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 ↓
Chicken Croquettes
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the mixture
Combine minced chicken, bread crumbs, beaten egg, gravy or drawn butter, pepper, salt, parsley, and rubbed egg yolks in a bowl.
Mix until just combined, ensuring the mixture is not too wet.
Shape the mixture into rolls or oval balls with floured hands.
Coat each ball in flour.
Fry and serve
Fry a few croquettes at a time in hot dripping or a mixture of half lard and half butter, avoiding crowding.
Drain cooked croquettes on a hot colander to remove excess fat.
Serve in a heated dish with cresses or 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.
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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Bread + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,232 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Bread + eggtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together22,662 recipes
Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
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Chicken + breadtop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,258 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity).
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Butter + parsleytop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together28,563 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-hexenal (green, leafy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Minced chicken
- Forms the main body of the croquette and gives it its savoury flavour.
- Bread crumbs
- Absorb moisture and help the mixture hold its shape.
- Egg
- Binds the mixture together so it holds its shape when fried.
- Egg yolks
- Add richness and a smooth, tender texture to the filling.
- Gravy or drawn butter
- Adds moisture and fat so the croquettes stay tender rather than dry.
The step that matters
Keep the mixture not too wet. Excess moisture makes the mixture soft and hard to shape, and it can burst or fall apart in hot fat. Mixing only until combined and shaping with floured hands helps the balls hold together while frying.
“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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