Nanjing Salted Duck: Poaching, Flavour and Safe Chilling

投稿者 Anthony
投稿日 11月 7, 2026

Make Nanjing salted duck with a whole-duck ingredient list, a chilled salt cure, gentle poaching and temperature checks before chilling and serving it safely.

Quick Answer: What Is Nanjing Salted Duck?

Nanjing salted duck (南京盐水鸭, Nánjīng yánshuǐ yā) is salt-seasoned, gently poached duck with pale skin and a savoury, aromatic flavour.^[2][4]

Its skin stays pale rather than becoming the browned, crisp skin of roast duck.^[2][4]
The seasonal nickname guihua ya (桂花鸭, guìhuā yā) refers to autumn’s osmanthus season.^[5]
A chilled serving is still fully cooked poultry: check 165°F/74°C before chilling.^[7]

This whole-duck home recipe uses fresh cooking liquid and refrigerated curing; it is not a method for making shelf-stable preserved duck.

A whole-duck guide to cold curing, gentle poaching, three-site temperature checks and prompt chilling.

Plan for a refrigerated cure and time to chill the cooked portions. The useful distinction is between gentle cooking for texture and a thermometer check for doneness.

Nanjing’s Duck Tradition and Guihua Ya

The dish belongs to Nanjing’s food culture within Jiangsu cuisine (苏菜, sūcài). Local historical writing traces the familiar salted-duck style to the Ming period; this does not date every modern recipe or spice mixture.^[5]

Duck is sold year-round, while the guihua nickname celebrates the period around Mid-Autumn when osmanthus blossoms are fragrant. The name alone does not establish that flowers were added to a particular bird.^[5]

A characteristic craft step is chao yan (炒盐, chǎoyán): toasting salt with aromatic spices before curing. The regional product standard describes skin ranging from light yellow to milky white, rather than a dark roast finish.^[4]

Salted Duck, Pressed Duck and Roast Duck

Choose by cooking method and the skin texture you want:

Nanjing salted duck: Salt-seasoned, poached duck with pale skin and moist meat; often served cool.^[2][4]
Banya: Banya (板鸭, bǎnyā) is salt-cured and air-dried, with a flattened shape and firmer texture. It belongs to a different food-preservation tradition and requires product-specific handling. Follow its product’s storage and cooking instructions.^[5]
Roast duck: Browning and roasted skin distinguish preparations such as 北京ダック (北京烤鸭, Běijīng kǎoyā) from pale poached duck.^[2]

Ingredients for One Whole Duck

Duck and rub: One 4–4½ lb/1.8–2 kg duck; 4 tbsp salt; 2½ tbsp Sichuan peppercorns (花椒, huājiāo).^[1]
Spice pouch: 4 star anise; 2 tsp cumin seeds; 3 bay leaves; 1 cinnamon stick; 2 tsp whole black peppercorns.^[1]
Broth and finish: 5 ginger slices; 3 scallions, cut up; ½ cup/120 ml Shaoxing wine (绍兴酒, Shàoxīng jiǔ); 12–15 US cups water, enough to cover; 2 tsp sesame oil.^[1]

Use a fully thawed, unstuffed bird and a pot that keeps it submerged with headroom. Remove the giblet packet. Do not rinse or soak raw poultry; splashing can spread bacteria. Pat dry and clean contaminated surfaces and utensils.^[6][7]

How to Cure, Poach and Chill the Duck

Toast the rub. Stir salt and Sichuan peppercorns over medium heat 5–8 minutes until lightly yellow; cool.^[1]
Refrigerate the cure. Rub all over, at least one-third inside the cavity. Refrigerate uncovered on a rimmed tray on the lowest shelf 3 hours.^[1]
Prepare broth. Tie pouch spices in food-safe cheesecloth; boil with water, ginger and scallions. Add wine. Submerge duck carefully, filling its cavity with hot liquid; return to boil.^[1]
Poach and verify doneness. Simmer gently covered 15 minutes, then leave covered off heat 40–45 minutes as a guide. Probe thickest breast, innermost thigh and wing, avoiding bone: each must reach 165°F/74°C. Resume gentle heat if necessary and recheck.^[1][7]
Portion and chill. Drain; brush skin with sesame oil. Once handleable, refrigerate small shallow portions within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F/32°C. Hot portions can go directly into the fridge. Do not wait for whole-bird counter cooling; chill before slicing.^[1][8][9]

Keep raw-duck equipment separate from the clean board, knife and containers used for cooked duck. Salt curing supplies flavour; it does not replace cooking or refrigeration.^[6][8]

FAQs About Nanjing Salted Duck

Can I use duck portions instead?

Yes, but use a portion-specific recipe rather than halving the whole-bird cooking time. Half-duck versions use different cures and poaching schedules. Check thick pieces to 165°F/74°C.^[3][7]

Are osmanthus flowers required?

No. The ingredient list here contains none. Guihua ya is a seasonal name associated with autumn blossoms; it is not a requirement to add petals or osmanthus syrup.^[5]

How should I store and serve leftovers?

Keep cooked duck at 40°F/4°C or colder and use within 3–4 days. Properly cooked, promptly chilled duck can be served cold. If reheating, bring it to 165°F/74°C; reheating does not rescue duck left out too long.^[8]