Why it works: Chicken and rice are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,769 recipes. Both carry (e,e)-2,4-decadienal, which smells fatty, deep fried. The science ↓
Chicken Soup
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the broth
Cut the chicken into small pieces and break the bones.
Place the chicken and bones in a stewpan with the cold water and salt, and bring to a boil.
Skim off any scum, then add the mace and onion, cover, and simmer gently for about 4 hours, skimming occasionally.
Strain the broth and let it cool completely, then remove all fat.
Return the broth to the stewpan and bring to a boil.
Finish the soup
Mix the ground rice with a little cold milk, then stir it into the stock and simmer gently for 6 to 7 minutes.
Beat the cream and egg yolks together, add to the soup, and stir over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes without boiling.
Season to taste and serve.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Chicken + ricetop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,769 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
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Rice + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,374 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Chicken + oniontop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,814 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
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Rice + oniontop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,433 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Chicken + milktop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,389 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-hexanal (fruit).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Chicken
- Gives the broth its body and meaty flavour as it simmers for hours.
- Egg yolks
- Thicken the soup gently and add richness when heated slowly.
- Cream
- Adds fat and smoothness, softening the soup's flavour and texture.
- Ground rice
- Thickens the broth as its starch swells during simmering.
- Onion
- Adds savoury sweetness and aroma to the broth.
The step that matters
Adding the egg yolk and cream. If the mixture boils, the egg proteins scramble and curdle, leaving the soup grainy. Keeping the heat low and stirring gently lets the yolks thicken it smoothly.
Swap the mace
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (chicken, egg, cream, rice, onion, milk):
- Garlicfits better
- Nutmegfits better
- Celeryfits better
- Macethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against chicken, egg, cream, rice, onion, milk. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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