I Tried Giada De Laurentiis's Limited-Edition Meal Kits—And They Changed the Way I Cook

Now through April 17, you can order a rotating selection of meals from the Home Chef x Giada De Laurentiis menu. Like most meal kits, the ingredients come pre-portioned, so there's minimal prep on your end. Recipes range from Cacciatore-Style Chicken Milanese and Effortless Parmesan Shrimp Risotto (the two dishes I tried) to Giada's Veggie-Packed Beef Bolognese and Seared Salmon Orzo.

Prices may vary depending on your selections, but in my case, two meals with servings for two people costs about $48, with $11 for shipping. However, new customers who order from the collaboration menu can use the code CHEFGIADA to receive 50 percent off their first box, as well as free shipping and a free mini bottle of Giadzy Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

When I first pulled the recipe instructions for risotto out of the box and saw it'd be ready in less than 30 minutes, I balked. But pre-cooked rice meant you didn't have to stand and stir, babysitting the risotto as it thickened. ("Par-cooking the rice is something we do at my restaurants," De Laurentiis explained. "That's how we're able to get risotto to you in 10 minutes. Otherwise, it'd take 40 and nobody's waiting for that.")

The risotto wasn't quite as thick and creamy as the classic, but I didn't mind the trade-off. It also made the dish taste lighter overall—a nice choice for spring—especially when paired with peppery arugula and juicy, lemon-kissed shrimp.

More impressive, though, were the little tips and techniques you could pick up while cooking. That's where the Cacciatore-Style Chicken Milanese really shined. De Laurentiis calls for patting the chicken dry and lightly coating it with mayonnaise before dipping it in panko breadcrumbs. No egg-milk dredging, no messy fingers, yet you still get a solid coating on the chicken.

From there, you cook the chicken over medium-high heat, using just three tablespoons of olive oil, resulting in a shatteringly crisp breading that isn't too greasy. Now, I don't want to fry chicken breasts any other way. (I've tried this technique and baked the chicken, only to find the breading turn a bit gummy and slides right off.)

Italian cooking may conjure images of red sauce and carbs, but De Laurentiis's menu proves there's so much more to Italian cuisine than that. Both are there, sure, but each meal really focuses on balance—a solid mix of protein and veggies, and all but one dish included grains. (Giada's Creamy Chicken Scaloppine is paired with mashed potatoes and broccolini.)

I found myself reaching for a hunk of bread to sop up leftover sauce from the chicken Milanese, and even after savoring each bite, I felt satiated (the portions were solid), not bogged down.

On weeknights when my time—and mental bandwidth—are already stretched thin, the Home Chef kits are a godsend. I still feel like I'm making a well-rounded, high-quality meal, and there's a meditative quality to being able to follow the directions as your mind wanders. If you want to mix up your mealtime routine, this is the way to do it (as long as you do so before the ordering window ends on April 17!).