Why it works: Tomato and chicken are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,031 recipes. Both carry 3-hexenal, which smells apple, fruity. The science ↓
Dread Mon's Island Hot Wings
Ingredients
Directions
Make the sauce
Melt the butter in a 2-quart sauce pot over low heat.
Add the jerk spice, Tabasco sauce, and tomato juice, then blend well and set aside.
Prepare and fry the wings
Rinse the wings under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.
Dust the wings with the flour and deep fry in a heavy pot or skillet in about 2 inches of hot oil until done.
Sauce and serve
Place the cooked wings in the sauce mixture and allow to marinate just a few minutes.
Drain off any excess liquid.
Serve immediately.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 5 of 6 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Chicken | 100g cooked | 165 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Sauce | 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.
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.
-
Tomato + chickentop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,031 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
-
Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Butter + saucetop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together15,338 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Sauce + tomatotop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together5,469 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Butter + chickentop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together13,902 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-furfurylthiol (coffee, roasted).
Butter and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Butter
- Adds richness and carries the spices, giving the sauce a smooth, rounded body.
- Unbleached flour
- Forms a thin coating on the wings that crisps during frying and helps the sauce cling.
- Chicken wings
- Main protein; their skin crisps in hot oil and holds the sauce.
- Tomato juice
- Adds moisture and acidity that thins and balances the spiced butter sauce.
- Jamaican jerk spice
- Provides the aromatic, pungent heat and flavor that defines the sauce.
The step that matters
Frying the flour-dusted wings until done. Flour coating must be dry and the oil hot, or the coating absorbs oil and turns greasy instead of crisp. Wings must cook fully through, since the sauce is applied after frying and will not cook them further.
Swap the tomato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, sauce, flour, chicken):
- Shallotfits better
- Leekfits better
- Potatofits better
- Tomatothe original
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, sauce, flour, chicken. 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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