Name: Chicken and Dumplings
Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients: 1 pound ricotta; 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour plus more; 1 large egg, beaten to blend; 1 1/4 cups finely grated Parmesan; 3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg; 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt; 10 cups low-salt chicken broth; 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs; 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter; 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 2 celery stalks, cut crosswise into 1/4"-thick slices; 1 carrot, peeled, thinly sliced; 1 parsnip, peeled, cut into 1/4"-thick rounds; 1 leek, halved lengthwise, cut crosswise into 1/4"-thick slices; 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley; 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives; Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper; Shaved Parmesan; Cheesecloth (optional)

Why it works: Carrot and parsnip match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,097 recipes. Both carry 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells green bell pepper, earthy. The science ↓

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.

Carrot + parsniptop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,097 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine (green bell pepper, earthy).
Celery + carrottop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together10,173 recipes

Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).
Nutmeg + parsniptop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together98 recipes

Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).
Celery + parsniptop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together561 recipes

Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).
Nutmeg + carrottop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,424 recipes

Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

Swap the celery

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, egg, nutmeg, chicken, butter, carrot, parsnip):

Parsleyfits better
Cinnamonfits better
Thymefits better
Celerythe original

Fit is the average pairing score against flour, egg, nutmeg, chicken, butter, carrot, parsnip. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Ricotta Cheese	1/2 cup (124g) part-skim	174
Chicken	100g cooked	165
Parmesan Cheese	1 oz (28g)	110
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Parsnip	1/2 cup (78g)	55
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Carrot	1 medium (61g)	25
Nutmeg	1 tsp ground (2.2g)	12
Celery Stalks	1 stalk (40g)	6
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Parsley	1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)	1
Chives	1 tbsp (3g)	1
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

Chicken and Dumplings