Why it works: Avocado and lime match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,117 recipes. Both carry decanal, which smells soap, orange peel. The science ↓
Crispy Chicken Havana with Sautéed California Avocado
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the chicken
Remove the back bone and all other bones from each chicken except the wing bones; flatten. Or flatten boneless chicken breast.
Generously rub each chicken with Spice Rub; reserve.
Mix all Spice Rub ingredients except the oil, then stir in oil as needed to make a fluid paste.
Season 1 chicken with salt; grill, turning occasionally, until the skin is crisp and the flesh is just firm to the touch, about 5 minutes.
Make the sauces and beans
Simmer tomatillos, onion, and water for 20 minutes. Strain off half of the liquid and discard it.
In a blender, puree the remaining tomatillo mixture; cool.
In a blender, puree half of the cooled tomatillo mixture with cilantro, lime juice, and salt and pepper.
Combine both mixtures; serve at room temperature.
Sauté bell pepper, onion, and jalapeno in oil until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients; heat through.
Brown the meat in oil; reserve. In the same pan, brown the vegetables. Return the meat to the pan and add seasonings.
Add red wine and reduce its volume by one third. Add veal stock and bring to a boil; skim. Reduce heat to a simmer and reduce volume by half, or until desired consistency and flavor is achieved, skimming often.
Assemble and serve
Cut 1 avocado into wedges and sauté the wedges in a little oil; keep warm.
Sauté foie gras in a little oil; keep warm.
Pour 1/4 cup heated Tomatillo Sauce in the center of a large dinner plate.
Layer with 1/3 cup heated grilled vegetables.
Layer with sautéed avocado.
Layer with 1/4 cup heated Cumin-Scented Black Beans.
Top with grilled chicken.
Garnish with foie gras, 1/4 cup heated Red Wine Sauce, Plantain Ring, sprigs of cilantro, and lime.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 19 of 24 ingredients. The other 5 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 19 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Beef | 100g cooked | 250 |
| Avocado | 1 medium (150g) | 240 |
| Chicken | 100g cooked | 165 |
| Vegetable | 1 tbsp (14g) | 120 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Black Bean | 1/2 cup canned (120g) drained | 114 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Bell Pepper | 1 medium (119g) | 31 |
| Wine | 2 tbsp cooking wine (30ml) | 25 |
| Carrot | 1 medium (61g) | 25 |
| Lime | juice of 1 lime (44ml) | 11 |
| Chili | 1 tsp (2.7g) | 8 |
| Cumin | 1 tsp ground (2.1g) | 8 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Celery Stalks | 1 stalk (40g) | 6 |
| Garlic | 1 clove (3g) | 4 |
| Bay Leaf | 1 leaf (0.6g) | 2 |
| Cilantro | 1 tbsp chopped fresh (1g) | 1 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Sauce | not in our table | 0 |
| Plantain | not in our table | 0 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
| Seed | not in our table | 0 |
| Veal | 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.
-
Avocado + limetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,117 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Cumin + limetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,216 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Cumin + beanstop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,188 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
-
Avocado + beanstop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together375 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Pepper + limetop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,491 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
- Forms the main protein; grilling crisps the skin while the meat stays juicy.
- Avocado
- Adds creamy fat that contrasts with the crisp chicken and grilled vegetables.
- Foie gras
- Melts when warmed, adding rich, silky fat and deep savoury flavour.
- Tomatillos
- Give the sauce its tart, bright acidity.
- Black beans
- Provide body and a soft, earthy texture.
- Veal or beef scraps
- Build the deep, meaty flavour and body of the red wine sauce.
The step that matters
Grill the chicken until the skin is crisp and the flesh is just firm. Skin crisps only when its surface is dry and the heat is steady. Poultry flesh becomes dry and tough quickly once past firm, so timing matters.
“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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