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Salad

Spicy Chicken Salad

A salad of shredded chicken, jalapeño, red onion, red pepper, scallions, avocado, cilantro, and a lime‑mustard‑mayonnaise dressing.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 15 ingredients
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Why it works: Jalapeno and lime are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,035 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓

Spicy Chicken Salad

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the salad

  1. Combine all ingredients in large bowl.

Make the dressing

  1. In a small bowl, stir together lime juice, mustard, mayonnaise, tabasco, salt and pepper. Slowly drizzle in olive oil while constantly stirring with fork.

Combine and serve

  1. Pour dressing over chicken mixture in large bowl and toss and combine.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

434Calories
40 gProtein
23 gFat
17 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 9 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Chicken100g cooked165
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Limejuice of 1 lime (44ml)11
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Mustard1 tsp (5g) yellow3
Salt1 tsp (6g)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.

  1. Jalapeno + limetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,035 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  2. Pepper + limetop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together3,491 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  3. Onion + mustardtop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together9,259 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  4. Lime + mustardtop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together392 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

  5. Mustard + olivetop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5,950 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

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

What each ingredient does

Shredded chicken
Forms the bulk of the salad and provides its protein base.
Avocado (in the method)
Adds creamy richness and moisture to the salad.
Olive oil
Emulsifies into the dressing, giving it a smooth, rich body.
Mayonnaise
Adds fat and creaminess, helping the dressing cling to the other ingredients.
Lime juice
Brings acidity that brightens the dressing and balances the fat.
Dijon mustard
Helps emulsify the oil into the dressing and adds sharp flavor.

The step that matters

Slowly drizzle in olive oil while constantly stirring. Adding oil slowly while whisking breaks it into tiny droplets held in the acidic liquid, creating a stable emulsion. Pouring it in quickly can make the dressing separate and look greasy.

Swap the jalapeno

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (chicken, onion, pepper, lime, mustard, olive):

  1. Garlicfits better
  2. Thymefits better
  3. Cuminfits better
  4. Jalapenothe original

Fit is the average pairing score against chicken, onion, pepper, lime, mustard, olive. 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.

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