Arroz de Pato
Duck legs, smoked sausage such as chouriço and long-grain rice come together in this Portuguese chicken — 65 minutes, 6 steps, and the kind of result worth repeating. Below: the ingredients split into pantry staples and a quick shopping list, a built-in serving scaler, and the method in 6 steps.
You'll mainly reach for oven and pan. At medium difficulty across 6 steps, it's manageable with a little attention.
What you'll need
Shopping list (7)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
🔁 Unit converter
How to make it
- Put the duck legs in a pot with the halved onion, the garlic, the carrot, the bay leaves, the cloves, a strip of orange peel and the wine, cover everything with water, season, and simmer gently for about 60 minutes until the meat is fully tender and has reached at least 74 C.
- Lift out the duck and let it cool enough to handle, then pull the meat off the bones into bite-sized pieces, discarding the skin and bones, and keep the cooking liquid.
- Strain the broth and measure out twice the volume of the rice, then simmer the rice in that broth for about 12 minutes until just tender and the liquid is absorbed, stirring in a little of the duck fat skimmed from the surface for flavor.
- Warm the olive oil in a pan and lightly brown the sliced sausage for 2 minutes, then fold most of it and the shredded duck through the cooked rice and check the seasoning.
- Spread the rice mixture into a baking dish, arrange the remaining sausage slices over the top, and squeeze over a little of the orange juice.
- Bake at 200 C for 15 to 20 minutes until the surface is golden and lightly crisp, then serve it hot with orange slices alongside.
You'll use: Oven · Pan · Large pot · Saucepan · Baking dish
Ingredient substitutions
- White Wine
- chicken or vegetable stock + 1 tsp vinegar
What to serve with Arroz de Pato
- Spring onion and prawn empanadas Seafood
- Grilled Portuguese sardines Seafood
- Portuguese prego with green piri-piri Beef
- Fish fofos Seafood
Tips & common questions
How long does Arroz de Pato take to make?
About 65 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 6 steps and 12 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of white wine?
Try chicken or vegetable stock + 1 tsp vinegar. See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
How should I store leftovers?
Cool leftovers quickly, refrigerate in an airtight container, and eat within 3 days. Reheat until piping hot throughout.
Related recipes
Arroz de Pato is an original Portuguese recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: Arroz de Pato (4948416093).jpg by ricardo from London, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top — how we source recipes.