Why it works: Chicken and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 16% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 19,958 recipes. Both carry piperonal, which smells bitter, coconut. The science ↓
Baked Spring Chicken
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the chicken
Cut each of the four chickens into seven or nine pieces, wash thoroughly and quickly, and put in a colander to drain.
Put a half tablespoon each of lard and butter into a dripping-pan, set in the chickens and add half a pint hot water at the side of the chickens.
Let steam and bake for half an hour, turning, taking care that they get only to a light brown.
Just before taking up, add salt and pepper to taste.
When done, take out in a dish and keep hot.
Make the gravy
To make the gravy, add a half pint or more of water, set the dripping-pan on the stove, and add one tablespoon flour mixed with one-half cup of cream or milk.
Stirring slowly, adding a little of the mixture at a time, let cook thoroughly, stirring constantly to prevent burning, and to make the gravy nice and smooth.
Season more if necessary.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Chicken | 100g cooked | 165 |
| Lard | 1 tbsp (12.8g) | 115 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
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.
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Chicken + peppertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,958 recipes
Shared aroma: piperonal (bitter, coconut).
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Flour + peppertop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together50,459 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + creamtop 20% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together30,481 recipes
Shared aroma: acetaldehyde (pungent, ethereal).
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Cream + peppertop 23% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together21,449 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
-
Chicken + creamtop 23% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together6,241 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
Cream and pepper barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 21,449 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 firms and turns tender and lightly browned as it cooks.
- Lard
- Fat for the pan that helps the chicken brown lightly and carries flavour.
- Flour
- Thickens the gravy as its starch swells when stirred into the hot liquid.
- Cream
- Adds richness and body to the gravy, softening its flavour and texture.
The step that matters
Adding the flour and cream to the gravy. Flour clumps if dropped in unmixed, so it should be blended with cream and added gradually while stirring constantly. Cooking it through also removes the raw starch taste and thickens the gravy smoothly.
“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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