Arroz de Pato – Portuguese Style Duck Rice

Arroz de Pato is an authentic Portuguese rice dish made with shredded duck meat, short grain rice, and chouriço, cooked in a rich broth and baked until crispy. This hearty dish has its roots in Braga, a historic city in the north of Portugal. It’s incredibly delicious and comforting, and one of our go to winter Portuguese dishes. Keep on reading to learn how to make an authentic Portuguese duck rice!

Rice in Traditional Portuguese Cuisine

Rice might not be the first thing you think of when it comes to Portuguese food, but rice and the country actually have a long history. It’s believed it was first brought to the country during the Moorish period, and it’s stuck around ever since. In Portugal, rice it’s not simply a side dish, it’s often the star of the meal, combined to various ingredients such as curred meats, seasonal veggies, and seafood.

One of the most popular varieties of rice used in Portuguese cuisine is the locally grown Arroz Carolino. And that’s one of the varieties used Arroz de Pato too. This short grain rice it’s similar to the famous Italian Arborio, great for absorbing flavours and producing creamy dishes.

An Authentic Portuguese Duck Rice

Unlike many other duck recipes from around the world, Arroz de Pato includes chouriço, a smoked pork sausage that’s a staple in Portuguese cuisine. A whole chouriço is cooked in the same broth as the duck, alongside some carrots, onions, and fresh herbs. The sausage is then sliced and layered on top of the rice before baking it. In the oven, the chouriço gets crispy and some of its fat drips into the rice.

Speaking of the broth, if you ask any of the classic chefs in Portugal what the key to a successful arroz de pato is, they’ll tell you it’s all in the quality of the broth. The broth where you cook both the duck and the chouriço will theb be used to cook the rice. It all forms an incredible meal with very little waste.

What Part of the Duck Should you Use?

Tradition calls for a whole duck cut into eights, but if you are not cooking for a big crowd, you can use just the legs or even the breasts. This is also a great recipe to use leftovers of a duck roast. In Portugal, duck it’s available in most supermarkets year round.

It’s safe to say that preparing and cooking this dish is not a quick endeavour, but we promise you it is worth it! A forkful of freshly prepared duck rice straight from the oven is worth every minute you spend in the kitchen!

Arroz de Pato – Portuguese Style Duck Rice

Recipe by Ana Veiga

5.0 from 2 votes

Course: MainCuisine: Portuguese, MediterraneanDifficulty: Medium

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

1

minute

Calories

725

kcal

Arroz de Pato is an authentic Portuguese rice dish made with shredded duck meat, short grain rice, and chouriço

Ingredients

• 750 g 750 duck – bone in

• 300 g 300 Carolino rice

• 100 g 100 chouriço

• 2 tbsp 2 olive oil (30ml)

• 1 cup 1 port wine

• 2 2 medium onions

• 2 2 garlic cloves – whole

• 1 1 bay leaf

• 2 2 carrots – sliced

• salt – to taste

• black pepper – to taste

Directions

• Place a large stock pot over high heat. Once hot, place the duck pieces with the fat facing down, fry on both sides until golden brown. Drain the fat into a bowl and keep it. Reduce the heat to medium.
• Add in 1 onion cut in half, the sliced carrots, the whole garlic cloves, and the bay leaves. Cook for a minute or two. Deglaze with the port wine.
• Place the chouriço inside the stock pot, cover with boiling water. Season it with salt and black pepper, and let it simmer for 40 minutes.
• Remove the duck pieces, the bay leaf and the chouriço from the broth, set aside to cool.
• With a hand mixer, blend the broth until smooth. Strain it into a jug. Set aside.
• Pre heat the oven to 200°C.
• Meanwhile, place a medium pan (preferably with a thick bottom) over medium heat, add in a couple of spoons of the rendered duck fat reserved at the beginning. Dice the remaining onion and fry it until translucent. Add in the rice, fry it for about 2 minutes, then add a litter of the broth.
• Season with more salt and black pepper. Cook undisturbed for about 25 minutes or until the rice is fully cooked and the liquid absorbed.
• Remove the bones and skin from the duck, shred it. Slice the chouriço.
• In a small baking dish, layer half of the rice, add the duck meat and cover it with the remaining rice. Finish with a layer of chouriço slices. Pop It in the oven for 25 minutes. Enjoy!

Notes

• Duck meat is quite fatty, so when preparing the duck broth, make sure to skim the excessive fat from the top.
• This recipe traditionally uses Carolino rice. If you can’t find it, you can replace it with any short grain rice of your preference.

This is one of our favourite recipes and our favourite way of eating duck in Portugal! Take a look in our recipe section for some other Portuguese recipes and let us know in the comments what you think!

More Portuguese Rice Dishes You Will Love!

• Octopus Rice – Arroz de Polvo
• Bean Rice – Arroz de Feijão
• Tomato Rice – Arroz de Tomate
• Bacalhau Rice – Arroz de Bacalhau
• Monkfish Rice – Arroz de Tamboril
• Razor Clam Rice – Arroz de Lingueirão
• Seafood Rice – Arroz de Marisco
• Rice Pudding – Arroz Doce