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Southwestern Chicken

A quick stir‑fry of boneless chicken strips with green pepper, onion, corn, and salsa.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 9 ingredients
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Why it works: Cumin and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,498 recipes. Both carry coumarin, which smells sweet, hay. The science ↓

Southwestern Chicken

Time3 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Coat a large nonstick frypan with cooking spray, and place over high heat until hot.

  2. Add chicken, stir-fry 3 minutes, then stir in chili powder and cumin.

  3. Remove chicken from frypan and set aside.

  4. Add oil to frypan, and heat over medium-high heat.

  5. Add green pepper strips and onion, stir-fry 3 minutes.

  6. Return chicken to frypan and stir in corn and salsa.

  7. Stir-fry 2 minutes more or until thoroughly heated (alternatively, thinly sliced turkey, beef or pork may be used).

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

594Calories
38 gProtein
33 gFat
40 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 9 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Chicken100g cooked165
Vegetable1 tbsp (14g)120
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Corn1/2 cup kernels (82g)77
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Bell Pepper1 medium (119g)31
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Cumin1 tsp ground (2.1g)8

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. Cumin + oniontop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,498 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

  2. Cumin + corntop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together798 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  3. Cumin + peppertop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together4,382 recipes

    Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).

  4. Chicken + oniontop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,814 recipes

    Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).

  5. Pepper + corntop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,324 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

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

What each ingredient does

Boneless skinless chicken breast
Provides the lean protein that forms the body of the dish and cooks quickly in a hot pan.
Salsa
Supplies moisture and acidity that flavour the stir fry and keep the ingredients saucy.
Onions
Soften and turn sweet in the hot pan, adding aroma and savoury depth.
Green pepper
Stays crisp-tender during brief stir frying, adding fresh flavour and texture.
Frozen corn
Adds sweetness and a tender bite that holds its shape in the stir fry.

The step that matters

Cooking the chicken in a very hot pan. Chicken cooked over high heat browns and cooks through quickly. If the pan is crowded or not hot enough, the meat steams and turns pale and tough.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (chicken, cumin, pepper, corn):

  1. Capsicumfits better
  2. Tomatofits better
  3. Carrotfits better
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against chicken, cumin, pepper, corn. 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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