7 Restaurant Chains That Serve the Best Pot Pies
Satisfying and flavorful, the pot pie ranks as one of the most homey of foods on American menus. Known across the pond as meat pie, the dish is a beloved comfort food. A staple for centuries, the pies are usually made with a flaky crust and filled with meats and vegetables in a thick savory gravy. While the origins of the dish are lost to the ages, they became very popular with the English gentry in the 16th century.
In the U.S., a lot of us grew up on frozen and scratch-made pot pies as a hearty weeknight dinner, with different styles in different regions, but the most popular is chicken pot pie. When the craving hits, not much can satisfy the urge for savory stewed meat and sauce soaking into a flaky crust.
If you're in the U.S. right now, and you need a pot pie fix, there are restaurant chains across the country—both big and small—ready to serve you an umami-rich meat pie.
Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen
Since 1979, Cheddar's has been serving fresh food at good prices to a growing fanbase of diners. One of its most popular dishes, the chain's homemade chicken pot pie is filled to the brim with roasted chicken, diced onions, peas and carrots, and a creamy sauce. The chain promises that each pot pie is assembled by hand and baked fresh in-house. It's served with a crunchy house salad.
Claim Jumper
This Houston-based chain has been open since 1977. It's got a large menu and decor inspired by the Old West and the California gold rush, so it's a fun place to take the family. The restaurant serves a personal-sized chicken pot pie using a recipe that hasn't changed since it opened. Diners will get carrots, onions, mushrooms, and peas simmered in a creamy herb sauce and baked in a house-made flaky pie crust. The pie is served with fresh fruit for a sweet finish.
Cracker Barrel
A favorite around the country with more than 650 locations, this homestyle restaurant is a sure bet for a fresh-baked chicken pot pie. It's now serving an updated recipe that features slow-simmered chicken, peas, carrots, celery, potatoes, and onions in a creamy sauce topped with a flaky pastry crust. The savory meal also comes with a choice of buttermilk biscuits or corn muffins.
KFC
The KFC personal chicken pot pie has reached cult status and has more than a few copycat recipes available. Made with the chain's famous chicken, the creamy pot pie also has diced potatoes, peas, and carrots covered in a savory sauce. It's baked beneath a flaky crust.
Marie Callender's Restaurant and Bakery
This West Coast-based chain has 25 locations across California, Idaho, Nevada, and Utah, and it's known for baking up sweet and savory pies. The restaurant offers a heartland chicken pot pie that is made fresh daily (sometimes it runs out!) and loaded with tender chunks of chicken with seasonings and vegetables. It's topped with a hand-pressed flaky crust. You can also get a mini chicken pot pie or shepherd's pie paired with a free slice of sweet dessert pie.
Metro Diner
This casual diner concept has more than 50 locations across the country and was featured on the Food Network show "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives." With a menu focused on classic American diner food, it's not surprising that its chicken pot pie is a crowd-pleaser. Served in a white diner-style
dish, the pie is filled with tender chicken, carrots, celery, and corn in a creamy sauce. It's topped with a flaky homemade biscuit crust.
Gregg's Restaurants and Taverns
This Rhode Island-based micro chain packs a lot of flavor in the food at its four locations, the first of which opened in 1972. While it's known for its from-scratch desserts, the flavorful chicken pot pie is well worth a visit. Tender white chicken meat is mixed with garden vegetables and baked to perfection in a flaky, buttery pie crust. The pot pie also comes with a choice of soup or salad to start.
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