Why it works: Garlic and onion match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 29,058 recipes. Both carry furaneol, which smells caramel, strawberry. The science ↓
Santa Fe Grilled Chicken
Ingredients
Directions
Marinate
Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl or a zipper bag.
Add the chicken and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours and no longer.
Remove the chicken and drain well.
Grill and serve
Grill on indoor or outdoor grill just until no longer pink in the center.
Serve on its own or in a fajita salad.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 8 of 10 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 8 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 100g cooked | 165 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Soy Sauce | 1 tbsp (15ml) | 9 |
| Chili | 1 tsp (2.7g) | 8 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Garlic | 1 clove (3g) | 4 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
| Smoke | 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.
-
Garlic + oniontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together29,058 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
-
Chicken + garlictop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,850 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-ethyl-2,5-dimethylpyrazine (roasted, nutty).
-
Garlic + peppertop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,090 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Chicken + oniontop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,814 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
-
Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together68,474 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 breasts
- The protein that is cooked through, becoming firm and opaque as it grills.
- Soy sauce
- Adds salty, savoury depth to the marinade and helps season the meat.
- Vinegar
- Its acidity helps tenderise the surface of the chicken during marinating.
- Chipotle chile powder
- Provides smoky heat that flavours the chicken.
- Liquid smoke
- Adds a smoky aroma that mimics meat cooked over wood.
- Splenda
- Adds sweetness to balance the salty and smoky flavours of the marinade.
The step that matters
Grill just until no longer pink in the center. Chicken is safe only when its centre reaches a fully cooked temperature. Pinkness is an unreliable guide, so overcooking dries the lean breast meat while undercooking is a food safety risk.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (chicken, sauce, vinegar, garlic, pepper):
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Mustardfits about as well
- Tomatofits about as well
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against chicken, sauce, vinegar, garlic, 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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