Why it works: Celery and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 16,012 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Passover Glazed Chicken with Matzo-Nut Stuffing
Ingredients
Directions
Make the stuffing
Saute onion, celery and nuts in shortening until vegetables are tender.
Add broken matzos and toast lightly.
Combine salt, pepper, egg, soup and rind in a large bowl. Add matzo mixture and mix well.
Stuff and bake
Stuff a 4 lb. chicken and place the bird on a rack in an open roasting pan with the breast side down for the first half of the roasting time.
Pour glaze over the chicken.
Bake in a slow oven at 325°F for about 2 to 2 ½ hours, or until browned and tender.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 9 of 10 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 9 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 100g cooked | 165 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Orange | 1 medium (131g) | 62 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Almond | 1 almond (1.2g) | 7 |
| Celery | 1 stalk (40g) | 6 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Soup | 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.
-
Celery + peppertop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together16,012 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Almond + orangetop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,125 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
-
Onion + celerytop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,518 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Onion + chickentop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,814 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
-
Pepper + orangetop 10% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,402 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Binds the stuffing so it holds together when moistened and baked.
- Matzos
- Provide the bulk and structure of the stuffing, absorbing the soup and fats.
- Almonds
- Add crunch and a toasted, nutty flavor to the stuffing.
- Shortening
- Carries fat through the vegetables and matzos, adding richness and tenderness.
- Condensed chicken soup
- Supplies moisture and savory flavor that soften the matzos as the stuffing bakes.
The step that matters
Toasting the matzos lightly. Toasting browns the matzo pieces and deepens their flavor, while overtoasting makes them bitter and dry. Lightly toasted pieces also absorb the soup mixture better without turning mushy.
Swap the orange
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (onion, celery, chicken, almond, egg, pepper):
- Avocadofits better
- Lemonfits better
- Limefits better
- Orangethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against onion, celery, chicken, almond, egg, 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.
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