Why it works: Chicken and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 17,814 recipes. Both carry gamma-nonanolactone, which smells coconut, sweet. The science ↓
Gluten-free Cream of Chicken Soup
Ingredients
Directions
Sauté onion in margarine, then add flour.
Stir until bubbly, add chicken, and cook for one minute.
Add broth and milk, and cook until hot throughout (don't boil), then serve.
Garlic and other spices such as thyme and basil can be added.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 6 of 7 ingredients. The other 1 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Coconut | 1/2 cup shredded (40g) | 283 |
| Chicken | 100g cooked | 165 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 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.
-
Chicken + oniontop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,814 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
-
Coconut + milktop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,648 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Chicken + coconuttop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together808 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).
-
Coconut + oniontop 13% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,831 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Tapioca starch
- Thickens the broth into a smooth, creamy body as it heats.
- Gluten-free margarine
- Adds fat for sautéing the onion and carries flavour through the soup.
- Coconut milk
- Supplies creaminess and richness, standing in for dairy milk.
- Chicken stock
- Provides the main liquid and savoury chicken flavour of the soup.
The step that matters
Heat the soup without boiling. Once the starch-thickened liquid is hot throughout, further boiling can break down the coconut milk emulsion and leave the texture grainy or separated. Gentle heating keeps it smooth.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (chicken, coconut, milk, pepper):
- Capsicumfits better
- Potatofits better
- Tomatofits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against chicken, coconut, milk, 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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