Home Chef is a meal kit subscription that delivers a weekly box of the pre-portioned ingredients needed to make 2-6 meals that feed two, four, six, or eight people. Home Chef advertises easy recipes that can be made in about 30 minutes. They offer vegetarian, gluten-free, and calorie/carb-conscious recipes. This is a review of my customized delivery that includes three 2-serving dinner options (3 x $9.95/serving) with $7.99 shipping, bringing the cost of this box to $67.69.
This box was sent at no cost for review. (Check out our editorial guidelines to learn more about how we review boxes.)
My March Subscription Box From Home Chef
It's that time of the month again - another subscription box from Home Chef! For the month of March I decided to try out the following three recipes:
- Spicy Chicken Parmesan with Crispy Zucchini
- Roasted Red Pepper and Italian Sausage Penne with Goat Cheese
- BBQ Bacon and Cheddar Smothered Chicken with Ranch Roasted Potatoes
Here's a closer look at the ingredients I was provided with each meal and what it was like to cook each entree.
MEAL #1: Spicy Chicken Parmesan with Crispy Zucchini
Meal Overview
Prep & Cook Time: 35-45 Minutes | Difficulty Level: Expert | 610 Calories per Serving
Ingredients I Was Provided
- 2 fl. oz. Marinara Sauce
- 2 Zucchini
- ¼ cup Panko Breadcrumbs
- 2 oz. Shredded Mozzarella
- 12 oz. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
- 5 fl. oz. Canola Oil
- 1 oz. Shredded Parmesan Cheese
- ½ tsp. Garlic Salt
- ¼ tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
How I Prepared This Meal
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Although Home Chef states that this meal is expert level, I assure you that most anyone could prepare this meal fairly easily as long as you pay close attention not to burn the cheese or crumbs.
To start off this meal, I first sliced the zucchini into rounds, combined the marinara and half the red flakes together in a small bowl, and then combined half the panko crumbs along with the parmesan in another bowl.
Then, I prepared the chicken by patting it dry and coating one side of it with panko crumbs.
Following this, I placed the zucchini into my air fryer and tossed it with 1 tsp. olive oil, garlic salt, and a pinch of pepper. I then topped it off with the parmesan-panko mix and allowed the zucchini to bake for 10 minutes @ 275F.
While the zucchini was baking, I placed the chicken panko-side down into my cast iron grill and cooked it in olive oil for roughly 6-8 minutes. Once it had browned, I flipped the chicken over and proceeded to cook the other side.
Once the chicken's panko crust had browned on both sides, I moved the chicken into the air dryer, topped it with the marinara-red pepper flakes mixture and mozzarella, and allowed it to bake for 5 minutes.
Final Results
Overall, I enjoyed this meal quite a bit. Although I typically shy away from spices, the red pepper flakes weren't overbearing and mixed well with the marinara and cheese. If you're looking for a lower-carb option from Home Chef then this meal would be a great choice as each serving only had 19 grams of carbs but was high in protein and fat, with 50 grams of protein and 38 grams of fat per serving.
My only suggestion to make this meal a bit easier to cook would be to apply an egg coating to the chicken prior to adding panko crumbs since adding the panko crumbs directly without a sticky coating made it a bit harder to retain the panko crumbs while grilling the chicken. Other than that, the meal cooked up perfectly.
MEAL #2: Roasted Red Pepper and Italian Sausage Penne with Goat Cheese
Meal Overview
Prep & Cook Time: 10-15 Minutes | Difficulty Level: Easy | 650 Calories per Serving
Ingredients I Was Provided
- 2 Green Onions
- 3 oz. Roasted Red Peppers
- ½ oz. Shredded Parmesan Cheese
- 1 oz. Goat Cheese
- 1 oz. Light Cream Cheese
- 2 Tbsp. Roasted Red Pepper Pesto
- 8 oz. Italian Pork Sausage
- 8 oz. Cooked Penne Pasta
- 2 tsp. Chicken Broth Concentrate
- ¼ oz. Flour
How I Prepared This Meal
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This meal was incredibly easy to cook and I highly suggest that novice-level cooks, especially children, try out this meal to improve their cooking skills.
First, I prepared the onion by slicing it and separating the green and white portions.
Then, I cooked the sausage and white portions of the green onion in 1.5 tbsp of olive oil in my cast iron grill for roughly 6 minutes. After the sausage had browned, I added in the flour.
In a separate pan, I made the sauce by adding together 3/4 cup of water, chicken base, cream cheese, and red pepper pesto. I let the ingredients simmer for around 3 minutes and then stirred in the pasta, parmesan, and roasted red peppers.
Finally, I plated my dish with the pasta, sausage, and sauce and topped it off with goat cheese and the green portions of the onions.
Final Results
I thoroughly enjoyed the simplicity of this meal and, despite only being 650 calories, I felt quite full afterwards. This dish was savory and I enjoyed the tartness of the goat cheese mixed with the savoriness of the meat and sauce. Definitely a fun dish!
MEAL #3: BBQ Bacon and Cheddar Smothered Chicken with Ranch Roasted Potatoes
Meal Overview
Prep & Cook Time: 40-50 Minutes | Difficulty Level: Intermediate | 720 Calories per Serving
Ingredients I Was Provided
- 13 oz. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
- 5 oz. Peas
- 1 tsp. Ranch Seasoning
- 1 oz. Crumbled Bacon
- 12 oz. Yukon Potatoes
- 2 oz. Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- 1½ oz. BBQ Sauce
How I Prepared This Meal
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This dish first required me to prepare and bake the potatoes. I halved the potatoes into 1/4" half-moons and then tossed them with 1 Tbsp. olive oil and seasoning blend. I then placed the potatoes into my air fryer and baked them @ 300 for 15 minutes.
While the potatoes were baking, I grilled the bacon over a 1/2 tbsp of olive oil to crisp it.
Once the potatoes were done baking, I flipped them over and then added in the peas and baked both ingredients together for 15 minutes. I decided to lower the heat to 225F for this step.
While the potatoes and peas were roasting, I grilled the chicken in 2 tsp of olive oil for around 5 minutes. I then flipped the chicken over and topped it off with bacon can cheese. I allowed the chicken to cook for another 5 minutes and then plated my dish.
Final Results
Absolutely delicious! Another simple, yet savory meal that certainly did not disappoint. The BBQ sauce and cheese helped bring the final touch to this meal and the roasted potatoes and peas made a great combination as well.
To Wrap Up:
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