Why it works: Chicken and rice wine work together. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and 187 recipes mention both. Both carry ethyl isobutyrate, which smells fruity, ethereal. The science ↓
The recipe
Ingredients
Contains: soy, sesame (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
Directions
Prepare the chicken
Wash the chicken breast and pat it dry.
Cut the chicken into thin strips approximately 2 inches long and 1/8-inch thick.
In a medium bowl, add the rice wine, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, and a few drops of sesame oil to the chicken pieces.
Marinate the chicken for 20 minutes.
Prepare the spinach
While the chicken is marinating, prepare the spinach leaves.
Wash the spinach leaves and cut off the stems.
Blanch the leaves in a large pot of boiling water for 1–2 minutes, or until the leaves turn bright green.
Plunge the blanched leaves briefly in cold water to stop the cooking process, then drain thoroughly.
Make the soup and serve
Bring the chicken stock or chicken broth and water to a boil.
Stir in the soy sauce and remaining 1/4 teaspoon sugar.
Add the chicken strips to the pot.
Bring back to a boil and cook until the chicken turns white and is cooked through.
Add the spinach leaves and bring back to a boil.
Taste and adjust the seasoning if desired.
Serve hot.
This recipe comes from the Recipes Wiki on Fandom and is licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Our formatting and summaries are shared under the same licence.
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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
-
Chicken + rice winetop 10% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together187 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl isobutyrate (fruity, ethereal).
-
Sesame + spinachtop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together203 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol (clove, smoky).
-
Chicken + sesametop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together939 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-furfurylthiol (coffee, roasted).
-
Rice wine + sesametop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together244 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl pentanoate (yeast, fruit).
-
Chicken + spinachtop 7% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together1,146 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-undecenal (sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Chicken breast
- Cooked through in the broth to become tender, white strips that make the soup substantial.
- Fresh spinach leaves
- Adds green color, a mild earthy flavor and leafy texture to the broth.
- Chicken stock
- Forms the savory liquid base that carries the flavor of the whole soup.
- Soy sauce
- Adds salty, savory depth to the broth.
The step that matters
Cooking the chicken strips in the boiling broth. Thin strips cook through quickly, and overcooking makes the protein tough and dry. Add them to a steady boil and stop once the meat is white throughout.
“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.
You might also like
Illustration
Illustration
Illustration
IllustrationThe Sunday pairing: one pairing, the chemistry behind it, and how to cook it. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account for sign-in; Pro adds the full results and chemistry.