Why it works: Chicken and basil are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and 1,514 recipes mention both. Both carry 3-hexenal, which smells apple, fruity. The science ↓
The recipe
Serves 2Ingredients
Contains: milk (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
Directions
Method written by CompKitchen from the ingredient list. Not the original author's method, not kitchen-tested.
Put the potato chunks in a pan of boiling water, simmer for about 15 minutes until tender, then drain well.
Cut each chicken breast in half horizontally to make four thinner cutlets. Cut each prosciutto slice in half.
Place a basil leaf half and a piece of prosciutto on each cutlet, pressing the prosciutto lightly so it sticks.
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken prosciutto side down and cook for 3 minutes.
Turn the chicken and cook for 3 to 4 minutes more, until the thickest part reaches 165°F (74°C). Transfer to a plate and keep warm.
Add the Marsala to the pan and simmer for 1 minute, scraping up the browned bits. Add the chicken stock and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until slightly reduced, then spoon over the chicken.
Mash the drained potatoes with 2 to 3 tablespoons milk, the Parmesan and the chopped basil until smooth, adding more milk if needed.
Serve the chicken with the basil mash and spoon the pan sauce over the top.
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.
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Chicken + basiltop 7% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together1,514 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
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Basil + olivetop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together4,868 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
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Chicken + potatotop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together2,756 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-decenal (green, must).
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Chicken + olivetop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together10,796 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid hexyl ester (sweet, green).
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Olive + potatotop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together5,688 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-undecenal (sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Flavor stand-ins for the potato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (chicken, basil, prosciutto, olive, milk):
- Tomatobetter flavor fit
- Capsicumabout as good a flavor fit
- Potatothe original
- Asparagusabout as good a flavor fit
Fit is the average pairing score against chicken, basil, prosciutto, olive, milk. 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).
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