White Wine-Braised Duck Legs With Olives, Rosemary, and Garlic

Name: White Wine-Braised Duck Legs With Olives, Rosemary, and Garlic
Yield: 10
Cuisine: American

Photo: Renee Erickson

January 03, 2025

A cozy winter meal gets an aromatic boost from white wine.

Winter is the ideal time to cook something stewy and savory in a hot oven. This one-pot wonder from James Beard Award–winning chef Renee Erickson’s third cookbook, Sunlight & Breadcrumbs, cooks duck legs with olives, rosemary, and garlic until it’s all impossibly tender and aromatic. There’s very little hands-on cooking time: you leave the seasoned duck legs uncovered overnight in the fridge to crisp up the skin; the next day, a braising liquid of equal-parts chicken stock and dry white wine tenderizes the meat and veggies.

While you don’t need to pour a top-shelf bottle into the pot, use a wine that you like the taste of for the best results. Serve each bowl with crusty bread, and put your leftovers to work the next day. “If you end up with any extra duck, the pulled meat is delicious in pasta or crisped and tossed with frisée salad,” Erickson writes. It’s an easy, elegant way to celebrate winter by the bowlful.

Ingredients

4 duck legs (about 2 pounds/910 g), extra fat trimmed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil
1 yellow onion, peeled and cut into 8 wedges
1 head garlic, sliced in half across the middle
2 (4-inch/10 cm) sprigs rosemary
8 to 10 sprigs thyme, tied with kitchen twine
1/2 tsp. red chile flakes
2 cups (480 ml) dry white wine
2 cups (480 ml) chicken stock
Zest of 1 lemon, cut into thin slivers
8 ounces (225 g) green olives, like Lucques

Preparation

The night before cooking, cut the skin on the shin bone of each duck leg, just above the knobby ankle bone. Season the duck legs with salt and lots of black pepper. Place on a plate or flat dish, uncovered, and refrigerate overnight.

When you’re ready to cook, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). In a large, heavy skillet that can hold 4 duck legs, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the seasoned duck and sear on both sides until browned, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and set aside. Pour out all but 2 tablespoons of the fat.

Add the onion, garlic, rosemary, thyme, and chile flakes and sauté for about 2 minutes, until the onions just start to soften and brown. Pour in the wine and chicken stock and scrape up any browned bits left on the bottom of the pot. Add the lemon zest and olives.

Place the duck legs in a large baking dish. Pour in the white wine–onion combination. The liquid should come about two-thirds of the way up the side of the duck; add a little water if not. Place the uncovered baking dish in the oven and braise for 90 minutes to 2 hours. If the meat starts to look too dark, cover the dish with aluminum foil. The duck is done when a small knife slides easily into the thickest part of the leg. Serve directly from the baking dish.