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 ↓
Lipton Onion Smothered Chicken
Ingredients
Directions
Brown the chicken
In large skillet, heat shortening; brown chicken well.
Add Lipton onion soup mix and 2 cups water.
Simmer, covered, 45 minutes or until tender.
Make the gravy
Remove chicken to serving platter.
Blend flour with 1/4 cup water.
Stir into broth in skillet and cook, while stirring, until thickened.
Pour over chicken.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 4 of 6 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Chicken | 100g cooked | 165 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| 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.
-
Chicken + oniontop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,814 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
-
Onion + flourtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together32,460 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Chicken + flourtop 27% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together10,559 recipes
Shared aroma: acetaldehyde (pungent, ethereal).
Chicken and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 10,559 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
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, which becomes tender during the covered simmer.
- Shortening
- Fat for browning the chicken, building color and flavor on the skin.
- Lipton onion soup mix
- Adds onion flavor and salty seasoning to the simmering broth.
- Flour
- Thickens the broth into a smooth gravy when cooked while stirring.
The step that matters
Stir the flour mixture into the broth while stirring constantly. Flour added to hot liquid can clump; blending it with water first and stirring while it cooks lets starch granules disperse and swell evenly, giving a smooth, thickened gravy.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (chicken, flour):
- Arrowrootfits better
- Leekfits better
- Okrafits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against chicken, flour. 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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