Why it works: Chicken and celery are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,375 recipes. Both carry myristicin, which smells spice, warm. The science ↓
Chicken Salad
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Ensure the chicken is free from fat, skin, gristle, and bone.
Cut the chicken into half-inch blocks.
Chop the celery finely.
Mix and chill
Mix the chicken and celery, then refrigerate until very cold.
Chill the dressing as well.
Serve
When ready to serve, mix 1 cup of the dressing with the chicken and celery.
Arrange in a salad bowl and pour the remaining ½ cup of dressing over the top.
Garnish with white leaves of celery.
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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Chicken + celerytop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,375 recipes
Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Cooked chicken
- Forms the bulk of the salad and gives it its main substance.
- Mayonnaise
- Adds fat and moisture that bind the salad and keep it creamy.
- Celery salad dressing
- Adds moisture and tangy flavor that coats the chicken and celery.
- Celery
- Adds crunch and fresh flavor that contrasts with the soft chicken.
The step that matters
Chilling the chicken, celery and dressing until very cold. Cold keeps the mayonnaise-based dressing firm and stable, so it does not turn greasy or loose, and the salad holds together and tastes fresh when served.
“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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