Chopped challenges four promising chefs to turn a selection of everyday ingredients into an extraordinary three-course meal. In each episode, four chefs compete. The show is divided into three rounds; in each round, the chefs are given a basket with four unrelated ingredients, and the dish each competitor prepares must contain all of these ingredients.

Players start off isolated in an apartment, and with their online interactions as their only means of any communication. The players use a social media platform called "The Circle".