Why it works: Garlic and olive are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and 25,665 recipes mention both. Both carry linalool, which smells floral, citrus. The science ↓
Indonesian Chicken
Ingredients
Directions
Marinate and prepare the chicken
Combine soy sauce, sugar, lemon juice, garlic powder and pepper.
Add chicken and marinate for 30 minutes.
Skewer pieces on wooden skewers if desired, and brush with oil.
Broil 3 inches from heat for 5 minutes.
Alternatively, cook on a preheated grill pan or stir-fry, if you prefer.
Make the spicy peanut sauce
Meanwhile, prepare the spicy peanut sauce.
Saute green onion in the oil until limp.
Remove from heat and add peanut butter.
Gradually stir in water, then add remaining ingredients.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it comes to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes, until the sauce is thickened enough to coat a spoon. Stir occasionally while simmering.
Serve
Serve chicken with the spicy peanut sauce for dipping.
May also be served over hot cooked rice or noodles.
This recipe comes from the Recipes Wiki on Fandom and is licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Our formatting and summaries are shared under the same licence.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
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.
-
Garlic + olivetop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together25,665 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
-
Lemon + peppertop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together27,047 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
-
Chicken + garlictop 7% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together10,850 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-ethyl-2,5-dimethylpyrazine (roasted, nutty).
-
Lemon + olivetop 7% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together11,922 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
-
Garlic + peppertop 8% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together27,090 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Chicken breasts
- Provides the main protein, which firms and sets as it cooks.
- Soy sauce
- Adds salty, savory depth and helps the chicken brown in the marinade.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness that balances the salty soy sauce and promotes browning.
- Lemon juice
- Adds acidity that brightens the flavor and gently tenderizes the chicken.
- Peanut butter (in the method)
- Gives the sauce its body, richness and nutty flavor as it thickens.
- Olive oil
- Adds fat that carries flavor and keeps the chicken from drying during cooking.
The step that matters
Stir the sauce constantly while it comes to a boil. Peanut butter can scorch on the bottom of the pan and clump if heated unevenly. Adding water gradually and stirring keeps the sauce smooth, and simmering lets it thicken as the starch and fats emulsify.
Flavor stand-ins for the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (chicken, sauce, sugar, garlic, pepper, olive):
- Lemonthe original
- Avocadoabout as good a flavor fit
- Limeabout as good a flavor fit
Fit is the average pairing score against chicken, sauce, sugar, garlic, pepper, olive. 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).
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
You might also like
Chicken Broth257 recipes
Lemon Sauce236 recipes
Chicken Soup156 recipes
Creamed Chicken89 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account for sign-in; Pro adds the full results and chemistry.