Skip to content

Meat, European

Portuguese style duck rice

Portuguese style duck rice is a simmered dish finished under the oven broiler, made with shredded confit duck legs, broth cooked rice, and sliced chouriço. For 4 people, it takes 1 hour 25 minutes, medium difficulty, and costs about €3.80 per person. The key is leaving the rice slightly moist before baking, so it finishes cooking under a golden crust.

A proper Sunday dish, Portuguese style duck rice, simmered in broth, topped with shredded duck and chouriço, browned in the oven.

Portuguese style duck rice
Total time
1 h 25
Difficulty
Medium
Cost per person
€3.80
Calories per person
570 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Fall, Winter
The kids
They generally like it

Portuguese style duck rice is soft rice that has soaked up a broth scented with bay leaf and white wine, studded with shredded confit duck in every bite. The chouriço on top melts slightly in the oven and tints the rice with its red fat, giving the whole dish a smoky edge. The top turns lightly crisp while the inside stays moist.

This is a Sunday dish, the kind you bring to the table in its baking dish for everyone to share. Kids love the soft rice and mild chouriço, while adults get the deeper flavor of the confit duck. Mon Chou suggests it in fall and winter, when you want something warming without much work on the day you cook it.

The ingredients

4 people

Butcher

  • Confit duck legs 4
  • Chouriço or chorizo 200 g

Pantry

  • Long grain riceoften in the pantry 300 g
  • Dry white wineoften in the pantry 10 cl
  • Chicken brothoften in the pantry 70 cl
  • Bay leavesoften in the pantry 2
  • Olive oiloften in the pantry 2 tbsp
  • Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

Fruits and vegetables

  • Onion 1
  • Garlic 3 cloves
  • Carrot 1
  • Parsley 1 bunch

The step by step recipe

  1. Warm the duck legs in the oven, then shred the meat, removing the skin and bones. 15 min

    Keep the melted duck fat, it replaces the oil for the rest of the recipe.

  2. In a Dutch oven, sauté the diced onion, garlic, and carrot in the duck fat. 8 min

    Cook over medium heat, the vegetables should soften without browning.

  3. Add the rice, toast it for a minute, pour in the white wine, then the hot broth with the bay leaves. 12 min

    Use two parts broth for one part rice.

  4. Mix the shredded duck into the rice, season with salt and pepper, transfer to a baking dish, and arrange the chouriço slices on top.

    The rice should stay a bit moist, it will finish cooking in the oven.

  5. Bake at 200°C until the top is golden and crisp, then sprinkle with parsley. 25 min

    Don't stir anymore, the crust on top is what makes this dish special.

Our tips to get it right

  • Pick confit duck legs that are already cooked, it skips a long cooking step and saves you time on the rest of the recipe.
  • Toast the rice well in the duck fat before adding the liquid, it helps it stay firm even after baking.
  • A wide, shallow baking dish browns the top faster and more evenly than a tall, narrow one.

The variations

  • Swap the confit duck for shredded roast chicken, the dish turns milder in flavor but keeps the same rice texture.
  • For a vegetarian version, skip the duck and chouriço, use vegetable broth, and add grilled red peppers for that smoky touch.
  • For a quick weeknight version with kids, skip the oven step and serve the rice right after the stovetop cooking, without the baked crust.

What to serve it with

  • A green salad with lemon
  • Black olives as a starter
  • A glass of lemon water

Storage

Duck rice keeps for 2 to 3 days in the fridge in a sealed container. It freezes well, as long as you do it within a few hours of cooking. Reheat it in a skillet or oven with a splash of broth so it doesn't dry out.

Questions about this dish

Can you use a different chorizo instead of chouriço?

Yes, a mild or spicy Spanish chorizo works well in place of Portuguese chouriço. Slice it thick so it holds its shape while baking.

Can you make this dish ahead of time?

You can shred the duck and cook the rice the day before, then assemble and finish in the oven right before serving. The golden crust turns out best when baked at the last moment.

Should you rinse the rice before cooking it?

It's not necessary here, toasting the rice directly in the duck fat gives it a creamier texture. Rinsing would wash away the starch that holds the dish together.

What if you don't have confit duck legs?

Duck legs roasted in the oven for an hour, then shredded, can replace them. Save a bit of the roasting fat to get the same flavor in the rice.

How long does it take to make a Portuguese style duck rice?

Count 1 h 25 in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “medium”.

How many calories are in a Portuguese style duck rice?

About 570 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a Portuguese style duck rice cost?

About €3.80 per serving, or €15.20 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains none of the major allergens tracked by Mon Chou. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

European Cuisines

See all

Recipes with duck

See all