Why it works: Pepper and parsley 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 ↓
Creamed Chicken
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no cooking times; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Make the sauce
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.
Gradually add milk, stirring constantly until thickened.
Finish and serve
Add shredded chicken, salt, and pepper; mix well.
Serve hot, garnished with chopped parsley.
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.
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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Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + parsleytop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together16,675 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Chicken + milktop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,389 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-hexanal (fruit).
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
- Butter
- Adds fat and flavor to the roux and carries the flour's thickening.
- Flour
- Forms a roux with the butter that thickens the milk into a smooth sauce.
- Milk
- Forms the liquid base of the sauce, which thickens as the starch swells.
- Cooked chicken
- Provides the main protein and bulk, held in the creamy sauce.
The step that matters
Gradually add milk, stirring constantly until thickened. Adding milk slowly while stirring keeps the flour evenly dispersed, preventing lumps. Starch granules swell as the sauce heats, so constant stirring keeps the sauce smooth and thick.
Swap the parsley
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (chicken, butter, flour, milk, pepper):
- Cinnamonfits about as well
- Thymefits about as well
- Nutmegfits about as well
- Parsleythe original
Fit is the average pairing score against chicken, butter, flour, milk, 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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