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Chicken and Beef Benachin

A Gambian dish of chicken, beef, rice, and vegetables simmered in tomato sauce.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 19 ingredients
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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 ↓

Chicken and Beef Benachin

Time15 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the meat

  1. Wash and cut the chicken into portions.

  2. Remove gristle from the beef, wash and cut into equal portions.

  3. Mix the chicken and beef together.

  4. Season the mixture with salt, black pepper, pounded garlic, and vinegar.

  5. Allow the seasoned mixture to stand for half an hour before cooking.

Make the stew

  1. Prepare the vegetables.

  2. Peel, wash, and slice the onions thinly.

  3. Fry the chicken in hot oil until browned, turn over and fry the other side, then remove from the pan and set aside.

  4. Add the beef to the pan and fry until it is quite brown.

  5. Add the sliced onions and fry until golden brown.

  6. Place the washed, scalded, skinned, and sliced tomatoes into the pan with the rest of the ingredients.

  7. Add the tomato puree and pounded fresh peppers to the saucepan and cook gently for 15 minutes.

  8. Pour in the measured water.

  9. Bring the mixture to a boil, then add all the prepared vegetables, fried chicken, bay leaves, and salt.

  10. Remove the chicken and vegetables when cooked and keep them in a warm place; taste the seasoning.

Cook the rice and serve

  1. Add the washed rice to the cooking pot.

  2. Add the big sliced peppers and bring the mixture to a boil.

  3. Reduce the heat and cook over low heat until most of the liquid is absorbed.

  4. Serve by piling the rice on an oval dish and placing the vegetables and chicken on top.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

879Calories
68 gProtein
34 gFat
75 gCarbs

Counts 12 of 14 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 12 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Beef100g cooked250
Rice1 cup cooked (158g) white206
Chicken100g cooked165
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Broccoli1 cup chopped (156g)55
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Bay Leaf1 leaf (0.6g)2
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Pumpkinnot in our table0
Waternot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

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.

  1. Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together29,058 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  2. Tomato + garlictop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together14,076 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  3. Chicken + beeftop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,148 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-furfurylthiol (coffee, roasted).

  4. Pepper + clovetop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together17,451 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).

  5. Pepper + cabbagetop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,081 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

Chicken
Provides the main meat flavour and, once browned, a savoury base for the stew.
Beef
Adds rich meaty flavour and chewy texture to the stew.
Onions
Browning them builds sweetness and savoury depth in the base.
Fresh tomatoes
Break down into the stew, adding moisture, acidity and body to the sauce.
Tomato puree
Concentrates tomato flavour and colour and thickens the sauce.
Rice
Absorbs the cooking liquid and becomes the starchy base of the dish.

The step that matters

Cooking the rice until most of the liquid is absorbed. Rice must absorb the stock as it cooks. Too much heat can scorch the bottom before the grains are tender, while too little liquid leaves them hard, so low heat and a covered pot give even results.

Swap the clove

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

  1. Cuminfits better
  2. Thymefits better
  3. Celeryfits better
  4. Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against chicken, beef, onion, pepper, tomato, garlic, cabbage. 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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