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 ↓
Pepian En Pollo
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the broth
Place uncut cilantro, potatoes, chicken, and 4 cups water in a large pan.
In a separate uncovered dry skillet, brown chiles and chopped cilantro for about 15 minutes.
Make the chile sauce
Transfer this to a small pot and cover with water, add tomatoes, garlic, and white onion.
Soak this mixture for 15 minutes, then liquefy with a blender.
Cook and thicken
Cook chicken, potatoes, and cilantro for 30 minutes, or until chicken is nearly done, then add the chile mixture.
Cook for 10 minutes, then add 2 tablespoons of flour to thicken.
Cook for an additional 5-10 minutes.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 7 of 8 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Potato | 1 medium (173g) baked | 161 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Plum | 1 medium (66g) | 30 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Garlic | 1 clove (3g) | 4 |
| Cilantro | 1 tbsp chopped fresh (1g) | 1 |
| Water | 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.
-
Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together29,058 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
-
Lemon + limetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,289 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Tomato + garlictop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,076 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
-
Potato + oniontop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,023 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Potato + garlictop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,517 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Chicken (in the method)
- Provides the main protein and savory flavor that the broth is built around.
- Chiles
- Provide the dish's color, smoky depth and heat once toasted and blended into the sauce.
- Flour
- Thickens the sauce so it clings to the chicken and potatoes.
- Tomatoes
- Add acidity and body to the blended chile sauce.
- Potatoes
- Add starch that soaks up broth and gives a soft, filling texture.
The step that matters
Thickening with flour. Flour added to hot liquid clumps unless it is first whisked into a smooth paste or stirred in gradually, and it needs a few minutes of simmering to lose its raw taste and reach full thickness.
Swap the plum
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (potato, lemon, lime, tomato, onion, garlic, clove):
- Avocadofits better
- Mangofits better
- Orangefits better
- Plumthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against potato, lemon, lime, tomato, onion, garlic, clove. 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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