Inspired by hash browns and energized by eggs, four chefs wake up the judges' palates using baskets packed with breakfast foods. Time constraints in the super short first round have the chefs working frantically to get their plates done, and two chefs battle with breakfast sandwiches in the entrée round. In the dessert round, the competitors face a challenge that includes a strange coffee and a regional meat dish.

The Chopped competitors take on ingredients that would usually be thrown away in hopes of turning edible trash into culinary treasures. In the appetizer round, all four chefs have zero reservations about the zero-waste theme, and they have big plans for the shrimp-centric basket. Then, a leftover dish and ignored vegetable tops create a culinary puzzle in the entrée round, and the two finalists make wise use of expired milk before time expires in the dessert round.