Why it works: Chicken and garlic are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and 10,839 recipes mention both. Both carry 3-ethyl-2,5-dimethylpyrazine, which smells roasted, nutty. The science ↓
The recipe
6 servingsIngredients
Contains: wheat, peanut, soy, shellfish (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
Directions
Method written by CompKitchen from the ingredient list. Not the original author's method, not kitchen-tested.
Whisk the chicken stock, cornstarch, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, dry sherry, sugar and soy sauce in a bowl until smooth, then set aside.
Pat the sliced flank steak dry and toss it with the salt and black pepper.
Heat the peanut oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat. Cook the beef in batches, in a single layer, for 1 to 2 minutes per side until browned and it reaches 145°F (63°C) in the thickest part. Let the beef rest 3 minutes, then remove it from the pan.
Lower the heat to medium-high. Add the hot chili oil and crushed red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds, then add the chopped garlic and stir for 30 seconds.
Add the sliced Swiss chard to the pan and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes until just wilted.
Return the beef and any juices to the pan. Stir the sauce mixture again and pour it in. Cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring, until the sauce thickens and coats the beef.
Scatter the green onion slivers over the beef, toss once more and serve hot.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Chicken + garlictop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together10,839 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-ethyl-2,5-dimethylpyrazine (roasted, nutty).
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Pepper + garlictop 5% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together27,044 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Chicken + sherrytop 6% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together891 recipes
Shared aroma: piperonal (bitter, coconut).
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Peanut oil + garlictop 7% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together423 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-ethyl-2,5-dimethylpyrazine (roasted, nutty).
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Chicken + oystertop 8% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together968 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Flavor stand-ins for the garlic
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (chicken, sauce, oyster, sherry, sugar, pepper, peanut oil):
- Gingerbetter flavor fit
- Garlicthe original
- Celeryabout as good a flavor fit
Fit is the average pairing score against chicken, sauce, oyster, sherry, sugar, pepper, peanut oil. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).
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