Name: Golden Gate Chicken on Rice
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon butter or margarine; 2 tablespoon flour; 1 cup chicken broth; 3 cups cooked chicken cubes; 1/4 cup diced cooked ham; 2 tablespoons chopped pimiento; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper; 1 cup sour cream; 1 egg, beaten; 1/4 cup dry white wine; 1/2 cup (2 ounces) diced Swiss cheese; 3 cups hot cooked rice; Fresh dill sprigs for garnish (optional)

Why it works: Butter and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 41,516 recipes. Both carry delta-dodecalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. 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.

Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together41,516 recipes

Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Butter + white winetop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together5,083 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together124,287 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Chicken + white winetop 13% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,904 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl isobutyrate (fruity, ethereal).
Chicken + hamtop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,497 recipes

Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).

Butter and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

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

What each ingredient does

Sour cream: Adds richness and a tangy flavor while keeping the sauce creamy.
Egg: Helps thicken and bind the creamy sauce when gently heated.
Flour: Thickens the butter and broth into a smooth base for the sauce.
Swiss cheese: Melts into the sauce, adding savory flavor and a stretchy, creamy texture.
Chicken broth: Provides the liquid base and savory flavor for the sauce.

The step that matters

Add cheese and cook only until cheese melts. Cheese turns stringy and grainy when overheated, and the egg in the sauce can curdle if boiled, so heat gently and stop once the cheese has melted.

“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
Pork	100g cooked	242
Rice	1 cup cooked (158g) white	206
Chicken	100g cooked	165
Swiss Cheese	1 oz (28g)	108
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Yogurt	170g plain Greek	100
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Wine	2 tbsp cooking wine (30ml)	25
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Dill	5 sprigs fresh (1g) / 1 tsp dried	4
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

Golden Gate Chicken on Rice