Arroz de Pato Recipe: Make Portugal’s Favorite Sunday Dish at Home

If you’ve ever traveled through Portugal and ordered Arroz de Pato, there’s a good chance it stayed with you. Maybe it was served in a quiet tavern in Coimbra or at a family-run restaurant where the owner brought it out of the kitchen herself.

This isn’t tourist food. It’s something locals eat when they have time, usually on Sundays or special days. The rice is cooked in duck broth, then baked with shredded duck and topped with crisp slices of chouriço. The result is smoky, rich, and deeply comforting — without ever trying too hard.

You don’t see it often on menus outside Portugal. And even if you do, it rarely tastes like it does back home. That’s what makes it such a good dish to bring into your own kitchen. If you’ve had it before, making it again is like opening a window to your last trip. If it’s new to you, it’s the kind of dinner that turns an evening into something memorable.

This recipe doesn’t ask for precision. It asks for patience. The kind of quiet focus you might bring to slow cooking on a weekend. It’s made for sharing, so invite a few people over. Set the table. Let them taste something that feels like it came straight from Portugal.

Arroz de Pato Recipe: Slow and Smoky

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 duck leg with thigh (or just use 2 small legs if that’s easier)
1 bay leaf
2 whole cloves
1 small onion, just cut in half, don’t bother chopping it
1 carrot, cut into big rough pieces
Salt and black pepper — enough to season things along the way
1 and a half cups of long-grain rice
1 chorizo, sliced thin (Portuguese if possible, Spanish works too)
A couple tablespoons of olive oil
Some fresh parsley, chopped at the end, for the top
A bit of dry white wine (only if you feel like adding it)
Red wine for serving — a bottle from Alentejo or Dão would be perfect

Instructions

1. Put the duck in a big pot. Toss in the bay leaf. The cloves too. Cut the onion in half , just leave it like that. Same with the carrot. Big pieces. No need to slice. A bit of salt.

2. Cover it all with water. Enough so the duck’s fully under.

3. Turn on the heat. Let it come to a boil. Then turn it down. Let it bubble gently for 1-1,5 hrs. If required make it 2 hrs.

4. Once the duck’s soft, take it out. Strain the broth into a bow. Throw the vegetables out, you won’t need them. Put the broth aside, you will need it later.

5. Shred the duck. Pull the meat off the bone. And tear meat in pieces, avoiding keeping big ones.

6. Take another pot. Add a bit of olive oil. Heat it up. Add the rice. Stir it for a minute or two. Then add some broth, about three cups. Let the rice cook until it’s almost done (almost al dente).

7. Heat up the oven to 200C (390F).

8. Scoop half the rice into a baking dish. Spread the duck over that. Then cover it with the rest of the rice.

9. Take the chorizo slices and press them into the top of rice. Not too deep. Just enough to stay in place.

10. Put the dish in the oven without lid. Bake it for 15-20 minutes. The top should go golden and just a little crispy.

11. Take it out. Add chopped parsley. Serve it right away. Salad on the side will be a good addition.

Arroz de Pato’s Origins and Quiet Ritual

This dish has roots in the center and north of Portugal, where duck was easy to raise, and rice became part of the kitchen after it spread through the valleys of the Mondego and Ribatejo. The early versions were cooked in old stone houses with firewood and clay pots, often on days when families gathered.

It was a way to use everything — the meat, the bones, the broth. The rice absorbed it all, and the chouriço added just enough depth. Some cooks would simmer it slowly on a wood stove, then finish it in the oven, letting the top go just a little crisp. Others added wine, depending on what they had around.

Over time, Arroz de Pato moved from rural kitchens into small town restaurants. In places like Braga or Viseu, you’ll still find it on menus, especially on weekends. But even then, it often feels like someone’s grandmother is still in the back, making sure it’s done right.

There are plenty of variations. In some towns, the duck is mixed in. In others, it’s layered. Some versions are heavy with garlic, others lean more on herbs. But it’s always a dish made to be eaten slowly, with people you care about, straight from the baking dish while it’s still hot.

What to Buy at a Portuguese Market

Portugal’s markets are more than places to shop — they’re where you get a taste of how people live. If you find yourself in a town like Évora, Coimbra, or Guimarães, take the time to walk through the stalls. It’s not just about the food. It’s about the rhythm of local life.

Here’s what’s worth picking up — some for your duck rice, some just to bring home:

Dried rice from Ribatejo or Mondego valley – sturdy grains that hold their shape, perfect for oven-baked dishes.
Smoked chouriço, often sold wrapped in paper or hanging in loops from the butcher’s hooks.
Clay or ceramic baking dishes – glazed in earth tones, ideal for this recipe or any roast.
Olive oil in dark glass bottles, usually labeled by region — taste before you buy if you can.
Flor de sal, the delicate sea salt hand-harvested from the Algarve, sold in small cloth sacks.
Locally made cheese — creamy Azeitão, tangy Serra da Estrela, or whatever the vendor recommends.
Handwoven baskets or linen cloths, tucked between fruit crates.

If you ask a stallholder how they make Arroz de Pato, you won’t just get a recipe. You’ll get an opinion or maybe three. One might say you need wine in the broth. Another will insist it’s better without. Someone will say you must brown the duck. They’ll all be right, in their own way.

And even if you’re not cooking that day, the market is worth it for the smell of herbs, the clink of ceramic bowls, and the chance to carry a little piece of Portugal back with you.