We Style-Examined 7 Rooster Pot Pies—1 Tasted Simply Like It Was Made From Scratch

A picture of rooster pot pie—with its steaming-hot, golden-brown crust and savory filling of rooster, peas, and carrots—might sit beside the dictionary definition of consolation meals. Cracking your spoon by way of the flaky pastry and into the stew looks like a heat hug—and after enduring the coldest days of the yr, that’s precisely the form of meal we crave.

Although making rooster pot pie from scratch isn’t troublesome, it may be time-consuming—that’s the place frozen, store-bought choices are available in. So which of them are price shopping for? To search out the very best rooster pot pie, we cooked every in response to its package deal instructions and tasted them with out understanding which model was which. After sampling seven pies, we tabulated the outcomes and topped an general winner, together with three runners-up.

The Standards

The most effective rooster pot pies are wealthy and savory, with a definite depth of umami. The crust can take a number of kinds: Some pies are topped with flaky puff pastry, whereas others—like this home made pot pie from former Critical Eats editor Stella Parks—characteristic fluffy drop biscuits. Regardless of the model, the crust must be buttery, flavorful, and totally cooked, by no means uncooked inside. The filling must be homey and comforting, with savory rooster enhanced by aromatics akin to carrots, onions, and celery. Each the rooster and greens must be tender, by no means chewy or rubbery. The gravy must be well-seasoned and thick with out being gloopy or jellied, and it shouldn’t be watery or seep by way of the crust.

Total Winner

Kirkland Signature Rooster Pot Pie With Rotisserie Rooster Breast

This pot pie stood out for its measurement. Weighing about 5 kilos, it might simply feed six to eight folks—excess of the single-serving pies in our lineup. The pastry was brief and tender, crumbling simply, and the pie was generously full of lengthy shreds of rooster. The gravy was well-seasoned and lighter than a few of the others, which leaned gloopy. Flecks of herbs have been seen all through the stew.

Our affiliate editorial director, Megan, favored the “crispy crust” and particularly appreciated that the rooster “truly had the feel and taste of rooster,” and famous that she’d fortunately eat this pie on goal. Our senior editor, Genevieve, praised the “good creaminess” of the sauce, described the pastry as “properly crisp,” and gave the pie bonus factors for the rooster not being dry. 

Our solely main grievance was the inclusion of complete child carrots: “Why are there complete child carrots in it? That’s lazy,” stated our editorial director, Daniel. Although he didn’t love this rooster pot pie—remarking that it wasn’t “as scrumptious correctly” and that it isn’t a large-format pie he’d advocate—a number of different tasters ranked it as their favourite, making it our winner.

Runners-Up

Total Runner-Up: Blake’s Rooster Pot Pie

“Significantly better than it seems. First rate texture to the rooster and a crispy, flaky crust,” Megan remarked, naming it her runner-up. I additionally liked the crust; its flaky texture jogged my memory of home made pastry. Nevertheless, Daniel, Genevieve, and I wanted the pie had extra filling and have been dissatisfied there wasn’t extra sauce. In case you’re extra of a crust particular person than a filling particular person, this single-serving pot pie stands out as the one for you.

The Greatest Rooster Pot Pie for Crust Lovers: Mrs. Budd’s Full Baked White Meat Rooster Pie

This pot pie earned excessive marks for its crust. “The pastry on that is actually good,” stated Daniel, who gave this pie the very best marks for texture of the bunch. “It’s extremely biscuity, thick and beneficiant, crisp, and never underbaked on the underside facet.” Genevieve agreed, saying that the crust’s texture was “good and brief.” 

The filling was too heavy for Genevieve and me; the gravy had a really poultry-forward taste paying homage to rooster bouillon cubes. The sauce was additionally fairly thick. Daniel agreed that it wasn’t an ideal filling, saying, “This stew is not a stand-out, however it’s nonetheless fairly good.”

The Greatest Rooster Pot Pie for Pea Lovers: Blount’s Household Kitchen Totally Baked Rooster Pot Pie

This pot pie divided our tasters. Some loved it, whereas others didn’t. Daniel known as it “tasty and comforting,” including that whereas it “seems junky,” it scratched his rooster pot pie itch. Megan additionally favored it, noting that the crust was “truly respectable, with some crunch and butteriness.” Daniel praised the crust as “good, tender, and crisp on prime.”

Some tasters appreciated the filling—Daniel favored the black-pepper “spine” within the stew and counted it amongst his favorites. Others discovered it reasonably bland. The gravy had a faint inexperienced sheen—seemingly from the peas—and a pronounced pea taste that wasn’t successful with everybody.

The Contenders

• Blake’s Rooster Pot Pie
• Blount’s Household Kitchen Totally Baked Rooster Pot Pie
• Boston Market Rooster Pot Pie
• Kirkland Signature Rooster Pot Pie with Rotisserie Rooster Breast
• Marie Calendar’s Rooster Pot Pie
• Mrs. Budd’s Totally Baked White Meat Rooster Pie
• Willow Tree Premium White Meat Rooster Pie

Key Takeaways and Conclusion

Not like lots of our contenders, that are offered frozen, our winner—Kirkland Signature Rooster Pot Pie—is offered refrigerated. Most rooster pot pies are topped with flaky puff pastry, however Kirkland’s crust is shortcrust-style, giving it a young, crumbly texture. Whereas conventional home made shortcrust pastry is made with butter, Kirkland’s model makes use of a mix of canola, palm, and palm kernel oils. Butter usually comprises 80% to 82% butterfat, whereas oil is 100% fats. That increased fats content material coats gluten proteins extra successfully, limiting gluten growth—which may make dough powerful and chewy—and leading to a extra tender crust.

The Kirkland pot pie additionally stood out for its flavorful filling, made with shredded rotisserie rooster, carrots, inexperienced peas, onions, and seasonings akin to onion powder, parsley, thyme, and black pepper.

Our runner-up, Blake’s Rooster Pot Pie, had a flaky, conventional pastry crust made with wheat flour and palm oil. Somewhat than enclosing your entire pie, the crust seems solely as a disc on prime. Daniel, Genevieve, and I needed extra sauce and filling and agreed we’d have favored it much more if the crust surrounded the pie, because it was one of many richest, flakiest pastries of the bunch.

In case you’re feeding a crowd, head to Costco for the Kirkland Signature Rooster Pot Pie. (Or freeze the leftovers for one more day.) Full of Costco’s rotisserie rooster, it’s a hearty, satisfying choice for a comfortable weeknight dinner. For a single-serving frozen choice, Blake’s delivers that very same comfort-food attraction.

Our Testing Methodology

All style assessments are performed with manufacturers utterly hidden and with out dialogue. Tasters style samples in random order. For instance, taster A could style pattern one first, whereas taster B will style pattern six first. That is to stop palate fatigue from unfairly giving anyone pattern a bonus. Tasters are requested to fill out tasting sheets, rating the samples in response to varied standards. All knowledge is tabulated, and outcomes are calculated with no editorial enter to supply probably the most neutral illustration of precise outcomes attainable.