Why it works: Garlic and chicken are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and 10,839 recipes mention both. Both carry 3-ethyl-2,5-dimethylpyrazine, which smells roasted, nutty. The science ↓
The recipe
Serves 4Ingredients
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.
Heat the sunflower oil in a large lidded pan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook for 8 minutes, stirring, until soft.
Add the sliced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the chipotle paste and cook for 1 minute more.
Pour in the chopped tomatoes and cider vinegar, bring to a gentle simmer, and season lightly.
Add the skinless chicken thigh fillets, turning them to coat in the sauce. Cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes, until cooked through and reaching 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part.
Meanwhile, cook the rice in a pan of boiling water until tender, about 12 minutes, then drain well.
Remove the lid from the chicken and stir in the chopped coriander. Serve the chicken and sauce over the rice, with soured cream on the side.
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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Garlic + chickentop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together10,839 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-ethyl-2,5-dimethylpyrazine (roasted, nutty).
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Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together29,030 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
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Tomato + coriandertop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together3,966 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).
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Garlic + tomatotop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together14,075 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
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Garlic + coriandertop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together6,477 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Flavor stand-ins for the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (garlic, sunflower, tomato, cider, vinegar, chicken, coriander):
- Capsicumbetter flavor fit
- Potatobetter flavor fit
- Cucumberabout as good a flavor fit
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against garlic, sunflower, tomato, cider, vinegar, chicken, coriander. 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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