Why it works: Carrot and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,555 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Chicken Pot Pie
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point. The book gives no cooking times either; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Make the filling
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
Stir in the flour, salt, and pepper until smooth.
Gradually add the chicken broth and milk, stirring until thickened.
Add the shredded chicken and mixed vegetables, and mix well.
Bake
Pour the mixture into a pie dish and cover with the pie crust.
Cut slits in the crust to allow steam to escape.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the crust is 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.
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.
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Carrot + peppertop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,555 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Carrot + corntop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together794 recipes
Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
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Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Carrot + peastop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,994 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine (green bell pepper, earthy).
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Corn + milktop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,955 recipes
Shared aroma: hexanal (green, grassy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Butter
- Melted fat that coats the flour and carries flavor into the filling.
- All-purpose flour
- Thickens the broth and milk into a smooth, cohesive sauce as it cooks.
- Chicken broth
- Forms the liquid base of the sauce and adds savory flavor.
- Milk
- Adds creaminess and body to the sauce.
- Cooked chicken
- Provides the main protein and substance of the filling.
- Pie crust
- Encloses the filling and browns in the oven for a crisp top.
The step that matters
Gradually add the chicken broth and milk, stirring until thickened. Adding liquid slowly while stirring lets the flour disperse evenly, preventing lumps. The starch then swells as the mixture heats, thickening the sauce.
Swap the peas
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (chicken, carrot, corn, milk, butter, flour, pepper):
- Beansfits better
- Peanutfits better
- Cashew nutfits better
- Peasthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against chicken, carrot, corn, milk, butter, flour, pepper. 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.
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