Creamed Chicken

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. Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together34,122 recipes

   Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

2. Butter + milktop 7% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together81,283 recipes

   Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

3. Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together41,516 recipes

   Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).

4. Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together124,287 recipes

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

5. Flour + parsleytop 12% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together16,675 recipes

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

Butter and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 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

Butter

Enriches the sauce and gives it a smooth, rich flavor.

Flour

Thickens the milk and cream into a smooth white sauce.

Milk

Forms the liquid base of the sauce.

Cream

Adds richness and body to the sauce.

Egg yolks

Add richness and help bind and thicken the finished sauce.

The step that matters

Swap the parsley

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (chicken, butter, milk, flour, cream, egg, pepper):

1. Nutmegfits better
2. Tarragonfits about as well
3. Parsleythe original
4. Cinnamonfits about as well

Fit is the average pairing score against chicken, butter, milk, flour, cream, egg, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.