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 Broth
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the chicken
Cut the chicken into small pieces.
Break the bones.
Scald and skin the feet.
Wash the neck, gizzard, and liver.
Put the chicken parts into a stewpan.
Make the broth
Add the cold water and salt.
Bring to a boil.
Skim off any foam that forms on the surface.
Add the onion and mace.
Cook slowly for 3 hours.
Strain the broth.
Return it to the stewpan.
Bring the broth to a boil.
Sprinkle in the rice.
Simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the parsley.
Season with pepper.
Serve.
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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Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Chicken + ricetop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,769 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
-
Chicken + oniontop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,814 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
-
Onion + parsleytop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together25,843 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
-
Onion + ricetop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,433 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Chicken
- Provides the meat, bones, and gelatin that give the broth its body and flavor.
- Cold water
- Serves as the liquid that extracts flavor and collagen from the chicken as it heats.
- Rice
- Adds a little starch that slightly thickens the broth.
The step that matters
Skim off any foam that forms on the surface. Foam is made of coagulated proteins and impurities that cloud the broth and can taste bitter. Removing it early keeps the broth clear and clean-flavored.
Swap the mace
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (chicken, onion, parsley, rice, pepper):
- Garlicfits better
- Thymefits better
- Celeryfits better
- Macethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against chicken, onion, parsley, rice, 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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