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 ↓
Fricassee of Fowls with Mushrooms
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.
Brown the chicken
In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.
Add the chicken pieces and brown them on all sides.
Remove the chicken and set aside.
Make the sauce
Add the mushrooms to the skillet and sauté until tender.
Sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms and stir to combine.
Gradually add the chicken broth, stirring constantly until thickened.
Finish and serve
Return the chicken to the skillet, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
Stir in the heavy cream, season with salt and pepper, and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
Garnish with chopped parsley 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.
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Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Chicken + mushroomtop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,172 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-butyl acetate (fruity, banana).
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Butter + mushroomtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,525 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).
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Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Mushroom + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together13,580 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Chicken
- Browning gives flavour to the surface, and simmering in the sauce keeps the meat moist and tender.
- Butter
- Fat for browning the chicken and sautéing the mushrooms, adding richness and aroma.
- Mushrooms
- Release moisture as they cook, adding earthy flavour and body to the sauce.
- Flour
- Thickens the broth into a smooth sauce as it cooks with the butter and liquid.
- Chicken broth
- Forms the liquid base of the sauce that the flour thickens and the chicken simmers in.
- Heavy cream
- Adds richness and a smooth, silky texture to the finished sauce.
The step that matters
Gradually add the chicken broth, stirring constantly until thickened. Flour clumps if liquid is added all at once. Adding broth slowly while stirring lets the starch disperse evenly and thicken the sauce smoothly.
Swap the parsley
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (chicken, butter, mushroom, cream, flour, pepper):
- Thymefits about as well
- Garlicfits about as well
- Nutmegfits about as well
- Parsleythe original
Fit is the average pairing score against chicken, butter, mushroom, cream, flour, 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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