Are you craving that delicious, hearty comfort food that warms your soul? Costco’s Kirkland Signature Chicken Pot Pie might just be what you’re looking for! As someone who’s cooked this family favorite multiple times, I’m excited to share everything you need to know about preparing this crowd-pleaser perfectly
Why Costco’s Chicken Pot Pie Is Worth Your Time
Before we dive into cooking instructions, let’s talk about why this pot pie deserves a spot in your shopping cart. Weighing in at approximately 5 pounds, this massive pie can easily feed 6-8 people (or provide multiple meals for smaller households). The generous chunks of tender rotisserie chicken, mixed vegetables, and creamy sauce all wrapped in that signature flaky crust make it a true comfort food champion.
And let’s be honest – at around $11 Canadian (about $8 USD), it’s a bargain considering the quantity and quality you’re getting!
What You’ll Need
Getting ready to cook your Costco chicken pot pie is super simple. Here’s what you’ll need:
- 1 Costco Kirkland Signature Chicken Pot Pie
- Aluminum foil
- Baking sheet
- Food thermometer (optional but recommended)
That’s it! The beauty of this pre-made meal is that everything else is already taken care of.
Step-by-Step Cooking Instructions
Let’s break down the cooking process into simple steps
1. Preheat Your Oven
Set your oven to 375°F (190°C) and allow it to fully preheat. This temperature ensures even cooking and helps achieve that perfect golden crust.
2. Prepare Your Pot Pie
Remove ALL packaging from the pot pie – both the plastic lid on top AND the plastic base underneath. This is super important! The pie comes in an aluminum baking tray that’s oven-safe, so no need to transfer it to another dish.
3. Cover with Foil
Place the pot pie on a baking sheet (to catch any potential overflow) and cover the top with aluminum foil. This is a crucial step that helps prevent the crust from burning before the filling is heated through.
4. Bake
Place the covered pot pie in the preheated oven and bake for about 50-60 minutes.
5. Uncover and Continue Baking
After the initial baking time, carefully remove the foil and continue baking for an additional 10-20 minutes, or until the crust turns a beautiful golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
6. Check for Doneness
For food safety, the internal temperature should reach 165°F (74°C). If you have a food thermometer, insert it into the center of the pie to check.
7. Rest Before Serving
This step is SUPER IMPORTANT! Allow the pot pie to rest for 15-20 minutes before cutting into it. This resting period helps the filling set, making it easier to slice and serve without everything running all over your plate.
Tips for Perfect Results
- Watch the crust: If you notice the edges browning too quickly, you can place small strips of foil just around the rim to prevent burning.
- For frozen pies: If you’ve frozen your pot pie, you can cook it straight from frozen. Just add about 15-20 extra minutes to the cooking time.
- Cutting strategy: Use a sharp knife with a pointed tip for cleaner slices. A pie server or silicone spatula helps lift portions without breaking them.
What Does It Taste Like?
After trying this pot pie with my family, I can tell you it’s pretty darn delicious! The top crust is wonderfully flaky while the bottom crust is a bit denser (which helps support all that filling). Inside, you’ll find generous chunks of rotisserie chicken and lots of veggies like potatoes, peas, carrots corn and onions all swimming in a creamy, savory sauce.
It seriously tastes homemade, which is impressive for a pre-made meal!
Serving Suggestions
While the chicken pot pie is hearty enough to be a meal on its own, here are some sides that pair perfectly with it:
- Fresh garden salad: Adds a crisp contrast to the rich pot pie
- Steamed green beans or broccoli: Adds nutrition and color
- Mashed potatoes: For the ultimate comfort food experience
- Dinner rolls: Perfect for sopping up that delicious filling
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers (which is rare in my house!), here’s how to handle them:
Refrigeration
- Allow leftovers to cool completely
- Cover tightly with plastic wrap or transfer to an airtight container
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days
Freezing
- Cool completely
- Wrap individual portions in plastic wrap and aluminum foil
- Place in freezer bags with air removed
- Freeze for up to 2-3 months
Reheating
- Oven method: Reheat at 350°F (175°C) for 20-30 minutes or until heated through
- Microwave method: Place individual slices on a microwave-safe plate, cover with a damp paper towel, and heat for 2-3 minutes
Nutrition Information
For those watching their nutrition intake, here’s what you should know:
One serving (approximately 1/8 of the pie) contains:
- Calories: Around 390-720 (varies by location)
- Fat: 23-40g
- Sodium: 410-1,450mg
- Carbohydrates: 31-66g
- Protein: 15-22g
It’s definitely a calorie-dense meal, but the high protein content makes it satisfying. Just be aware of the sodium content if you’re watching your salt intake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I microwave the entire pot pie instead of baking it?
No, I don’t recommend it. While you can reheat individual slices in the microwave, cooking the entire pot pie this way would result in a soggy crust and uneven heating.
How do I prevent a soggy bottom crust?
Following the baking instructions carefully usually prevents sogginess. Making sure your oven is fully preheated before baking is also important.
Is the Costco chicken pot pie healthy?
Let’s be real – this isn’t a health food. It’s a delicious comfort food meant to be enjoyed in moderation as part of a balanced diet.
