Name: Hawaiian Stack-up
Ingredients: 2 10-3/4-ounce cans condensed cream of chicken soup; 1 cup chicken broth; 2 1/2 to 3 cups cooked chicken cubes; 2 small carrots, sliced and cooked until tender crisp; 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley; 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper; 6 cups hot cooked rice; 3 medium tomatoes, sliced; 1 15-1/2-ounce can pineapple chunks, drained; 3 ribs celery, sliced; 1 green pepper, chopped; 1 cup grated coconut, toasted; 1 cup slivered almonds; 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese; 1/2 cup sliced green onions; 1/2 cup chopped pimiento

Why it works: Carrot and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 8,053 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. 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.

Carrot + parsleytop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together8,053 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together34,122 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).
Carrot + peppertop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together14,555 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Carrot + tomatotop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,606 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

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

What each ingredient does

Condensed cream of chicken soup: Forms the creamy base of the sauce and holds the chicken and vegetables together.
Chicken broth: Thins the soup into a pourable sauce and adds savory moisture.
Cooked chicken: Provides the main protein and substance of the dish.
Cooked rice: Forms the starchy base that soaks up the sauce.
Cheddar cheese: Melts slightly into the warm components, adding richness and savory flavor.
Pineapple chunks: Adds sweetness and acidity that contrast with the savory sauce.

The step that matters

Simmer until thoroughly heated. Simmering the soup and broth gently heats the chicken through and keeps the sauce smooth. Boiling hard or stopping early can leave it scorched or cold in the center.

Swap the pineapple

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cream, chicken, carrot, parsley, pepper, rice, tomato):

Limefits better
Lemonfits better
Avocadofits better
Pineapplethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against cream, chicken, carrot, parsley, pepper, rice, tomato. 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
Coconut	1/2 cup shredded (40g)	283
Rice	1 cup cooked (158g) white	206
Chicken	100g cooked	165
Cheddar Cheese	1 oz (28g)	113
Pineapple	1 cup chunks (165g)	82
Cream	1 tbsp (15ml) heavy	51
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Bell Pepper	1 medium (119g)	31
Carrot	1 medium (61g)	25
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Almond	1 almond (1.2g)	7
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Celery	1 stalk (40g)	6
Parsley	1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)	1
Soup	not in our table	0

Hawaiian Stack-up