Why it works: Tarragon and yogurt work together. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and 116 recipes mention both. Both carry linalool, which smells floral, citrus. The science ↓
The recipe
6 servingsIngredients
Contains: milk (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.
In a food processor or blender, combine the tarragon leaves, garlic cloves, 1/4 cup harissa sauce, yogurt, vinegar or citrus juice, cumin, and kosher salt, and blend until smooth.
Pat the chicken breast halves dry and coat them all over with the yogurt mixture. Cover and refrigerate while you heat the grill or pan.
Heat a grill or heavy skillet over medium-high heat.
Shake off any excess marinade and cook the chicken for 6 to 7 minutes per side, until the thickest part reaches 165°F (74°C).
Transfer the chicken to a plate and rest for 5 minutes, then slice.
Spoon the 1/4 cup harissa sauce for garnish over the chicken, top with the tarragon sprigs, and serve.
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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Tarragon + yogurttop 11% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together116 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
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Garlic + cumintop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together5,083 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Garlic + chickentop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together10,839 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-ethyl-2,5-dimethylpyrazine (roasted, nutty).
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Harissa + cumintop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together89 recipes
Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
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Tarragon + vinegartop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together1,299 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Flavor stand-ins for the harissa
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tarragon, yogurt, sauce, garlic, vinegar, cumin, chicken):
- Corianderbetter flavor fit
- Dillbetter flavor fit
- Oreganobetter flavor fit
- Harissathe original
Fit is the average pairing score against tarragon, yogurt, sauce, garlic, vinegar, cumin, chicken. 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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