Why it works: Parsley and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,037 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓
SuPEEME Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Make the sauce
Combine thick white sauce and strong chicken broth in a pot.
Add parsley and white peppercorns, then boil down to ½ pint.
Stir until blended, then boil rapidly until thick, being careful not to burn.
Add double cream and salt, then boil until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Finish and serve
Strain the sauce and add lemon juice before serving.
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.
-
Parsley + lemontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,037 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Sauce + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,787 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Chicken + lemontop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,092 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
-
Chicken + parsleytop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,314 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
-
Sauce + chickentop 23% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,513 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Thick white sauce
- Forms the thickened base that gives the sauce its body.
- Strong chicken broth
- Supplies the main savory flavour, reduced to concentrate it.
- Double cream
- Adds richness and a smooth, velvety texture as the sauce thickens.
- Lemon juice
- Adds a bright acidity that balances the richness of the cream.
The step that matters
Boil rapidly without burning. Once the sauce thickens, its proteins and sugars can scorch on the bottom of the pot, giving a bitter, burnt taste. Stirring steadily and watching the heat keeps the sauce smooth and clean-flavoured.
Swap the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sauce, chicken, parsley, cream):
- Lemonthe original
- Avocadofits about as well
- Limefits less well
- Coconutfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against sauce, chicken, parsley, cream. 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.
You might also like
The free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.
Chicken Broth257 recipes
Lemon Sauce236 recipes
Chicken Soup156 recipes
Creamed Chicken89 recipes