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This spicy duck ragù is filled with roasted, shredded duck and a Calabrian chili pepper spiked sauce perfect for wide ribbons of pappardelle.

Shredded duck makes for a decadent and spicy ragù for nights when you want stick-to-your-ribs comfort.

Shredded duck is a labor of love and one that I’ve turned to when I need a protein that’s not chicken, beef, or pork. It’s delicious in tacos or egg rolls and offers a rich, meaty flavor. If you’re ready to upgrade your ragù game, duck is a great place to start.

Similar to my shredded duck tacos, I start this recipe by roasting a whole duck (though you can use duck legs) until the meat can be easily shredded. The shredded meat is then added to a spicy tomato-based ragù that bubbles away on the stove as the duck roasts.

While I do love cooking meat–such as beef or chicken–in the ragù, I roast the duck separately. It makes such an enormous amount of fat that you don’t want all of that cooking into your tomato sauce. Don’t forget to save the duck fat; you can use it later!

How to make this spicy duck ragù

While this isn’t overly labor-intensive, it is time-intensive. Fortunately, most of the time in this recipe is inactive. You could easily roast the duck in the morning or the night before. This will save some trouble when you have to throw everything together for the pasta.

What you need

Duck: Use a whole duck or duck legs. If your duck comes with the neck, I recommend simmering the neck in the ragù for extra flavor!
Ragù: The ragù starts with onion, celery, and carrots. I layer in garlic, crushed Calabrian chili peppers, bay leaves, and fresh thyme. I add the duck neck here and then deglaze with red wine. From there, I add crushed tomatoes and chicken stock.
Finishing touches: The ragù is finished with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and chopped basil leaves.
Pasta: I recommend a wide pasta, such as tagliatelle or pappardelle. You can also use rigatoni or paccheri!

How to make it

Step 1: Roast the duck. You’ll roast the duck for one hour and then remove it from the oven to cut slits in the skin to allow the fat to render out. Return it to the oven for an hour or until the skin is crisp and golden brown. Let the duck rest for at least 30 minutes. Once it’s cool enough to handle, pick the meat from the bones and shred it. You can reserve the carcass for homemade duck stock if you like!

Step 2: Make the ragù. Start by layering in the onion, celery, and carrots. Add garlic and crushed Calabrian chili peppers. From there, add the bay leaves, thyme, and duck neck, if using.

Step 3: Simmer the ragù. Add red wine and finish with crushed tomatoes and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat, cover, and simmer on low heat as the duck finishes roasting.

Step 4: Finish the ragù. Add the shredded duck meat to the ragù and continue simmering for 30 minutes. While the ragù finishes simmering, prepare the pasta and save a little pasta cooking water. From there, add basil and Parmesan to the sauce along with pasta cooking water. Finish by tossing the cooked pasta in the ragù until completely coated.

You’re ready to serve it up! Transfer the pasta and ragù to a large serving bowl and finish with more basil and grated Parmesan cheese.

Spicy Duck Ragù

This spicy duck ragù is filled with roasted, shredded duck and a Calabrian chili pepper spiked sauce perfect for wide ribbons of pappardelle.

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Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 30

Inactive time: 3

Total Time: 3 44

Servings:

Calories: 799kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

Roasted duck:

5 pound whole duck (or 4 duck legs)
1 teaspoon kosher salt (per pound of meat)
¼ teaspoon black pepper (per pound of meat)

Ragù:

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion (peeled and small-diced)
2 ribs celery (trimmed and small-diced)
2 carrots (peeled and small-diced)
8 cloves garlic (peeled and minced)
1 tablespoon crushed Calabrian chilis (more or less to taste; see Note 1)
2 bay leaves
5 sprigs thyme
1 cup dry red wine (or use chicken stock)
1 28- ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
1 cup basil (loosely packed and finely chopped; a few leaves reserved for garnish)
1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (plus more for serving)
16 ounces pappardelle pasta
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Roast the duck:

Preheat the oven to 325ºF.
Line a deep roasting dish with foil. Place a rack on top of it. Pat the duck dry and season all over with salt and pepper. Place the duck on the rack, breast-side up, and transfer to the oven for 1 hour.
Remove the duck from the oven and make shallow slits in the skin of the breasts and around the thighs and legs. Return to the oven for an additional 1 hour.

Shred the duck:

Remove the duck from the oven and let cool for 30 minutes. Once the duck is cool enough to handle, pick the meat from the bones and shred it with your fingers. You can keep as much or as little of the skin as you like. I keep a few small pieces of skin from the breast and thigs that I finally chop to add to the sauce. See Note 2.
You can transfer the shredded duck to an airtight container and refrigerate it overnight, or you can continue with the recipe straight through.

Make the ragù:

As the duck roasts, prepare the ragú. Heat 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil in a wide pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion, celery, and carrots. Sauté for 8 to 10 minutes until soft. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the minced garlic and crushed Calabrian chili peppers. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. If you used a whole duck that had a duck neck, add it to the pot now.

Simmer the ragù:

Pour in the red wine and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes and chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and season with salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon granulated sugar. Cover the pot and simmer for 2 hours. Stir the ragù occasionally, adding chicken stock or water if the ragù reduces too much.

Add the duck to the ragù:

Pick out and discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs from the ragù. Remove and discard the duck neck. Add the shredded duck to the pot and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

Make the pasta:

As the ragù finishes simmering, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add the pappardelle and cook according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain the pappardelle.

Finish the ragù:

Taste the ragù and add more salt and pepper if needed. Add the chopped basil and finely grated Parmesan cheese to the sauce. Once melted, add half the pasta cooking water and bring the ragù to a low boil. Add the cooked pappardelle and toss it to coat with the sauce, adding more pasta cooking water as needed. Turn off the heat.

To serve:

Transfer the cooked pasta to a large serving bowl. Sprinkle more fresh basil leaves and finely grated Parmesan cheese on top. Enjoy!

Notes

Note 1: If you don’t have Calabrian chili peppers, simply use crushed red pepper flakes to taste.

Note 2: You can save the carcass for homemade duck stock if you like.

Nutrition

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Spicy Duck Ragù