Why it works: Mushroom and chicken are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,172 recipes. Both carry 1-butyl acetate, which smells fruity, banana. The science ↓
Orange Chicken Supreme
Ingredients
Directions
Assemble
Combine first four ingredients and pour into greased 2‑quart casserole.
Lay chicken on top.
Sprinkle with dry onion soup mix.
Bake
Cover casserole airtight with heavy aluminum foil.
Bake 2 hours without opening the foil at 350°F.
Can be frozen after baking.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Rice | 1 cup cooked (158g) white | 206 |
| Chicken | 100g cooked | 165 |
| Orange | 1 medium (131g) | 62 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Mushroom | 1/2 cup sliced (35g) | 15 |
| Soup | not in our table | 0 |
| Water | 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.
-
Mushroom + chickentop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,172 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-butyl acetate (fruity, banana).
-
Rice + chickentop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,769 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
-
Chicken + oniontop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,814 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
-
Mushroom + ricetop 9% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,515 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).
-
Rice + oniontop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,433 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Cream of mushroom soup
- Provides moisture and a creamy sauce that surrounds the chicken and rice.
- Orange juice
- Adds acidity and sweetness that flavour the sauce.
- Rice, uncooked
- Absorbs liquid as it cooks, softening and thickening the dish.
- Chicken
- Forms the main protein, releasing juices into the sauce as it cooks.
- Onion soup mix
- Adds savoury, salty flavour to the sauce and chicken.
The step that matters
Keep the foil sealed for the full bake. The airtight cover traps steam so the rice cooks in the liquid and the chicken stays moist. Opening the foil releases steam, lowers the temperature, and can leave the rice unevenly cooked.
Swap the orange
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cream, mushroom, rice, chicken, onion):
- Coconutfits better
- Avocadofits better
- Grapefits better
- Orangethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against cream, mushroom, rice, chicken, onion. 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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