Duck · Air fryer

Air Fryer Cantonese Roast Duck: 5-Ingredient Recipe

Chef Elizabeth Haigh strips Cantonese roast duck down to five ingredients and the air fryer, no fancy steps, no hunting through specialist shops. The result is crispy skin and tender meat that tastes like you've spent all day on it.

R By Richard · Adapted from Chef Elizabeth Haigh · Published 10 June 2026
👁 36.1k source views ❤️ 1.7k source likes
⏱Prep 10 min
🌡Temp 150°C
⏲Air fry 20 min
🍽Serves 2
Air Fryer Cantonese Roast Duck Made Easy: 5-Ingredient Recipe!

Source video by Chef Elizabeth Haigh on YouTube. This recipe was adapted with strict source-fidelity rules and is marked for human review.

This is a stripped-back home version of Cantonese roast duck using just five core ingredients. Duck breasts are scored, marinated for 24 hours, then cooked in the air fryer in two stages: gentle rendering at 150°C followed by a high-heat blast at 200°C with a sticky honey and soy glaze. The result is crisp-skinned, flavourful duck breast ready to serve with steamed rice, smacked cucumber or a spring onion and ginger sauce. It is not traditional Cantonese roast duck, but a fast, achievable home hack.

Ingredients

Duck
  • 2 filletsduck breasts, patted dry, skin scored or pierced with a sharp knife
Marinade
  • 1 tbsprunny honey
  • 2 tbspoyster sauce
  • 2 tbspsoy sauce
  • 0.5 tspChinese five spice
Glaze
  • 2 tbsprunny honey (add late)
  • 1 tbspsoy sauce (add late)
  • 0.25 tspChinese five spice (add late)
  • 2 tbspwater (add late)
  • Chinese red vinegar (add late)

Method

  1. Pat the duck breasts dry with kitchen paper to remove any surface moisture.

    ~2 min

  2. In a bowl, mix 1 tbsp honey, 2 tbsp oyster sauce, 2 tbsp soy sauce and 0.5 tsp Chinese five spice. Stir well.

    ~2 min

  3. Pour the marinade into a tray. Gently pierce the skin of the duck breasts with a sharp knife or skewer to help the fat render later.

    ~2 min

  4. Place the duck breasts skin-side up in the tray so the marinade soaks the flesh but stays off the skin. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours so the skin dries out.

    ~1440 min

  5. Make the glaze by mixing 2 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp soy sauce, a small sprinkle of Chinese five spice, 2 tbsp water and an optional splash of Chinese red vinegar.

    ~2 min

  6. Place the duck breasts skin-side up in the air fryer basket. Cook at 150°C for 10 minutes to begin rendering the fat.

    ~10 min

  7. Carefully remove the basket. Baste the duck breasts liberally all over with the glaze.

    ~1 min

  8. Return to the air fryer and increase the temperature to 200°C. Cook for at least 10 minutes until the skin is crisp and deeply coloured.

    ~10 min

  9. Rest the duck for at least 5 minutes (roughly half the cook time) so the juices settle.

    ~5 min

  10. Slice the duck breasts across the grain with a sharp knife and plate up with steamed rice. Serve with smacked cucumber, spring onion and ginger sauce, plum sauce, hoisin or mandarin pancakes.

    ~3 min

Frequently asked

Do I need to marinate the duck for the full 24 hours?
Yes if you want crisp skin. The overnight rest in the fridge dries out the skin surface, which is what lets it crisp up in the air fryer. A shorter marinade will still flavour the meat but the skin will not render as well.
Do I need to preheat my air fryer?
Elizabeth does not preheat in this recipe; the duck goes straight in at 150°C to render gently. If your model has a preheat function and you prefer to use it, knock 1-2 minutes off the first stage to compensate.
Can I use a whole duck instead of breasts?
Not with these times and temperatures. This recipe is built around two duck breasts. A whole duck needs significantly longer cooking and a much larger air fryer; treat that as a different recipe.
How do I stop the duck drying out?
Two things: do not skip the rest at the end (at least 5 minutes), and do not push the second stage much past 10-12 minutes at 200°C. Duck breast is best served pink in the middle.
What should I serve it with?
Steamed rice plus a fresh side like smacked cucumber works well. A spring onion and ginger sauce, plum sauce or hoisin with mandarin pancakes are all traditional pairings.
Extraction notes (transparency): Serving size inferred as 2 from typical duck breast portions; the transcript does not state a specific number of breasts or servings. Marinade quantities are stated for the full marinade, not per breast. Glaze water quantity stated as 'a couple of tablespoons' (taken as 2 tbsp). Red vinegar amount not specified, marked optional with no quantity. | Second-pass critique flagged 1 fabricated and 3 quantified issues. See critique.issues for detail.