Why it works: Parsley and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 34,122 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓
Chicken Cream Soup
Ingredients
Directions
Make the soup
Cut the chicken into quarters.
Put the chicken into a soup kettle with half a pound of corned ham and an onion.
Add four quarts of cold water.
Bring slowly to a gentle boil.
Keep boiling until the liquid has diminished one-third and the meat drops from the bones.
Add half a cup of rice.
Season with salt, pepper, and a bunch of chopped parsley.
Cook slowly until the rice is tender.
Remove the meat.
Finish the soup
Stir in two cups of rich milk thickened with a little flour.
Fry the chicken in a spoonful of butter.
Make a gravy.
Reserve some of the white part of the meat.
Chop the reserved meat.
Add the chopped meat to the soup.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Pork | 100g cooked | 242 |
| Rice | 1 cup cooked (158g) white | 206 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Parsley | 1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g) | 1 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Water | 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.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Milk + ricetop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,374 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Rice + parsleytop 10% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,762 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Rice + peppertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,379 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Chicken (in the method)
- Supplies the meat and flavour that make the broth rich.
- Rice
- Thickens the soup as it cooks and softens into the broth.
- Rich milk
- Adds creaminess and body, thickened with flour to give the soup its texture.
- Corned ham
- Adds salty, savoury depth to the broth.
- Butter
- Adds richness and flavour to the fried chicken.
The step that matters
Stir in the thickened milk. Flour mixed into milk must be fully dispersed before it meets hot liquid, or it forms lumps. Stirring steadily while adding the milk keeps the cream smooth and evenly thickened.
Swap the parsley
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (milk, ham, rice, butter, pepper):
- Cinnamonfits about as well
- Parsleythe original
- Nutmegfits about as well
- Celeryfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against milk, ham, rice, butter, pepper. 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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