Name: Ya Gotta Empanada
Ingredients: 1 4- to 6-ounce package Spanish rice mix, prepared according to package directions; 1 cup shredded cooked chicken; 1 cup 4 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese; 1/2 cup sliced green onions; 1/4 cup chopped black olives; 1 15-ounce package refrigerated pie crusts; 1 teaspoon oregano; 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish; 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper; 1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp; 3 cups hot cooked rice; grated Parmesan cheese (optional); 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper; 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg; 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese, divided; 1/4 cup dry white wine; 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

Why it works: Rice and chicken are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,769 recipes. Both carry (e,e)-2,4-decadienal, which smells fatty, deep fried. 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.

Rice + chickentop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,769 recipes

Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
Olive + oreganotop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,443 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-hexenal (green, leafy).
Oregano + peppertop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,449 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Rice + olivetop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together4,994 recipes

Shared aroma: trans,trans-2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).
Onion + horseradishtop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,784 recipes

Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

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

What each ingredient does

Pie crusts: Form the pastry shell that encloses the filling and browns in the oven.
Cheddar cheese: Melts into the filling, binding it together and adding richness.
Spanish rice mix: Provides the seasoned, starchy base that gives the filling its body.
Chicken: Supplies the main protein and savory flavour in the filling.
Black olives: Add salty, briny flavour that contrasts with the rich cheese.

The step that matters

Seal and crimp the edges. If the edges are not sealed tightly, the filling can leak out and steam can escape during baking, leaving the empanadas dry and the filling burnt on the sheet.

Swap the horseradish

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (rice, chicken, cheddar cheese, onion, olive, oregano, pepper):

Tomatofits better
Capsicumfits better
Potatofits better
Horseradishthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against rice, chicken, cheddar cheese, onion, olive, oregano, pepper. 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
Cheddar Cheese	1 oz (28g)	113
Parmesan Cheese	1 oz (28g)	110
Swiss Cheese	1 oz (28g)	108
Shrimp	100g cooked	99
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Wine	2 tbsp cooking wine (30ml)	25
Nutmeg	1 tsp ground (2.2g)	12
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
White Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Oregano	1 tsp dried (1.8g)	5
Olive	1 large (4g)	4
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Pie Crust	not in our table	0
Horseradish	not in our table	0

Ya Gotta Empanada