Name: Chicken and Rice Casserole II
Ingredients: 2 (14½ ounce) can green beans, rinsed and drained; 3 cups diced cooked chicken; 1 medium onion diced and sautéed; 1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped; 1 (4 ounce) can pimentos; 1 (10¾ ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup; 1 cup mayonnaise; 1 (6 ounce) box long-grain and wild rice, cooked according to package directions; 1 cup grated sharp cheddar; pinch salt

Why it works: Chicken and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and 17,808 recipes mention both. Both carry gamma-nonanolactone, which smells coconut, sweet. The science ↓

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 + oniontop 4% of all pairs

Aroma overlapmoderate

Mentioned together17,808 recipes

Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
Water chestnut + wild ricetop 1% of all pairs

Aroma overlapstrong

Mentioned together16 recipes

Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
Chicken + wild ricetop 4% of all pairs

Aroma overlaplow

Mentioned together175 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-methylbutyraldehyde (malty, chocolate).
Onion + celerytop 5% of all pairs

Aroma overlapmoderate

Mentioned together18,506 recipes

Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Onion + water chestnuttop 5% of all pairs

Aroma overlapmoderate

Mentioned together319 recipes

Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Chicken: Provides the main protein and substance of the casserole.
Mayonnaise: Adds moisture and richness, keeping the casserole creamy as it bakes.
Cream of celery soup: Acts as a creamy binder that holds the beans, chicken and rice together.
Long-grain and wild rice: Gives the casserole its bulk and a chewy, firm texture.
Cheddar: Melts into the sauce and adds savory flavor and some browning on top.
Green beans: Add moisture and a tender vegetable texture to the baked dish.

Flavor stand-ins for the green beans

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (chicken, onion, water chestnut, cream, celery, wild rice):

Welsh onionbetter flavor fit
Potatobetter flavor fit
Carrotbetter flavor fit
Green beansthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against chicken, onion, water chestnut, cream, celery, wild rice. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).

“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.