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Chicken with Olives

Chicken breasts are simmered with olives, onions, spices, and lemon juice.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 10 ingredients
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Why it works: Lemon and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 27,047 recipes. Both carry trans-2-nonenal, which smells cardboard, fatty. The science ↓

Chicken with Olives

Time20 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Heat oil in a large saucepan.

  2. Add 3/4 cup water gradually.

  3. Chop finely one onion and slice the other two.

  4. Grate the ginger.

Steam

  1. Add the onion slices and sprinkle with spices.

  2. Lay the chicken on top.

  3. Steam over low heat for 20 minutes.

  4. Add the finely chopped onion and olives, and steam for another 5 minutes.

Finish

  1. Just before serving, squeeze lemon juice over the dish.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

352Calories
33 gProtein
18 gFat
16 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 8 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Chicken100g cooked165
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Lemonjuice of 1 lemon (48ml)12
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Olive1 large (4g)4
Ginger1 tsp grated fresh (2g)2
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. Lemon + peppertop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together27,047 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).

  2. Lemon + gingertop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5,154 recipes

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

  3. Olive + lemontop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together11,922 recipes

    Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).

  4. Olive + oniontop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together29,779 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

  5. Onion + chickentop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,814 recipes

    Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).

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

What each ingredient does

Chicken breasts
Forms the main body of the dish and becomes tender as it steams.
Olive oil
Carries flavour and helps the onions soften in the pan.
Onions
Add sweetness and body as they soften and release their juices.
Green olives
Add a briny, salty bite that contrasts with the mild chicken.
Lemon juice
Adds acidity that brightens the flavour just before serving.
Paprika
Adds colour and a mild, warm flavour to the sauce.

The step that matters

Steam over low heat for 20 minutes. Gentle, low heat lets the chicken cook through while staying moist. Higher heat can dry out the meat and scorch the onions in the liquid at the bottom of the pan.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (olive, lemon, pepper, ginger, chicken):

  1. Capsicumfits better
  2. Tomatofits better
  3. Spinachfits better
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against olive, lemon, pepper, ginger, 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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