Why it works: Pork and chicken match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,417 recipes. Both carry 2-furfurylthiol, which smells coffee, roasted. The science ↓
Pork Chops and Fruited Pilaf
Ingredients
Directions
Brown the pork
Sprinkle pork chops with seasoned salt.
Brown chops on each side in a lightly greased skillet.
Remove chops from skillet.
Make the pilaf
Add rice and the white part of the onions to the skillet.
Cook until the rice is golden brown.
Stir in chicken broth, 3/4 cup reserved syrup, lemon juice, and grated lemon peel.
Place the pork chops over the rice mixture.
Cover and bake at 350°F for 20 minutes.
Stir in the fruit and the green onion tops.
Adjust seasonings if necessary.
Replace the cover and continue baking for 15 minutes longer.
Fluff the pilaf lightly with a fork.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 6 of 8 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Pork | 100g cooked | 242 |
| Rice | 1 cup cooked (158g) white | 206 |
| Chicken | 100g cooked | 165 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Fruit | not in our table | 0 |
| Syrup | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
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.
-
Pork + chickentop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,417 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-furfurylthiol (coffee, roasted).
-
Rice + chickentop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,769 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
-
Onion + chickentop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,814 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
-
Rice + oniontop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,433 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
-
Pork + oniontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,214 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
- Pork chops
- Browning in the skillet builds flavour on the surface, while baking cooks the meat through.
- Rice
- Absorbs the broth and syrup as it bakes, forming the body of the pilaf.
- Chicken broth
- Provides the liquid that the rice absorbs as it cooks in the covered pan.
- Mixed fruit
- Adds sweetness and moisture, with its reserved syrup flavouring the rice.
- Lemon juice
- Adds acidity that brightens the sweetness of the fruit and syrup.
The step that matters
Cook the rice until golden brown. Toasting the dry rice in the pan before adding liquid gives a nutty, browned flavour. Stopping early leaves it tasting flat, and the grains may stay chalky.
Swap the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pork, rice, onion, chicken, syrup):
- Coconutfits better
- Avocadofits better
- Mangofits better
- Lemonthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against pork, rice, onion, chicken, syrup. 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.
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