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This recipe for Duck Confit is the easiest that you’ll ever find. This classic French dish 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 confit. I’ve ordered this 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.
Table of Contents
Ingredients You Need to Make Duck Confit
- Duck Legs
- Olive Oil
- Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
How to Make Easy Duck Confit:
Season the duck 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.
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.
Cook the seasoned duck legs 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.
Pair With
I love to serve these crisped duck legs with an elegant appetizer like Tuna Tartare, a green salad, Lyonnaise Salad or Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower and Fondant Potatoes, Gratin Dauphinois, Cheesy Potatoes, Lyonnaise 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.
More Slow Cooker Recipes
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 Confit
Video
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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
My husband and I agreed we have never tasted a better version of duck. Following the review of another, I made a savory blueberry sauce. It was wonderful with the duck, but absolutely not necessary to ooh and aah over the duck. After having several ‘won’t make it again’ duck dinners, I was considering removing duck from my grocery buying list. This recipe keeps duck legs on the list, for sure. Thank you so much for this recipe.
You made my day, Heidi! So glad this is such a hit for you and your husband!
I’ve been using this recipe for a couple years now. It is hands down one of my absolute favorites. So simple, yet so delicious. Genius! The only problem is this has made duck confit at a lot of French restaurants pale in comparison!
This is wonderful to hear, Amy! Thank you for coming back to let me know.
I am thinking of doing this for a family Christmas lunch. I usually do the roast duck with cherry sauce the traditional way. I think this will be a go to recipe for me. Can’t wait to try it out.
Hi Lovigia! That’s wonderful to hear. I hope that you and your family will love it.
I love a good slow cooker version for any recipe! Thanks for sharing.
If you can only find duck breast, can you prepare the same way, especially if you just want a “pulled” version of the meat to use in crepes or other dishes?
My pleasure, Julie! That’s a great question. I haven’t tried this recipe with duck breast, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. (I’m going to try it soon myself.)
Could you broil these instead of pan fry for crispy skin?
Hi Roy! I haven’t broiled these to finish because pan frying works so well to crisp the skin. If you do broil them, be sure to watch very carefully so they don’t burn.
Tried this today and so pleased with the results. It just melted in the mouth and the skin was beautifully crisp.
So glad you enjoyed this, Jennid! Thank you for coming back to let me know.
Why is it necessary to refrigerate the duck after cooking it in the slow cooker? Could I sear it and serve it the same day that it goes in the slow cooker?
Hi Kate! Refrigerating the duck allows it to firm up so it sears without falling apart. I recommend refrigerating it for a few hours anyway if you don’t have time to refrigerate overnight.
This recipe yielded wonderful results! So nice to have a classic french dish with half the work. I did this with a blueberry savoury sauce (shallots, duck fat, generous splash of brandy and Ontario blueberries). Will be making this one for years to come!
This is wonderful to hear, Flo! Thank you for coming back to let me know. And that sauce sounds incredible!
Laura absolutely loves Duck Confit, but I’ve yet to tackle a homemade version of it. This recipe looks so easy…and delicious. Well done figuring out how to use the slow cooker to take the work out of this classic recipe. This would be great for a ‘fancy’ night in!
Absolutely! I hope you’ll make it for, Laura! I promise you two won’t be disappointed.
This is a fantastic idea, Marissa – I love duck and can’t wait to try your method of cooking it. I’d never think of this – so clever!
I absolutely love Duck Confit. It’s been a very long time since I’ve made this at home, and it’s my favorite thing to order at a French restaurant when it’s on the menu. (That and Cassoulet!) I’m inspired! Love how you’ve made the process easier with the slow cooker, and that final sear is heaven. 🙂 ~Valentina
mmm…I love cassoulet too. I’m so excited for you to try this, Valentina!
My slow cooker has low and high settings and I’ve hardly used it… I now have the duck in cooking – when its on “high” the fat splutters. When low its silent. What temp should I be cooking it on low or high?!
Hi there, Elizabeth. You’ll want to cook it on low for 6 hours as the recipe specifies, so that the duck cooks slowly.
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.