Why it works: Chicken and rosemary are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and 1,075 recipes mention both. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓
The recipe
4 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.
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Arrange the bone-in chicken breast halves skin side up in a 9x13-inch baking dish and sprinkle them lightly with a little of the salt.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the sliced onion and minced garlic and cook for about 5 minutes, until the onion softens.
Stir in the ketchup, vinegar, dried rosemary, dry mustard and the remaining salt. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Pour the sauce evenly over the chicken, spreading the onions over the pieces. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
Uncover the dish and spoon the pan juices over the chicken. Bake uncovered for another 30 minutes, until the chicken reaches 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part and the juices run clear. 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.
-
Chicken + rosemarytop 5% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together1,075 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together29,030 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
-
Chicken + garlictop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together10,839 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-ethyl-2,5-dimethylpyrazine (roasted, nutty).
-
Garlic + rosemarytop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together2,179 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
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 mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (chicken, onion, ketchup, vinegar, butter, garlic, rosemary):
- Potatobetter flavor fit
- Tomatobetter flavor fit
- Capsicumabout as good a flavor fit
- Mustardthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against chicken, onion, ketchup, vinegar, butter, garlic, rosemary. 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).
The Sunday pairing: one pairing, the chemistry behind it, and how to cook it. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account for sign-in; Pro adds the full results and chemistry.