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Peanut Chicken Stir-Fry

A stir-fry of chicken, celery, onion, mushrooms, and peanuts in a soy sauce and cornstarch sauce served over rice.

From the Wikibooks Cookbook · 10 ingredients
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Why it works: Chicken and mushroom are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,172 recipes. Both carry 1-butyl acetate, which smells fruity, banana. The science ↓

Peanut Chicken Stir-Fry

Serves 4
Time5 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Melt butter in a wok or skillet.

  2. Stir-fry celery and onions.

  3. Add chicken and mushrooms and stir over low heat for 5 minutes.

Make the sauce and serve

  1. Combine cornstarch, soy sauce, and broth in a separate bowl; slowly add to the hot mixture in the wok and cook for 5 minutes.

  2. Stir in peanuts.

  3. Serve over hot rice.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1163Calories
60 gProtein
31 gFat
159 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 9 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Rice1 cup cooked (158g) white206
Chicken100g cooked165
Peanut1 oz (28g)161
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Mushroom1/2 cup sliced (35g)15
Soy Sauce1 tbsp (15ml)9
Celery1 stalk (40g)6

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Wikibooks Cookbook.

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.

  1. Chicken + mushroomtop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,172 recipes

    Shared aroma: 1-butyl acetate (fruity, banana).

  2. Peanut + ricetop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together670 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (popcorn, roasted).

  3. Chicken + ricetop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,769 recipes

    Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).

  4. Butter + mushroomtop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together12,525 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).

  5. Celery + oniontop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together18,518 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

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

What each ingredient does

Chicken or turkey
Provides the main protein and substance of the dish.
Cornstarch
Thickens the broth and soy mixture into a glossy sauce as it heats.
Butter
Adds fat and richness for cooking the celery and onions.
Soy sauce
Adds salty, savory flavor to the sauce.
Peanuts
Adds crunch and nutty flavor that contrasts with the soft sauce.

The step that matters

Slowly adding the cornstarch mixture to the hot wok. Cornstarch must be stirred into liquid and heated to thicken. Adding it slowly while stirring prevents lumps, and the sauce only thickens fully once it simmers.

Swap the celery

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, onion, chicken, mushroom, sauce, peanut, rice):

  1. Garlicfits better
  2. Gingerfits about as well
  3. Thymefits about as well
  4. Celerythe original

Fit is the average pairing score against butter, onion, chicken, mushroom, sauce, peanut, rice. 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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