Name: Chicken Yassa to Die for
Ingredients: 8-10 skinless chicken breasts (or their equivalent); For the marinade; 2/3 c. oil; 1 c. red wine vinegar; 1 c. freshly-squeezed lime juice; 6 chicken-bouillon cubes, crushed; 24 small garlic cloves, mashed; 6 tsp. fresh ginger, grated; 2 tsp. salt (or to taste); 12 tsp. coarse black pepper; 3-4 tsp. red pepper (ground or flakes)

Why it works: Clove and ginger match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,038 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. 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.

Clove + gingertop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together6,038 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Lime + gingertop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,621 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Lime + peppertop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,491 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Clove + peppertop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together17,451 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
Garlic + gingertop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together6,402 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

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

What each ingredient does

Chicken breasts: Provide the main protein that the marinade flavours and the broiler cooks through.
Oil: Carries the fat-soluble flavours of the marinade and helps keep the chicken moist.
Red wine vinegar: Adds acidity that brightens the marinade and tenderises the surface of the chicken.
Lime juice: Adds sharp acidity that complements the garlic and ginger and tenderises the meat.
Garlic: Contributes pungent aroma and savoury depth to the marinade.
Onions (in the method): Sautéed until golden, they add sweetness and browning to the finished dish.

The step that matters

Broiling the marinated chicken. Broiling at high direct heat browns the surface quickly while the inside cooks. Basting partway through helps keep the surface from drying out before the centre is cooked through.

Swap the lime

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (chicken, red wine, vinegar, garlic, clove, ginger, pepper):

Limethe original
Plumfits about as well
Lemonfits about as well
Mangofits less well

Fit is the average pairing score against chicken, red wine, vinegar, garlic, clove, ginger, 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
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Lime	juice of 1 lime (44ml)	11
Chili	1 tsp (2.7g)	8
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Vinegar	1 tbsp (15ml) distilled	3
Ginger	1 tsp grated fresh (2g)	2
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

Chicken Yassa to Die for