Duck Rillette Recipe

Prepare and brown the duck

Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). Pat the duck legs dry with paper towels and season both sides lightly with 1 tsp kosher salt. In a large ovenproof pot or Dutch oven, heat 1 tbs oil and 2 tbs butter over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the duck legs skin-side down and brown until the skin is deep golden and rendered, about 6–8 minutes; turn and brown the other side for 3–4 minutes. Remove duck legs and set aside.

Sweat the aromatics

Reduce heat to medium. Add the halved onion (cut side down), chopped carrot, chopped celery and smashed garlic to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to color, about 6 minutes. Scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.

Deglaze and add braising liquid

Pour in 1 cup white wine to deglaze, scraping up all fond. Let the wine reduce by about half, 3–4 minutes. Add the chicken stock, bay leaves, thyme sprigs, and whole black peppercorns. Nestle the browned duck legs back into the pot so they are partially submerged. Bring just to a simmer.

Braise slowly

Cover the pot and transfer to the preheated oven. Braise until the meat is very tender and falling from the bone, 1.75–2.25 hours. Check at 1.5 hours—if liquid is evaporating too quickly, add a few tablespoons of stock. The meat should be easy to pull from the bone with a fork.

Cool and reserve fat

Carefully remove duck legs to a plate and strain the braising liquid into a heatproof bowl, pressing on the solids to extract flavor. Allow the liquid and any fat that rises to the surface to cool. Refrigerate the strained liquid until the fat separates (or skim fat now with a spoon). Reserve 3/4–1 cup of clarified duck fat for the rillettes; you can refrigerate extra for sealing the jars later.

Pick the meat

Once cool enough to handle, remove skin and bones from each duck leg. Using two forks or your fingers, pull the braised meat into large shreds; discard any gristle. Place the shredded meat in a large mixing bowl.

Combine and season

Warm the reserved 3/4–1 cup duck fat gently until liquid (do not overheat). Add 2 tbs softened butter to the warm fat and stir to combine. Spoon about 1/3 cup of the liquid from the braising pot (reduced strained braising liquid) into the shredded meat for moisture and flavor — if very gelatinous, use up to 1/2 cup. Add 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper and 2 tbs finely chopped parsley. Taste and add up to 1 tsp kosher salt total if needed. If using, stir in 1 tsp sherry vinegar for brightness. Mix thoroughly until the meat is evenly coated and slightly glossy but not greasy.

Pack into pots and chill

Spoon the mixture tightly into small jars or ramekins (about four 8–6 oz jars or one larger container), packing to eliminate air pockets. Smooth the tops. Pour a thin layer (about 1/8–1/4 inch) of the remaining warm duck fat over each filled jar to seal the surface. Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until fully set, at least 6 hours or overnight. The fat will solidify creating a preservation seal.

Finish and serve

Before serving, let rillettes sit at room temperature for 20–30 minutes so the fat softens. Remove the fat seal with a spoon, or stir it into the rillette if you prefer richer flavor. Sprinkle each pot with a pinch of flaky sea salt and additional chopped parsley. Serve with toasted bread, cornichons or pickled shallots and an optional splash of cornichon brine or sherry vinegar on the side.