From Chick-Fil-A’s kitchen to your dinner table: Taste-Testing Mealtime Kits

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Elyssa Abbott

The Mealtime Kits come in 100% recyclable and compostable boxes, and each ingredient is in a pre-portioned, separate container.

Elyssa Abbott, Reporter, Photographer

Families in the community want an easy, home-cooked meal without spending hours slaving away in the kitchen. Chick-Fil-A released Mealtime Kits to accommodate the busy families that struggle with daily meal preparation. Introduced on August 27, these Mealtime Kits remain available for a limited time through November 17. Similar to HelloFresh, a meal kit subscription box that comes straight to one’s doorstep, Chick-Fil-A’s product come with pre-portioned ingredients of everything needed to prepare a meal.

So far, Chick-Fil-A released five meals: Crispy Dijon Chicken, Pan Roasted Chicken, Chicken Enchiladas, Chicken Flatbread, and Chicken Parmesan. Unlike HelloFresh, no subscription or pre-planning requirements trap consumers; just order at the counter at one of the 150 participating locations around metro-Atlanta. Each kit, advertised to take only thirty minutes to prepare, serves two people and costs $15.89. However, the chicken comes completely uncooked and the vegetables and other ingredients uncut, so it may take longer than thirty minutes for unexperienced chefs.

The chicken enchilada, the most popular of the meals, took about an hour to prepare. The instructions read clearly, and four beautiful enchiladas appeared at the end. The process,while not necessarily difficult, required more preparatory work than expected. Chick-Fil-A advertises the boxes as “simple and easy,” but proves no different than preparing it without the kit. The “simple and easy,” remark addresses the leisure of ordering at the counter instead of pre-ordering, such as other pre-portioned meal subscriptions, which did not seem easier than rushing to a grocery store. This promotion does fit busy families perfectly, and the finished product taste delicious, but most likely will result in little purchases, unless, of course, a sudden craving for a Chick-Fil-A chicken enchilada breaks out

. Although these meals may not fit everybody’s lifestyle, they do prove to fill the needs of a modern, busy family.  

“I absolutely recommend them to anyone who is busy and wants the convenience of a quick, home-style meal,” sophomore Daniella King said.

The Chant’s Grade: B