Name: Dilled Chicken Rice Salad
Ingredients: 3 cups cooked rice; 1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, cut into strips; 2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped; 1/2 cup thinly sliced celery; 1/4 cup sliced green onions; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley; 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard; 2 tablespoons fresh dill or 1-1/2 teaspoons dried dill weed; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper; 2 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Why it works: Celery and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,810 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 + parsleytop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together6,810 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Tomato + celerytop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together3,377 recipes

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

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,769 recipes

Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
Rice + tomatotop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,065 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Celery + oniontop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together18,518 recipes

Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

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

What each ingredient does

Cooked rice: Forms the bulk of the salad and absorbs some of the dressing's flavour.
Cooked chicken: Provides protein and a firm, meaty texture among the soft vegetables.
Red wine vinegar: Adds acidity that brightens the dressing and balances the oil.
Olive oil: Carries fat-soluble flavours and gives the dressing a smooth, coating body.
Dijon mustard: Emulsifies the oil and vinegar so the dressing holds together and has a sharp tang.
Garlic: Contributes pungent aroma that mellows as the salad chills.

The step that matters

Shaking the dressing before adding it. Oil and vinegar separate on standing, and Dijon mustard helps them emulsify only when they are well mixed. Without a thorough shake, the dressing will be oily on one side and sharp on the other, so toss it through evenly.

Swap the parsley

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (rice, chicken, tomato, celery, onion, red wine, vinegar):

Garlicfits better
Thymefits better
Tarragonfits about as well
Parsleythe original

Fit is the average pairing score against rice, chicken, tomato, celery, onion, red wine, vinegar. 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
Rice	1 cup cooked (158g) white	206
Chicken	100g cooked	165
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Parmesan Cheese	1 oz (28g)	110
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Celery	1 stalk (40g)	6
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Dill	5 sprigs fresh (1g) / 1 tsp dried	4
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Vinegar	1 tbsp (15ml) distilled	3
Mustard	1 tsp (5g) yellow	3
Parsley	1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)	1
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

Dilled Chicken Rice Salad