Name: Chicken Curry Salad
Ingredients: 1 (12.5 ounces) can chunk chicken breasts; 1/2 cup celery, diced; 1 medium fuji apple, chopped; 1 cup pineapple chunks, drained; 2 tablespoons plump raisins; 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds; 5 tablespoons mayonnaise; 1/2 teaspoon curry powder; 1/4 teaspoon salt

Why it works: Apple and pineapple match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 530 recipes. Both carry ethyl isobutyrate, which smells fruity, ethereal. The science ↓

Chicken Curry Salad

Ingredients

1 (12.5 ounces) can chunk chicken breasts
1/2 cup celery, diced
1 medium fuji apple, chopped
1 cup pineapple chunks, drained
2 tablespoons plump raisins
2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
5 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

Make the salad

Combine chicken, celery, apple, pineapple, raisins and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the sesame seeds in a large bowl.
Mix mayonnaise, curry powder and salt.
Pour mayonnaise over chicken mixture and toss to coat.

Finish and serve

Sprinkle with remaining sesame seeds.
Serve by itself or over a bed of greens.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

497Calories

40 gProtein

10 gFat

66 gCarbs

Counts 8 of 9 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 8 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Chicken	100g cooked	165
Apple	1 medium (182g)	95
Pineapple	1 cup chunks (165g)	82
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Grape	1/2 cup (76g)	62
Turmeric	1 tsp ground (3g)	9
Celery	1 stalk (40g)	6
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Toasted Sesame Seed	not in our table	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

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 their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Apple + pineappletop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together530 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl isobutyrate (fruity, ethereal).
Chicken + sesametop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together939 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-furfurylthiol (coffee, roasted).
Celery + appletop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,155 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol (clove, smoky).
Celery + sesametop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together144 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol (clove, smoky).
Apple + raisintop 13% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,920 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

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 and the bulk of the salad.
Mayonnaise: Binds the salad and adds richness and moisture.
Apple: Adds crisp texture and a mild sweetness that balances the curry.
Pineapple chunks: Adds juicy sweetness and a bright acidity to the salad.
Raisins: Add chewy texture and concentrated sweetness.
Sesame seeds: Add toasty aroma and a light crunch.

Swap the raisin

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (chicken, celery, apple, pineapple, sesame):

Coconutfits better
Mangofits better
Grapefits better
Raisinthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against chicken, celery, apple, pineapple, sesame. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“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.