It’s something that adds so much flavor…