Name: Chicken Tandoori I
Ingredients: 1 whole chicken; 1/2 cup of plain yogurt; 4 large cloves of garlic, crushed; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon ground turmeric; 1 teaspoon Omani mixed spice; 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger; 1/2 teaspoon cardamom; 1 finely chopped (small) hot pepper (or 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper); 4 Tablespoons chopped fresh coriander or cilantro (or some oregano flakes)

Why it works: Turmeric and cardamom match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 667 recipes. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. 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.

Turmeric + cardamomtop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together667 recipes

Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Turmeric + gingertop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together2,776 recipes

Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Clove + cardamomtop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,114 recipes

Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Ginger + cardamomtop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,114 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Clove + gingertop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together6,038 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

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

What each ingredient does

Whole chicken: Provides the meat that becomes tender during slow covered cooking.
Plain yogurt: Adds moisture and mild acidity that help tenderise the chicken during marinating.
Garlic: Contributes pungent aroma and savoury flavour to the marinade.
Ground turmeric: Gives the chicken its characteristic yellow colour and earthy flavour.
Hot pepper: Adds heat and sharpness to the marinade.

The step that matters

Keep the lid on and the heat low while the chicken cooks. Low, covered heat cooks the chicken gently with its own moisture, keeping it tender. Lifting the lid or raising the heat can dry the meat and scorch the marinade before the chicken is cooked through.

Swap the garlic

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (chicken, yogurt, clove, turmeric, ginger, cardamom, pepper):

Cuminfits better
Cinnamonfits better
Corianderfits better
Garlicthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against chicken, yogurt, clove, turmeric, ginger, cardamom, 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.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Chicken	100g cooked	165
Yogurt	170g plain Greek	100
Turmeric	1 tsp ground (3g)	9
Chili	1 tsp (2.7g)	8
Clove	1 tsp ground (2g)	7
Cardamom	1 tsp ground (2g)	6
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Oregano	1 tsp dried (1.8g)	5
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Ginger	1 tsp grated fresh (2g)	2
Cilantro	1 tbsp chopped fresh (1g)	1
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Coriander	not in our table	0

Chicken Tandoori I