Why it works: Chicken and potato chip work together. They rank in the top 21% of all ingredient pairs, and 15 recipes mention both. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
The recipe
50 servingsIngredients
Contains: egg, milk, tree nuts (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.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and grease two large baking dishes or roasting pans.
In a very large bowl, gently mix the cooked chicken pieces, chopped celery, diced green onion, toasted almonds, mayonnaise, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Spread the chicken mixture evenly into the prepared dishes.
Sprinkle the crushed potato chip crumbs evenly over the top, then scatter the shredded Cheddar cheese over the crumbs.
Bake uncovered for about 35 to 40 minutes, until the center is hot, the cheese is melted and bubbling, and the thickest part reaches 165°F (74°C).
Let the bake rest for about 10 minutes before serving so it sets slightly and is easier to portion.
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 + potato chiptop 21% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together15 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Lemon + peppertop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together27,039 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Celery + lemontop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together3,467 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Celery + peppertop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together16,001 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Chicken + oniontop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together17,808 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Flavor stand-ins for the almond
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (chicken, celery, onion, lemon, pepper, potato chip, cheddar cheese):
- Beansbetter flavor fit
- Peasbetter flavor fit
- Sesamebetter flavor fit
- Almondthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against chicken, celery, onion, lemon, pepper, potato chip, cheddar cheese. 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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