Why it works: Butter and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 12% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Chicken Turnovers
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the filling
Chop cold roast chicken very fine.
Put the chopped chicken into a saucepan and place it over the fire.
Moisten the chicken with a little water and gravy, or a piece of butter.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
Add a small tablespoonful of sifted flour dissolved in a little water.
Heat the mixture through and remove from the fire to cool.
Shape the turnovers
When cooled, roll out plain pie crust quite thin.
Cut the crust into rounds as large as a saucer.
Wet the edge of each round with cold water.
Put a large spoonful of the minced meat on one half of the round.
Fold the other half over and pinch the edges well together.
Cook
Fry the turnovers in hot drippings or fat until a nice brown.
Alternatively, cook the turnovers in a moderate oven.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 4 of 5 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| 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.
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.
-
Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + peppertop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together50,459 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Butter + peppertop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together85,593 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
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
- Chicken (in the method)
- Forms the bulk of the filling, providing the savory meat flavor and substance.
- Flour
- Thickens the moistened chicken so the filling holds together inside the pastry.
- Butter
- Adds moisture and richness to the chicken filling.
- Pie crust
- Encloses the filling and browns during frying or baking.
The step that matters
Pinching the edges closed. Wet the rim with cold water and press it firmly so the seal holds. A weak seal lets filling leak and fat escape during frying or baking.
“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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