Why it works: Mustard and vinegar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,067 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Chicken Salad
Ingredients
Directions
Chop the turkey meat and celery together.
In a saucepan, combine the egg yolks, mustard, butter, and vinegar.
Heat the mixture on the stove until it thickens to a creamy consistency.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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.
-
Mustard + vinegartop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,067 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Meat + mustardtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together855 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Meat + buttertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,594 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Mustard + buttertop 22% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,003 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- White meat turkey or celery
- Provides the bulk and main texture of the salad.
- Egg yolks
- Thicken the dressing as they gently set with heat, giving a creamy texture.
- Mustard
- Adds sharp flavour and helps keep the dressing smooth.
- Butter
- Adds richness and a smooth, velvety mouthfeel to the dressing.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that brightens the flavour and balances the richness.
The step that matters
Heating the egg yolk mixture until it thickens. Egg yolks thicken through gentle heat, but overheating makes them scramble and turn grainy. Heat slowly and stir constantly.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (meat, egg, butter, vinegar):
- Mustardthe original
- Shallotfits about as well
- Asparagusfits about as well
- Capsicumfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against meat, egg, butter, vinegar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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.
More chicken salad recipes
You might also like
Meat Croquettes52 recipes
Meatballs37 recipes
Mince Meat37 recipes
Meat Cakes35 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.