Why it works: Ginger and cinnamon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,380 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Baked Chicken and Apples
Ingredients
Directions
Season the chicken
In a small bowl, mix together salt, pepper, ginger, curry, and cinnamon; set aside one-fourth of the mixture (1/2 teaspoon).
Sprinkle chicken with the remaining spice mixture.
Brown the chicken
Spray a nonstick frypan with vegetable cooking spray.
Heat the frypan over medium-high temperature.
Add the chicken and cook, turning about 15 minutes or until brown on all sides.
Pour off all accumulated oil from the pan; set aside.
Bake with apples
Add water and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of spice mixture to the frypan. Stir in the reserved drippings.
Arrange slices of two apples in a 2-quart baking dish.
Top the apples with the browned chicken.
Place the remaining apple slices on top.
Pour the liquid from the frypan over all.
Cover and bake at 350°F for about 45 minutes or until a fork can be inserted in the chicken with ease.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 100g cooked | 165 |
| Vegetable | 1 tbsp (14g) | 120 |
| Apple | 1 medium (182g) | 95 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Cinnamon | 1 tsp ground (2.6g) | 6 |
| Ginger | 1 tsp grated fresh (2g) | 2 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 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 + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,380 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
-
Cinnamon + appletop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,598 recipes
Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).
-
Pepper + gingertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,800 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Pepper + cinnamontop 9% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together4,890 recipes
Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).
-
Ginger + appletop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,424 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Chicken
- Main protein; browning the outside adds savory flavor and color.
- Apples
- Soften during baking, releasing moisture and adding mild sweetness to the pan juices.
- Cinnamon
- Adds a warm aroma that complements the apples.
The step that matters
Brown the chicken on all sides. Cooking over medium-high heat and turning until evenly brown builds flavor and color through browning reactions. Pale chicken will taste flat, and the browned drippings are used in the sauce.
Swap the apple
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (chicken, pepper, ginger, cinnamon):
- Limefits better
- Lemonfits better
- Orangefits better
- Applethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against chicken, pepper, ginger, cinnamon. 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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