Name: Spicy Chicken Casserole
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1 can (12 oz ) chili; 1 can (10 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup; 1 can (10 oz) condensed cream of celery soup; 2 cups cooked chicken , shredded; 1½ cups salsa; 1 package corn tortillas; 8 oz cheddar cheese , shredded

Why it works: Celery and corn work together. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 920 recipes. Both carry 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol, which smells clove, smoky. The science ↓

Spicy Chicken Casserole

Serves 6

Oven375°F

Time30–40 minutes

Ingredients

1 can (12 oz ) chili
1 can (10 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup
1 can (10 oz) condensed cream of celery soup
2 cups cooked chicken , shredded
1½ cups salsa
1 package corn tortillas
8 oz cheddar cheese , shredded

Directions

Prepare

Mix all ingredients except tortillas and cheese.

Assemble and bake

Layer the tortillas, chicken mixture, and cheese in a baking dish. Make two layers, finishing with cheese.
Bake at 375°F for 30–40 minutes.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

505Calories

44 gProtein

22 gFat

32 gCarbs

Counts 7 of 8 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 7 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Chicken	100g cooked	165
Corn Tortilla	1 medium flour (45g)	140
Cheddar Cheese	1 oz (28g)	113
Cream	1 tbsp (15ml) heavy	51
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Chili	1 tsp (2.7g)	8
Celery	1 stalk (40g)	6
Soup	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.

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.

Celery + corntop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together920 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol (clove, smoky).
Chicken + corntop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,666 recipes

Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
Chicken + cheddar cheesetop 12% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,312 recipes

Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
Cream + cheddar cheesetop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,036 recipes

Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Chicken + celerytop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together5,375 recipes

Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).

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

What each ingredient does

Cheddar cheese: Melts into the layers to add richness and a browned, bubbling top.
Corn tortillas: Soak up the sauce and give the casserole its layered, soft-yet-firm structure.
Cream of chicken soup: Provides a creamy binder that keeps the chicken moist and holds the layers together.
Shredded chicken: Supplies the main protein and savory body of the filling.
Salsa: Adds acidity and moisture, flavoring the sauce as it bakes.

Swap the celery

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cream, chicken, corn, cheddar cheese):

Garlicfits better
Celerythe original
Cuminfits about as well
Basilfits less well

Fit is the average pairing score against cream, chicken, corn, cheddar cheese. 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.