Why it works: Cream and lobster are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,050 recipes. Both carry 1-octen-3-one, which smells mushroom, metallic. The science ↓
Cream of Chicken
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the chicken
Pound the chicken breast in a mortar.
Pass the chicken through a wire sieve.
Steam and serve
Put the chicken into a mold with cream and egg yolk.
Season well and steam for 20 minutes.
Serve with sweet red peppers, lobster, or crawfish butter if available.
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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Cream + lobstertop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,050 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
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Chicken + peppertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,958 recipes
Shared aroma: piperonal (bitter, coconut).
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Cream + peppertop 23% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together21,449 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
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Chicken + creamtop 23% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together6,241 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
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Cream + eggtop 24% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together42,166 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Cream and pepper barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 21,449 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
- Chicken breast
- Forms the main body of the dish, setting into a smooth, tender mass when steamed.
- Cream
- Adds moisture and richness, giving the custard a soft, smooth texture.
- Egg yolk
- Acts as a setting agent, helping the mixture firm up gently while staying creamy.
The step that matters
Steam gently and for the stated time. Egg proteins set at moderate heat, so steaming gently keeps the mixture smooth. Excess heat or boiling can curdle the egg and leave the texture grainy or watery.
“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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