Plated Subscription Box Review + Coupon – November 2017

Plated is a weekly meal kit delivery subscription that delivers you pre-portioned ingredients and recipes to help you make chef-designed recipes at home. They offer different weekly menus and randomly pick recipes for you based on preferences you submit when you sign up. If you'd rather pick your own recipes from the weekly menu, it's easy to hop in and change your order on their website or their handy-dandy app.

Plated is committed to using sustainably sourced seafood, seasonal produce, and meat that’s free from antibiotics and added hormones. Like most meal kits, Plated won't include standard pantry items (think salt, pepper, olive oil). They will, however, email you to let you know what pantry items you should have on hand for that week's box. Prep time and dietary details are listed in each recipe. And if you love a recipe, you can rate it and download a digital recipe card via your online account. (Highly rated recipes sometimes come back as "Encore" recipes for you to order again, so don't forget to leave your star rating each week!)

My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

This review is for the 2 recipes (4 plates) plan, which cost $48.00 per week (+ $6.00 shipping). I chose to have chicken, beef, shellfish, and fish as options to include in my recipes.

The Subscription Box: Plated

The Cost: Recipes begin at $12.00 per plate:

• 2 recipes (4 plates)= $48.00 per week (+ $6.00 shipping)
• 3 recipes (6 plates)= $72.00 per week (with free shipping)
• 4 recipes (8 total plates)= $96.00 per week (with free shipping)
• Dessert costs $4.00 per serving (available after your first order)

ACTIVE DEAL: Get 25% off your first four weeks (up to $159 in savings). No coupon needed - just use this link.

The Products: All of the pre-portioned fresh and seasonal ingredients you need to make chef-designed recipes at home in your own kitchen.

Ships to: 95% of the U.S. (Currently, Plated does not ship to Hawaii and Alaska, and there are also a few cities in Texas, including San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Laredo, and Midland, where they don’t yet ship.)

Good to know: Plated was recently purchased by Albertsons.

Check out all of our Plated Reviews and discover more meal boxes in the Meal Subscription Box Directory!

Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!

Plated sends each meal mostly packaged together in a plastic bag, except for meat and any larger produce that may not fit (like this HUGE dinosaur kale). Each individually wrapped item is marked with the meal it belongs to so you can organize them in your refrigerator upon unpacking.

Pan-Roasted Chicken with Brussels Sprout Gratin and Apple Cider Pan Sauce

Calories per Serving: 830

Total Prep and Cook Time (listed): 40-50 minutes

Actual Time: 60 minutes

Plated recipe cards come with a short description on the front and include the estimated prep and cook time and the calories per serving.

On the other side, you'll see a list of ingredients, what you'll need from your kitchen (ingredients as well as tools), recipe tips, and step-by-step directions with photos. This meal was really heavy on the prep-work, which is my least favorite part of cooking. Sadly, I was making this alone so I didn't have anyone to pawn it off on. Le sigh.

The brussels sprouts were halved and I was instructed to put them in the tin that was included in this week's box. The weird thing is that I received two tins this size. I'm not sure if it was accidental, or if they included two smaller tins instead of one larger one? The brussels alone filled up quite a bit of real estate, and there was SO MUCH more that needed to be added later.

I received two shallots which I peeled and sliced thinly. They were a bit unruly, but I persevered. Half of them went into the tin with the brussels, as well as half of the garlic I minced, and I then tossed with olive oil, salt, and pepper. After they were fully coated, they went into the oven for 14 minutes.

I turned my attention to the chicken breasts next. They were of course salt and peppered, and seared in a pan with olive oil for 6 minutes per side.

Shortly thereafter, the veggies came out of the oven to be further added to.

The huge bunch of dinosaur kale I had painstakingly de-stemmed and chopped was to be stuffed into this tiny pan. Spoiler alert: it did not all fit, but I got a good portion in there.

I then added heavy cream, mozzarella, fontina, and tried to mix it all together without making a giant mess. Note to self: I should have done this in a separate bowl.

Here are the breadcrumbs and oil I mixed a bit earlier.

After everything was mixed to the best of my ability, I topped it with the breadcrumbs and it went back into the oven for another 14 minutes.

