Why it works: Thyme and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and 9,057 recipes mention both. Both carry cuminaldehyde, which smells Spicy, cumin. The science ↓
The recipe
Ingredients
Contains: milk, wheat (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
Directions
Make the stock
Combine the chicken pieces, gizzard, onion, herbs, salt, and pepper in a saucepan.
Boil the mixture to reduce.
Add bacon rinds to the saucepan.
Strain the mixture before using.
Cook the chicken
Melt the butter over medium heat in a stewpan.
Add the chicken, salt, pepper, and curry powder.
Cook until browned, turning pieces frequently.
Add chopped mushrooms, shallot, and parsley.
Sprinkle flour over the mixture and wet with the strained stock.
Bring the mixture to a boil.
Remove from heat.
Return to heat 2-3 times, shaking the pan to ensure even cooking.
If there is excess gravy, cover the chicken and let it boil down.
Serve the chicken with the gravy poured over it.
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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
-
Thyme + parsleytop 1% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together9,057 recipes
Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
-
Chicken + mushroomtop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together4,171 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-butyl acetate (fruity, banana).
-
Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together34,118 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Thyme + peppertop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together11,585 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Butter + mushroomtop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together12,516 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Butter
- Browns the chicken pieces and adds richness to the gravy.
- Flour
- Thickens the strained stock into a gravy that coats the chicken.
- Mushrooms
- Add earthy flavor and moisture as they cook into the gravy.
- Bacon rinds
- Add smoky, savory flavor to the stock.
The step that matters
Cook until browned, turning pieces frequently. Browning builds flavor through the Maillard reaction, but pieces left still or crowded in the pan steam instead of browning. Turning them often gives even color without scorching.
Flavor stand-ins for the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (chicken, butter, thyme, parsley, pepper, mushroom, shallot):
- Potatobetter flavor fit
- Carrotbetter flavor fit
- Capsicumbetter flavor fit
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against chicken, butter, thyme, parsley, pepper, mushroom, shallot. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).
“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
Illustration
Illustration
Illustration
IllustrationThe Sunday pairing: one pairing, the chemistry behind it, and how to cook it. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account for sign-in; Pro adds the full results and chemistry.