As American as it might seem,the pot pieis not a New World invention.
Nowadays, pot pie has become one of theultimate comfort foods.
It’s essentially the best parts of a soup or stew just stuffed inside a pastry-like crust.
Photos: The brands. Design: Eat This, Not That!
It smells like dessert while it’s baking, but eats like a full and filling meal.
What’s not to like?
These options and more can be readily found chilling in supermarket freezers.
Riased Gluten Free
So, without further adieu, let’s dig in!
Read on for my reviews of all eight pot pies, ranked from my least to most favorite.
That is more than double the cost of most of the other pies on this list.
Megan Hageman for Eat This, Not That!
The crust almost looks like a sugar cookie, but more brittle and blotchy.
The soupy mixture at the center is heavily seasoned and suspiciously dark.
And, frankly, the vegetable supply seems a little low.
Healthy Choice
The Taste:Grainy with too many herbs and spices.
It feels gritty in your mouth and leaves a strange powdery aftertaste.
And it didn’t get much better from there.
Megan Hageman for Eat This, Not That!
The vegan gravy, however, wasn’t dull enough.
It was filled with too many contrasting seasonings, including black pepper, garlic powder, and chili powder.
There’s also one last surprise ingredient: dumplings.
Dollar Tree
These are likely meant to add some sustenance in place of a doughy crust.
The Look:A stew of vibrant vegetables and bare chicken.
The sauce itself is pretty thin.
Megan Hageman for Eat This, Not That!
And there is not much else present to suggest any hints of added flavor.
Pinkish-white bits of chicken are on the smaller side.
The Taste:Predominantly tasteless, with a few positive qualities.
Boomerang’s
The dumplings did offer a nice change in pace in terms of texture.
The Look:Toasty edges, but sloshy in the middle.
The Taste:Fairly bland and watery.
Megan Hageman for Eat This, Not That!
The crust, which is more dense and doughy rather than flaky, gave off a stale taste.
And the filling is nothing more than glorified chicken stock.
Overall, you get what you pay for.
Blake’s
If so,Boomerang’shas you covered.
Meat lovers can dig into the Steak & Potato, Chicken & Mushroom, or Beef Shepherd’s Pie.
Spinach & Mushroom and Mac & Cheese pockets are available for vegetarians.
Megan Hageman for Eat This, Not That!
I picked one up at Kroger for $4.79.
The Look:Thickly breaded, but recklessly flaky.
This continued even after it was cooked, with the top crust reminding me of filo dough.
Walmart
The pie is also petite, matching Boomerang’s in terms of size.
The Taste:Not enough chicken or standout flavor.
The pastry crust is more like a saltine cracker and doesn’t add anything of value to the dish.
Megan Hageman for Eat This, Not That!
Inside, the gravy is more dry and mushy than creamy, and the taste of flour is prominent.
The rest of the interior makeup is very veggie-heavy.
The Look:Pale and overflowing.
Marie Callender
Blake’s is the only pot pie that spilled over during the cooking process.
The flaky crust is more like a sad tortilla flopped on top.
And the made-from-scratch gravy reminds me of a clear chicken noodle soup base.
Megan Hageman for Eat This, Not That!
The Taste:Surprisingly tolerable.
Going in, Blake’s appearance didn’t inspire a lot of confidence.
The chicken is juicy, having been cooked with olive oil, brown sugar, and sea salt.
Boston Market at Home
The single-serve frozen bowl set me back $5.49.
The Look:Bloody hell!
It’s very deflated and dry.
Megan Hageman for Eat This, Not That!
The dish is flat in stature and the pastry on top has no puff to it whatsoever.
The Taste:Fresh and flavorful chicken and veggies that are sabotaged by a disappointing crust.
It’s more chewy instead of crisp, coming off as artificial and even like cardboard in spots.
On the flip side, the oven-roasted white meat chicken is quite succulent.
The company also has the largest assortment of pot pies.
Available options include beef, turkey, chicken corn chowder, and broccoli cheddar and potato.
Some are even served in a new cauliflower crust.
The Look:Nicely browned on the outside, creamy and inviting on the inside.
It really does look like the quintessential pot pie and matches the picture on the box pretty closely.
The crust looks flaky but also moist.
The Taste:A perfect harmony of flaky crust and plump chicken and vegetables.
Each individual ingredient impressed me.
The outer shell is both crisp and doughy at the same timein the best possible way.
This is also one of the best displays of chicken thus far.
It’s juicy, has some depth, and there’s plenty to go around.
Even just a pinch of pepper would elevate it to new heights.
Otherwise, my compliments to the chef, Marie.
I found it for $3.49 at my local Giant Eagle store.
The Look:A crispy yet moist crust with a gravy filling very much like Marie’s.
This pie acquired a great deal of color in the oven but still didn’t appear burnt.
Upon cutting into the middle, I uncovered a stockpile of ample mixed vegetables and chicken.
The pie was also chunky in size and took almost 70 minutes to cook all the way through.
The Taste:Buttery and rich from start to finish.
Half and half additionally elevates the velvety gravy.
Other brands stick to mostly carrots and peas.
Overall, I found that I had little to no complaints about this pot pie whatsoever.
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