Name: Chicken with Basil Tomatoes\
Ingredients: 4 tbsp olive oil; 1 each medium onion; 1 tbsp dried basil; 1 1/2 cup canned crushed tomatoes; 1 tbsp red-wine vinegar; 2 cup hot cooked noodles; 4 each chicken breast halves (3 oz); 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or; 2 each garlic cloves, minced; 3 tbsp plain nonfat yogurt; 1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Why it works: Onion and garlic match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 29,058 recipes. Both carry furaneol, which smells caramel, strawberry. 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.

Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together29,058 recipes

Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Olive + tomatotop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together15,539 recipes

Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
Basil + tomatotop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together3,979 recipes

Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
Olive + garlictop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together25,665 recipes

Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Tomato + garlictop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together14,076 recipes

Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

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

What each ingredient does

Chicken breast halves: Provides the main protein, which sets firm as it cooks through in the microwave.
Canned crushed tomatoes: Form the base of the sauce, adding moisture and a bright, acidic tomato flavor.
Plain nonfat yogurt: Adds creaminess and tang to the sauce, mellowing its acidity.
Onion: Softens while steaming in the dish, adding sweetness and savory depth to the sauce.
Garlic cloves: Adds aromatic pungency that mellows and sweetens as it cooks.
Olive oil: Coats the chicken, adding fat that helps keep the meat moist and carries flavor.

The step that matters

Checking the chicken is cooked through before resting. Microwaves heat unevenly, so the chicken can be cold in the center or dry at the edges. Rotating and stirring, then a covered rest, helps the heat even out and finish cooking safely.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (olive, basil, tomato, wine, vinegar, chicken, garlic):

Capsicumfits better
Eggplantfits better
Cucumberfits about as well
Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against olive, basil, tomato, wine, vinegar, chicken, garlic. 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
Chicken	100g cooked	165
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Parmesan Cheese	1 oz (28g)	110
Yogurt	170g plain Greek	100
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Vinegar	1 tbsp (15ml) distilled	3
Basil	5 leaves fresh (2.5g)	1

Chicken with Basil Tomatoes\