Why it works: Ginger and water chestnut work together. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 98 recipes. Both carry coumarin, which smells sweet, hay. The science ↓
Grilled Chicken Livers with Bacon
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Combine the chicken livers, soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger and pepper in a small bowl and marinate refrigerated for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Assemble and grill
Place a piece of bacon on a wooden or metal skewer, followed by a piece of chicken liver and a slice of water chestnut.
Repeat until all the livers have been used.
Grill directly over hot coals for 8 to 12 minutes, turning once, until the edges of the bacon are crisp and the chicken livers are firm but slightly pink inside.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 6 of 8 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken Liver | 100g cooked | 165 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Bacon | 1 slice cooked (8g) | 43 |
| Soy Sauce | 1 tbsp (15ml) | 9 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Ginger | 1 tsp grated fresh (2g) | 2 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
| Chestnut | 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.
-
Ginger + water chestnuttop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
-
Ginger + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,800 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Chicken + gingertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,494 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
-
Pepper + water chestnuttop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together112 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
-
Sauce + sugartop 13% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,147 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Chicken livers
- Provide the rich, tender meat that is the centerpiece of the dish.
- Soy sauce
- Adds salty, savory depth and helps flavor the livers during marinating.
- Light brown sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the marinade caramelize and brown on the grill.
- Bacon
- Adds fat and smoky, salty flavor, and crisps over the heat.
- Water chestnuts
- Add a crunchy, juicy texture that contrasts with the soft livers.
The step that matters
Grilling the chicken livers. Livers cook quickly and turn dry and grainy when overcooked. Pulling them while still slightly pink inside keeps them tender, and the sugar in the marinade can burn if the heat is too intense.
Swap the water chestnut
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (chicken, liver, sauce, sugar, ginger, pepper):
- Lemonfits better
- Limefits better
- Coconutfits about as well
- Water chestnutthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against chicken, liver, sauce, sugar, 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.
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