Arroz de Pato

About This Recipe

Arroz de pato — duck rice — is one of Portugal's most celebratory dishes: slow-braised duck legs shredded into their rich cooking broth, combined with rice, sliced chouriço, and black olives, then baked in the oven until the surface is golden and the bottom forms a crispy crust. It is deeply satisfying and worthy of any feast.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 4 wholeduck legs
• 1 largeonion, quartered
• 3 clovesgarlic, lightly crushed
• 2 wholebay leaves
• 250 mldry white wine
• 1 Lwater
• 1 tspsalt
• 400 glong-grain or Carolino rice
• 180 gchouriço, sliced into rounds
• 80 gpitted black olives
• 3 tbspextra-virgin olive oil
• 0.5 tspblack pepper
• 3 tbspfresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, to serve

Instructions

1. 1

   Braise the duck

   Place duck legs in a large pot with onion, garlic, bay leaves, white wine, water, and salt. Bring to a boil, skim any foam, then simmer covered over low heat for 90 minutes until the duck is completely tender and falling from the bone.

2. 2

   Prepare duck and broth

   Remove duck legs and set aside to cool. Strain the broth and measure out 800 ml (top up with water if short). Shred the duck meat from the bones, discarding skin and bones.

3. 3

   Par-cook the rice

   Bring the 800 ml duck broth to a boil in a saucepan. Add rice and cook for exactly 10 minutes — it should be about halfway cooked. Remove from heat. Stir in olive oil, black pepper, and half the shredded duck.

4. 4

   Assemble and bake

   Preheat oven to 200 °C (400 °F). Transfer the rice mixture to a large ovenproof dish. Scatter remaining shredded duck, chouriço slices, and olives evenly over the top. Bake uncovered for 25–30 minutes until the surface is golden and the rice is cooked through.

5. 5

   Serve

   Scatter parsley over the top and bring the dish straight to the table. Serve with a simple green salad and crusty bread.

Variations

• •

  Use chicken thighs instead of duck for a more everyday version.

• •

  Add a handful of frozen peas to the rice before baking for colour and sweetness.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 3 days. Reheat covered in a 180 °C oven with a splash of water for 15 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions