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Spice Rubbed Grilled Chicken Breast

A grilled chicken breast coated with a paprika, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, rosemary, cayenne, cinnamon, lemon peel, and mustard rub.

From the Wikibooks Cookbook · 10 ingredients
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Why it works: Rosemary and chicken are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and 1,075 recipes mention both. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓

The recipe

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the rub

  1. Combine paprika, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, rosemary, cayenne, cinnamon, and lemon peel.

  2. Set aside.

Season and grill

  1. Rub mustard all over chicken.

  2. Apply seasoning mixture, and press lightly to aid adhesion.

  3. Grill on a preheated charcoal grill, turning often, until internal temperature reaches 165°F.

  4. Remove and let rest for 3 minutes.

  5. Serve.

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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.

  1. Rosemary + chickentop 5% of all pairs
    Aroma overlapmoderate
    Mentioned together1,075 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  2. Rosemary + lemontop 2% of all pairs
    Aroma overlapstrong
    Mentioned together845 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  3. Pepper + lemontop 2% of all pairs
    Aroma overlapstrong
    Mentioned together27,039 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

  4. Pepper + rosemarytop 3% of all pairs
    Aroma overlapstrong
    Mentioned together2,324 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  5. Rosemary + cinnamontop 4% of all pairs
    Aroma overlapstrong
    Mentioned together155 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

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

What each ingredient does

Boneless skinless chicken breasts
Provides the lean protein that is cooked through over the grill.
Dijon mustard
Acts as a tacky base that helps the seasoning mixture adhere to the chicken.
Smoked paprika
Adds smoky aroma and deep reddish color to the seasoning crust.
Dehydrated lemon peel
Adds bright citrus aroma that contrasts with the smoky and spiced notes.

The step that matters

Grilling to 165°F. Lean boneless breasts dry out quickly, so pulling them at the target internal temperature, rather than by time alone, helps keep them moist. Turning often over charcoal also promotes even cooking and prevents the spice coating from scorching.

Flavor stand-ins for the mustard

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pepper, rosemary, cinnamon, lemon, chicken):

  1. Capsicumbetter flavor fit
  2. Carrotbetter flavor fit
  3. Potatobetter flavor fit
  4. Mustardthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against pepper, rosemary, cinnamon, lemon, chicken. 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.

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