Name: Chicken Poms Pons
Ingredients: 1/4 cup finely chopped celery; 1/4 cup finely chopped onion; 1 1/2 tablespoons butter or margarine; 3 tablespoons flour; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning; 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper; 3/4 cup milk; 3 chicken bouillon cubes or 3 teaspoons granules; 1 1/2 cups cooked rice, cooled; 1 1/2 cups finely chopped cooked chicken; 3/4 cup grated Cheddar cheese; 1/2 cup fine dry breadcrumbs; 1/2 teaspoon paprika; 1 cup chicken gravy

Why it works: Celery and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 16,012 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓

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.

Celery + peppertop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together16,012 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Chicken + ricetop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,769 recipes

Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
Butter + milktop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together81,283 recipes

Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
Celery + oniontop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together18,518 recipes

Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Milk + ricetop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together7,374 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

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

What each ingredient does

Flour: Thickens the butter and vegetable base into a smooth, stable sauce that holds the balls together.
Butter: Fat that softens the celery and onion and carries their flavor into the sauce.
Cooked rice: Adds bulk and body to the mixture so the balls hold their shape with less chicken.
Cheddar cheese: Adds richness and savory flavor, and melts to bind the mixture.
Breadcrumbs: Form a crisp, browned outer coating during baking.
Milk: Liquid that, with flour, thickens into the creamy sauce base.

The step that matters

Cook the sauce until smooth and thickened. Flour needs to be cooked while stirring constantly so it swells and thickens evenly; undercooked flour leaves a pasty taste and a sauce too loose to bind the balls.

Swap the celery

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (onion, butter, flour, pepper, milk, chicken, rice):

Turmericfits better
Garlicfits about as well
Thymefits about as well
Celerythe original

Fit is the average pairing score against onion, butter, flour, pepper, milk, chicken, rice. 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.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Rice	1 cup cooked (158g) white	206
Chicken	100g cooked	165
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Cheddar Cheese	1 oz (28g)	113
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Celery	1 stalk (40g)	6
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

Chicken Poms Pons