Why it works: Chicken and rice are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,769 recipes. Both carry (e,e)-2,4-decadienal, which smells fatty, deep fried. The science ↓
Chicken Soup
Ingredients
Directions
Make the broth
Place the chicken in a pot and cover with cold water.
Bring to a slow boil and cook for one hour.
Season the broth and add the soup bunch; continue boiling for two more hours.
Finish the soup
Ten to fifteen minutes before serving, add the cooked rice, cut potatoes, and fresh milk; let boil.
Finally, add the noodles and boil for a few minutes until cooked.
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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Chicken + ricetop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,769 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
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Rice + potatotop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together851 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (popcorn, roasted).
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Rice + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,374 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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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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Potato + milktop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,611 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,z)-2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, melon).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Whole chicken
- Gives the broth its meaty flavour as it simmers in the water.
- Cooked rice
- Adds body and thickens the soup slightly as it softens.
- Potatoes
- Add starch that gives the soup a heartier, more filling texture.
- Fresh milk
- Adds richness and a mild sweetness that softens the broth.
- Noodles
- Add chewy texture and absorb some of the broth's flavour.
The step that matters
Adding the milk near the end. Milk can curdle or scorch if it boils hard for a long time. Adding it late and letting it come just to a boil keeps it smooth and fresh-tasting.
“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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