Why it works: Lemon and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,037 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓
Broiled Chicken
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Clean and wash the chicken.
Split the chicken down the back and wipe it dry.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
Broil and serve
Place the chicken inside down on a hot grill over bright coals.
Broil until browned and cooked through, turning to prevent burning.
Broil thin slices of salt pork alongside the chicken.
After cooking, mix plenty of butter into the chicken.
Serve garnished with the pork, lemon slices, and parsley.
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.
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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Lemon + parsleytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,037 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Chicken + porktop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,417 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-furfurylthiol (coffee, roasted).
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Pepper + lemontop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together27,047 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
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Butter + porktop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together13,933 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-furfurylthiol (coffee, roasted).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Chicken
- Provides the main protein, which sets and firms as it cooks through over the coals.
- Butter
- Adds richness and moisture, coating the cooked meat with flavour and a silky mouthfeel.
- Salt pork
- Renders fat as it broils, adding savoury flavour and crisp, browned edges.
The step that matters
Broil until browned and cooked through, turning to prevent burning.. Over bright coals the skin can scorch before the thick meat cooks through. Turning the chicken regularly spreads the heat evenly, so the outside browns while the inside reaches a safe, fully cooked temperature.
“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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