So far, my experiences with cooking my Blue Apron meals have been very positive and frustration free. That was not the case when I tried the recipe for Hot Chicken and Sautéed Green Beans with Creamy Mashed Potatoes. I do not like to fry and these chicken fingers proved difficult in the frying process. Mike started by prepping and cutting the fresh produce. Once it was cut, I put the shallots in a bowl with vinegar and seasoned with salt and pepper. Next, I marinated the chicken with milk, vinegar, and half the spice blend. I let it marinate about 10-15 minutes. While the chicken marinated, I boiled the potato for about 15 minutes. I drained the water and added fromage blanc, butter, salt, and pepper. I mashed the potatoes and set them aside. Next, I heated up oil in a pan, added green beans, seasoned them, and cooked them for 3-4 minutes. I placed them in a bowl and added the shallot mixture. Then, I double coated the chicken in a flour/spice blend. I heated up a pan of oil and cooked the chicken about 3-4 minutes on each side in small batches. This is where the trouble came into play. The outside of the chicken looked done, but the inside wasn't cooked through. I heated up the oven and put the chicken on a pan in the oven for about 5-7 minutes to finish cooking on the inside, without over cooking the outside. In the end, the food was yummy. Unfortunately, I found the frying to be a pain. The potatoes could have used a little more seasoning, perhaps some garlic would have been better. I did like the green beans and the chicken was tasty, despite the frustration. In the future, I need to remember to not choose recipes that involve frying or put on my patient pants.

The New Austonian