Oven-Baked Duck with Sauerkraut
Original, incredibly tasty, and juicy - for any occasion. Oven-baked duck with sauerkraut beautifully balances the tangy-sweet filling with rich, succulent duck meat, highlighting its best flavors.
Updated : 22 December, 2025
Easy
More than 1 hour.
Ingredients
1
Duck
2
Apple
2
Garlic
to taste
Salt
0.5 teaspoon
Sugar
0.5 teaspoon
Ground black pepper
600 grams
Sauerkraut
1
Onion
5 tablespoon
Vegetable oil
70 milliliters
White wine
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
How to bake duck with sauerkraut in the oven? Prepare all the ingredients from the list. If your duck is frozen, take it out of the freezer in advance and leave it at room temperature until fully thawed.
Step 2
Singe off any remaining feathers, remove the oil gland on the tail, and trim off excess skin at the neck. Rinse the duck thoroughly and pat dry with paper towels to remove leftover water.
Step 3
Make the marinade. In a separate bowl, mix 3 tbsp vegetable oil, garlic pressed through a garlic press, salt, sugar, and pepper. I used 1/2 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp pepper, and just under 1 tsp salt. Mix well until the salt and sugar dissolve.
Step 4
Rub the duck with the marinade all over and inside as well. Wrap in plastic wrap or place in a bag - whichever is easier. Refrigerate to marinate for several hours (ideally overnight).
Step 5
Once the duck has marinated, make the filling. Wash and pat dry the peeled onion and the apple. Slice the onion into half-rings or dice. Heat vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet and add the onion. Cook over high heat until the onion turns translucent.
Step 6
If your sauerkraut is very sour, soak it in cold water and squeeze it out. Chop it smaller if needed. Dice the apples. Add the sauerkraut and apples to the onion.
Step 7
If you like, pour in a little white wine, but you can cook without it - still delicious. Add a pinch of sugar and ground black pepper, stir, and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring so the cabbage doesn’t burn. Remove the skillet from the stove and let the filling cool slightly.
Step 8
Stuff the duck with the cabbage filling. If there are bits of garlic left on the skin, remove them - otherwise they may burn and spoil the look of the bird.
Step 9
Secure the duck’s opening with toothpicks or sew it closed with thread. Place the duck in a baking dish (a roaster or any heavy baking dish works). I used a glass dish. If you have filling left, place it around the duck. Cover with a lid or foil.
Step 10
Put the duck in the oven at 180-200°C (356-392°F) and bake for 1.5-2 hours (time depends on your oven). Then remove the lid/foil and brush the duck with the rendered fat using a silicone brush. If you like, wrap the legs and wings with foil so they don’t burn.
Step 11
Keep baking until the duck is evenly covered with a crisp golden crust. My oven browned unevenly, so I covered the already-browned spots with foil and baked for 15 more minutes until it turned evenly golden.
Step 12
Serve the duck while it’s hot.
Step 13
Incredibly juicy, aromatic, and delicious!
Author note
Share the recipe
