Why it works: Chicken and potato are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,756 recipes. Both carry (z)-4-decenal, which smells green, must. The science ↓
To Clarify Fat
Ingredients
Directions
Cut the fat into small pieces and cover with cold water.
Cook over low heat until the fat melts and the water nearly evaporates.
Strain and press the fat from the scraps.
Let the fat cool and remove the hard cake or draw off the water if soft.
Add any additional fat from soup stock or drippings, except from mutton, turkey, or smoked meat.
If sediment remains, add cold water, stir, and pour off the water.
Melt the fat in a pan and add thin slices of potato.
Let it sit until bubbling stops and scraps rise to the top.
Strain through a fine strainer and store in a cool place.
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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Chicken + potatotop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,756 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-decenal (green, must).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
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