I Tried 5 Frozen Chicken Pot Pies & One Brand is Ranks Above Others
Nothing beats a warm chicken pot pie when you’re craving comfort food, but not every frozen version lives up to the promises written on the box, claiming homemade flavor and buttery crust. Some deliver crispy crusts packed with tender chicken and vegetables, while others rely heavily on sauce or skimp on the filling altogether. To find the best option, I heated up five popular frozen chicken pot pies in the microwave and judged them on crust, filling, flavor, ingredient quality, and overall package. From lighter, crustless alternatives to classic comfort food favorites, here’s how they ranked from my least favorite to the one I’d happily keep stocked in my freezer.
Healthy Choice Café Steamers Crustless Chicken Pot Pie
Calories: 300
Healthy Choice deserves credit for offering a lighter take on chicken pot pie, especially for anyone looking to boost protein without the extra calories. Instead of a traditional crust, it includes chewy dumpling pieces alongside chicken and vegetables that steam separately before being mixed into the sauce. The vegetables were surprisingly fresh, colorful, and retained a nice bite thanks to the steaming method, while the chicken stayed juicy. Unfortunately, the dumplings didn’t do much for me. They had an artificial flavor and couldn’t replace the buttery, flaky crust that makes chicken pot pie so good. It’s a solid healthy option, but it doesn’t fully satisfy the craving in my opinion.
Banquet Chicken Pot Pie
Calories: 370
Banquet’s classic chicken pot pie promises a flaky crust, but it fell a bit short compared to the competition. While the filling was creamy and packed with plenty of sauce, it was noticeably light on both chicken and vegetables. I guess that’s to be expected, considering this is famously a budget option, costing just $1 at Walmart. The crust was decent enough, but the overall pie tasted like a budget frozen meal. Nothing was particularly bad, yet nothing really stood out either. If you’re simply looking for an inexpensive comfort meal, it gets the job done, but there are much stronger options in the freezer aisle.
Banquet Mega Chicken Pot Pie
Calories: 870
Banquet’s mega chicken pot pie was a noticeable improvement over the original version. The larger pie offered a much more generous amount of filling, with significantly more white meat chicken packed inside. The flaky crust held up well in the microwave and had a pleasant texture, although the filling itself could have used a little more seasoning. While it still leaned toward the budget side of frozen pot pies, the larger portions and heartier filling made it a much more satisfying meal overall.
Marie Callender’s Creamy Parmesan Chicken Pot Pie
Calories: 950
Marie Callender’s creamy parmesan chicken pot pie isn’t your traditional chicken pot pie, and that’s exactly what makes it memorable. Instead of the classic peas and carrots combination, this version features broccoli, red bell peppers, Parmesan cheese, and an ultra creamy sauce that almost resembles a rich casserole. The filling is incredibly flavorful and loaded with quality ingredients, while the crust baked up beautifully in the microwave. It’s undeniably rich, making it feel more indulgent than a traditional pot pie, but every bite tasted fresh. If you’re looking for something a little different, this is an excellent choice.
Marie Callender’s Chicken Pot Pie
Calories: 610
Marie Callender’s classic chicken pot pie delivered everything I was hoping for. The crust puffed up beautifully in the microwave, staying crisp and flaky instead of becoming soggy. Inside, the filling tasted fresh and well-balanced, with tender vegetables that still had some texture and a thick sauce that wasn’t overly salty or rich. I would have preferred slightly smaller pieces of chicken for a more even bite throughout the pie, but that’s a minor complaint. Overall, this was the most complete package and a classic comfort food done exceptionally well, easily earning my top spot!