Breaking Down Blue Apron’s Adobo Chicken: Is It Worth the Hype?

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What’s Up, Hungry People!

NOT SPONSORED: This Experiment Was All On Me!

So, I decided to give Blue Apron a whirl, pledging to follow each recipe to a T. For my second meal from their lineup, I zeroed in on the Adobo chicken. I was craving something with a bit of an exotic kick.

Let’s be real—I was still recovering from the somewhat disappointing triple pork mazemen from the night before. My hopes were high for this Adobo chicken, despite the most “out there” ingredient being bok choy.

Let’s Cook!

First Things First: Ingredients and Rice

The recipe starts off pretty straightforward: prep the ingredients, check; cook the rice, check. Everything seemed to be sailing smoothly.

Here’s Where Things Get Interesting

Oven Temperatures and Bok Choy

Red flags waved when the recipe suggested roasting the bok choy at 475°F for 8-10 minutes. As someone who’s cooked their fair share of greens, I was skeptical. Cooking bok choy that long and at that heat is a fast track to overly crispy—not in a good way—leaves and stems. But hey, I committed to following the recipe, so I took the plunge.

And, well, let’s just say it didn’t pan out. Instead of a perfect wilt, I got something more akin to a bok choy bonfire.

Next time, I’d dial down the heat to around 425°F for a bok choy that’s tender yet still crisp.

The Chicken and Veggie Mix-Up

Another eyebrow-raiser was when the recipe instructed to toss the raw chicken into the pan along with the onions, ginger, scallions, garlic, and bay leaves. Seriously? Most recipes I’ve come across would have you sear the chicken first. Or at least cook it to a point where it’s not playing chicken—no pun intended—with the veggies. It felt like a culinary faux pas to me and resulted in some unevenly cooked onions. Not cool.

The Final Dish and a Vinegar Reality Check

The finished product? The vinegar was a bit too assertive, almost stealing the show. I couldn’t even bear the thought of reheating this for lunch the next day. That said, my parents were big fans of this dish, although they also had their own bok choy-burning experience. We all agreed that the suggested oven temps in the recipe were, let’s say, overzealous.

Here’s What You Need

If you’re still intrigued and want to try this out for yourself, you can read the recipe on Blue Apron’s website.

Enjoy!

Whether you decide to tackle this recipe or dodge it, make sure to trust your gut when it comes to cooking. Sometimes, even printed instructions can benefit from a dash of common sense. Happy cooking, Hungry People!