Arroz de PatoPortuguese Duck Rice

Arroz de pato is what Portuguese families make when everyone comes for Sunday lunch. The duck simmers slowly into a deep broth, the rice cooks in that broth, and then everything goes into the oven with slices of chouriço on top until the surface is golden and crunchy.

It takes time, but almost all of it is hands-off, and you can do the first half the day before.

The recipe

Arroz de PatoPortuguese Duck Rice

Slow-cooked duck, rice simmered in its rich broth, chouriço and a crisp golden top from the oven. The Sunday-lunch dish of northern Portugal.

Print Pin Share

Prep20 min

Cook120 min

Total140 min

Serves6

Ingredients

MetricUS

Serves

6

½×1×2×3×

• 1 whole duck (about 2 kg), or 4 duck legs
• 1 chouriço (about 200 g)
• 100 g smoked bacon or presunto, in one piece
• 1 onion, halved, plus 1 onion finely chopped
• 1 carrot
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 400 g carolino rice (or another short-grain rice)
• 1 small glass of white wine
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 orange (optional, a northern touch)

Method

1. Put the duck, chouriço, bacon, halved onion, carrot and bay leaves in a large pot. Cover with about 3 litres of cold water, add salt and bring to a simmer. Skim off any foam.
2. Remove the chouriço after 20 minutes and set it aside. Simmer the duck for another 1 hour 20 minutes, until the meat falls off the bone.
3. Lift out the duck and bacon. Strain the broth, skim off most of the fat and keep 1.2 litres.
4. Shred the duck, discarding skin and bones. Dice the bacon. Slice the chouriço into rounds.
5. Heat the oven to 200 °C. In a wide pan, soften the chopped onion in the olive oil. Add the rice and stir for 2 minutes, then add the wine and let it bubble away.
6. Add 1 litre of hot broth and cook for 12 minutes, stirring now and then. The rice should be just undercooked and still wet.
7. Stir in the duck and bacon. Taste and season. Spread it into an ovenproof dish, pour over a little more broth if it looks dry, and arrange the chouriço slices on top.
8. Bake for 15–20 minutes, until the top is golden and the chouriço is crisp. Grate over a little orange zest if you like.

Notes

Clear ticks

Tap ingredients and steps to tick them off. Scaling changes the quantities at the start of each line; check the rest by eye.

What to serve with it

A simple green salad with olive oil and vinegar. In the north, a glass of red Douro or a fresh Vinho Verde tinto.

From the shop

What you’ll need

Links go to Amazon, where you can check today’s price. If you buy, we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Amazon best seller

Lodge enamel cast iron dutch oven, 6 qt

A best seller for slow cooking: feijoada, arroz de pato broth and Sunday stews.

Tip: Enamelled, so no seasoning needed.

View on Amazon

Portuguese

Costa Nova oval baker, 30 cm

An oven-to-table baking dish, the right size for bacalhau com natas or arroz de pato for four to six.

Tip: Oven-, microwave- and dishwasher-safe stoneware.

View on Amazon

Portuguese

Portugal: The Cookbook (Phaidon)

A big, comprehensive book of Portuguese recipes, region by region. The one to give a serious cook.

Tip: A large hardback that looks good on the shelf as well as in the kitchen.

View on Amazon