While that baked, I used the same pan used for the chicken to saute the rest of the shallots and garlic.

I then added the apple cider vinegar, 1/2 cup of chicken stock, and brought to a boil. Look at it bubble.

I removed it from the heat, added the last pat of butter, and half of the parsley I had chopped (all by myself). I will note that when comparing my photos to those on the recipe card, my sauce was not red at all (which it was in their photos). I have no idea why. What in here is red? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The brussels sprout gratin was finally ready to come out of the oven! The golden color of the breadcrumbs pleases me so.

Here we have the finished meal, with shallots and apple cider pan sauce over the chicken and parsley to garnish.

I was pretty stoked on the brussels sprout gratin, as I have never made anything like that before. I think the brussels could have cooked a bit longer, but I will have to chalk that up to a lesson learned. The chicken was super moist and I gobbled it down with ease.

Chicken Paprikash with Bell Pepper and Egg Noodles

Calories per Serving: 990

Total Prep and Cook Time (listed): 45-55 minutes

Actual Time: 65 minutes

I feel like I should mention that my favorite meal of all time is my Mother's Chicken Paprikash, which I've been eating since I was a child. Even when I was vegetarian in high school, she altered it with fake chicken so I could still eat it. What a gal! I also came to learn that she took A LOT of liberties as a busy working (and then later, single) Mom when preparing this for our family. 1. She uses boneless chicken breasts (that are cut into bite-size pieces) instead of bone-in thighs, 2. she purees the onions used in the sauce because I have hated onions since birth, 3. (this is most likely a variation) she makes spaetzle (dumplings) instead of serving over noodles. Her recipe also has no bell peppers or tomatoes. The whole sauce consists of sour cream, the aforementioned pureed onion, and a TON of paprika. What I'm trying to say is: this Chicken Paprikash is nothing like the one I am used to, so it was very interesting for me to make. I have a feeling this one is closer to being authentic, but since I've never had it outside of my Mom's recipe, I can't be sure.

I'm not a big fan of cooking bone-in meat or recipes that take an hour, so I had to put my game-face on for this one!

Right out of the gate, I cooked the thighs (skin side down) for five minutes, then flipped and cooked for an additional minute. They were then set aside.

The sliced onion went into the same pan to be sauteed (onion prep work presented by my dear friend, Kelly. Thanks, Kells!).

Then came the bell peppers.

And then, the spice mix (including a mix of smoked and sweet paprika) and garlic.

I then added a small amount of flour, the can of crushed tomatoes, and all of the chicken stock until it came to a boil.

I added salt and pepper, removed from heat, and added the chicken thighs back to the pan.

They then went into the oven at 450 degrees (luckily the pan I used was oven-safe just up to 450 degrees) for 20 minutes.

I forgot to tell you. I cooked those egg noodles (and then slathered them in butter).

I also did some dishes, as I tend to do during a lull in any recipe, while I waited for the chicken to finish.

Here it is, hot from the oven!

The thighs came back out so I could finish the sauce. I added sour cream (so much less than my Mom does), half the parsley, and some more salt and pepper to taste.

Aaaaand there you have it. I divided the egg noodles between two plates, then plopped down the thighs, and then slathered in sauce.

My friend Kelly came over to enjoy this with me and stuffed herself to the point of discomfort, only eating one chicken thigh. I also only had room for one thigh, so there was still plenty left for my roomie to enjoy as well. I'll be honest, I 100% prefer my Mom's version, but this was a real journey to make and I'm glad I know now.

Verdict: I received two hearty meals from Plated this week that filled up my belly. Both recipes were pretty time-intensive, which reminded me to maybe check that out before choosing my meals next time. Even though their meals are $11.99 per plate, since I don't hit the minimum for free shipping, I am charged $6.00 per delivery which makes them $13.50 a plate.

To Wrap Up:

Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No. The Plated menus change weekly and you need to lock in orders before shipments go out.

ACTIVE DEAL: Get 25% off your first four weeks (up to $159 in savings). No coupon needed - just use this link.

Value Breakdown: This box cost $54.00, which is $13.50 per meal.

Would you eat the meals I cooked from Plated this week?