Why it works: Chicken and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and 17,808 recipes mention both. Both carry gamma-nonanolactone, which smells coconut, sweet. The science ↓
The recipe
4 servingsIngredients
Contains: egg, milk, wheat (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.
Whisk the 2 teaspoons olive oil, red wine vinegar, lime juice, white sugar, minced garlic, dried oregano, the first chopped green onion, and salt and pepper to taste in a bowl.
Place the chicken breasts in a shallow dish or sealable bag, pour the marinade over, coat well, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Mix the mayonnaise, minced chipotle peppers, the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped green onion, and sweet pickle relish in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper and refrigerate.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken 5 to 7 minutes per side until it reaches 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part. Rest 5 minutes, then slice.
Toast the sourdough slices in a dry skillet or toaster until golden, about 2 minutes total.
Place mozzarella slices on 4 of the toasted bread slices and broil until the cheese melts, about 2 minutes.
Spread the chipotle mayonnaise on the remaining 4 toasted slices. Layer chicken, torn lettuce, and sliced chicken over the cheese slices.
Close each sandwich with a mayonnaise-spread slice and serve warm.
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 + oniontop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together17,808 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
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Lime + peppertop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together3,491 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Olive + chickentop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together10,796 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid hexyl ester (sweet, green).
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Red wine + vinegartop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together569 recipes
Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
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Olive + vinegartop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together10,843 recipes
Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, fruity).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Flavor stand-ins for the lime
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (olive, chicken, red wine, vinegar, sugar, pepper, onion):
- Grapebetter flavor fit
- Mangobetter flavor fit
- Plumbetter flavor fit
- Limethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against olive, chicken, red wine, vinegar, sugar, pepper, onion. 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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