Name: Superbowl M.v.p.
Ingredients: 1 pound smoked sausage, cut into 1/2-thick slices*; 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces; 1 medium onion, chopped; 1 medium red bell pepper, julienned; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves; 2 cups uncooked rice; 1 14-1/2-ounce can chicken broth; 1 14-1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained; 1 8-ounce bottle clam juice; 1/8 teaspoon ground saffron**; 3/4 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined; 1 10-ounce package frozen green peas; 2 eggs, beaten; 1 1/2 cups cottage cheese; 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese; 2 cups grated Cheddar cheese, divided

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).
Clove + thymetop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together4,108 recipes

Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
Garlic + tomatotop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together14,076 recipes

Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Pepper + thymetop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together11,585 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Garlic + thymetop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together5,608 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

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

What each ingredient does

Chicken breasts: Provides the main protein, browned first to add savory flavor to the pan.
Smoked sausage: Adds smoky, savory flavor and fat that seasons the rice as it cooks.
Rice: Absorbs the broth and seasoned liquid to form the body of the dish.
Chicken broth: Supplies the cooking liquid that the rice absorbs as it becomes tender.
Diced tomatoes: Add acidity and moisture that blend into the rice liquid for flavor.
Saffron: Contributes distinctive aroma and golden color to the rice.

The step that matters

Cover and simmer until no liquid remains. Rice must have enough liquid and gentle heat to cook through. Lifting the lid lets steam escape and can leave grains undercooked, while stirring releases starch and makes the rice gummy.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (chicken, onion, pepper, garlic, thyme, rice, tomato):

Cuminfits better
Basilfits better
Oreganofits better
Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against chicken, onion, pepper, garlic, thyme, 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
Smoked Sausage	100g cooked	301
Rice	1 cup cooked (158g) white	206
Chicken	100g cooked	165
Clam	100g cooked	148
Cheddar Cheese	1 oz (28g)	113
Parmesan Cheese	1 oz (28g)	110
Shrimp	100g cooked	99
Cottage Cheese	1/2 cup (113g) 2%	98
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Pea	1/2 cup (72g)	62
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Bell Pepper	1 medium (119g)	31
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Thyme	1 tsp dried (1.4g)	4
Saffron	not in our table	0

Superbowl M.v.p.

Superbowl M.v.p.

Ingredients

Directions

Brown the meats and vegetables

Simmer with the rice

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)