Why it works: Potato and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,023 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Chicken Pies
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the crust
In a bowl, chop the lard and butter into the flour using a knife.
Mix in ice water until just combined; handle the dough as little as possible.
Fill and bake
In a large pan, combine the cooked chicken, potatoes, chicken stock, chopped onions, salt, and pepper.
Fill the prepared crust with the chicken filling.
Bake in a preheated oven at 400°F (200°C) until golden brown.
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.
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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Potato + oniontop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,023 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Chicken + potatotop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,756 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-decenal (green, must).
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Chicken + oniontop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,814 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
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Potato + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,305 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together68,474 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- All-purpose flour
- Forms the structure of the dough once mixed with water.
- Lard
- Chopped into the flour, it creates fat pockets that make the crust flaky and tender.
- Butter
- Adds flavor and helps the crust brown while keeping it tender.
- Cooked potatoes
- Add body and starch that thicken the filling and give it a hearty texture.
- Chicken stock
- Provides moisture and savory flavor that binds the filling together.
- Onions
- Contribute savory aroma and sweetness as they soften in the filling.
The step that matters
Handle the dough as little as possible. Overworking flour after adding water develops gluten, which makes the crust tough instead of tender. Mixing only until combined keeps the fat pieces intact, so they melt during baking and create flaky layers.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, butter, chicken, potato, pepper):
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Chivefits about as well
- Leekfits about as well
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against flour, butter, chicken, potato, 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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