Why it works: Parsley and pepper 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
In a bowl, combine the chopped chicken, bread crumbs, beaten eggs, parsley, pepper, salt, and butter.
Shape the mixture into egg-shaped balls.
Coat and fry
Dip each ball in beaten egg, then roll in sifted cracker crumbs.
Fry the croquettes in hot lard until golden brown.
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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Parsley + peppertop 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).
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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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Parsley + buttertop 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
- Chicken breasts
- Provides the main protein and bulk that the croquettes are built around.
- Bread crumbs
- Soak up moisture and help the mixture hold together with a softer texture.
- Eggs
- Bind the mixture and, when dipped, form a coating that helps crumbs stick.
- Butter
- Adds richness and fat, keeping the interior moist and flavorful.
- Cracker crumbs
- Form a crisp outer crust that browns during frying.
The step that matters
Fry the croquettes in hot lard until golden brown. The lard must be hot enough to set the crumb coating quickly; if it is too cool, the croquettes absorb extra fat and turn greasy and may fall apart.
“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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