Can I cook it from frozen?
Yes! Just add about 15-20 minutes to the covered baking time and check for doneness before removing the foil.
Does the pot pie contain allergens?
Yes, it contains egg, milk, soy, and wheat. It may also contain traces of fish, shellfish, crustaceans, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, mustard, and sulfites. Always check the packaging for the most up-to-date allergen information.
Final Thoughts
After trying Costco’s chicken pot pie multiple times, I’d give it a solid 9/10 for flavor and value. It’s an incredible time-saver when you’re craving homemade comfort food but don’t have hours to spend in the kitchen.
The flaky crust, generous filling, and overall quality make it one of my favorite Costco pre-made meals. It’s perfect for busy weeknights, family gatherings, or anytime you need a satisfying meal without all the prep work.
Have you tried Costco’s chicken pot pie? What did you think about it? Share your experiences and favorite ways to serve it in the comments below!
Now if you’ll excuse me, I think I need to make another trip to Costco – all this talk of chicken pot pie has made me hungry!
Ingredients in Costco Deli Chicken Pot Pie
Here is my best attempt at typing out the ingredients:
- Filling (Water, Chicken with natural juices, Carrots, Green peas, Onions, Modified corn starch, Chicken stock concentrate [Chicken broth, Yeast extract, Salt, Sugar, Chicken fat, Onion powder, Natural flavors, Xanthan gum], Vegetable purees [Carrot, Celery, Onion, Canola oil], Nonfat dry milk, Hydrolyzed soy protein, Hydrolyzed corn protein, Salt, Sugar, Corn starch, Yeast extract, Natural flavors, Onion powder, Rice flour, Maltodextrin, Turmeric [Color], Soybean oil, Wheat flour, Celery, Canola oil, Carrot powder, Extractives of carrots, Xanthan gum, Spice extractives, Parsley, Thyme, Citric acid, Nisin [Preservative], Black pepper
- Crust (Enriched flour [Wheat flour, Vitamins B1, B2, B3, Iron, Folic Acid], Vegetable oil (Canola, Palm, Palm kernel], Water, Sugar, Dextrose, Salt, Citric acid)
- Rotisserie chicken (Chicken breast meat, Water, Seasoning [Salt, Sodium Phosphate, Modified food starch, Potato dextrin, Carrageenan, Sugar, Dextrose, Spice extractives)
My Costco chicken pot pie cost ~$22. These are sold by the pound at $3.99 per pound, so each pie is a slightly different price.
I weighed mine after baking, and it was 5.5 pounds exactly, which is 88 ounces. If you divide that into 12 servings, it is a generous 7.3 ounce serving for each slice.
The pie comes in a plastic box with a tight-fitting lid. After baking, I put my pie back in the box to refrigerate for leftovers. I’m a big fan of Costco’s plastic pie boxes. Unfortunately, I can’t eat the pie boxes.
There won’t be a next time.
I’m sorry if you’re one of the people who loves the Costco Deli Chicken Pot Pie. We aren’t going to see eye-to-eye on this. I know this must be a popular product, because my local Costco has had a huge, prominent, continuous display of chicken pot pies in Deli for the past couple months. Of course, the display case is ALWAYS full, so maybe they aren’t selling that many? Who knows.
I previously reviewed Publix’ Deli Chicken Pot Pie, which exceeded my expectations, so I was cautiously hopeful that Costco’s version might delight my taste-buds. Morgan Freeman voiceover: But it did not delight her taste-buds.
The appearance in the deli case was promising — the pies had a homemade look, with the lattice crust strips and fresh, unbaked appearance. Unfortunately, the Costco Deli staff did not bother to actually “lattice” the strips — the raw pie crust pieces are just laid on top of each other, instead of “woven” together. The strips are also NOT crimped in any way to the edges of the pie crust, so they slide around and fall apart during transit. It would only take 2 minutes to do the extra weaving/crimping steps before selling, so this seems odd. I ended up rearranging the crust pieces carefully at home and crimping the edges myself before baking.
Despite following the baking instructions exactly, I ended up with a dry, nearly burnt pie crust and very dry chicken inside. My oven tends to “underbake” rather than overbake — I usually have to bake things longer or at a slightly higher temperature to get the same results as everyone else, so this seems strange. If I were to bake this again, I would try covering the pie with aluminum foil for the first hour and then removed the foil for the last 30 minutes. It might also help to cook at 350 instead of 375. Strangely, the bottom crust wasn’t overbaked. It was actually too soft, although very brown.
I guess the biggest turn-off is the slimy gravy. The gravy is thick, but transparent, and appears to be thickened with “modified corn starch,” rather than flour. Instead of a creamy texture, it’s more like sticky snot. I could probably look past this unpleasantry, if there wasn’t so MUCH of this gravy! My pie was full of it. After eating through the top layer, there was an ocean of the slimy, jiggly gravy on the bottom crust layer. I picked the vegetables and chicken pieces out of it and ate them. But I couldn’t eat that gravy.
Happily, there is an abundance of tender vegetables in this pie. The carrots are whole baby carrots, which cooked evenly and thoroughly and maintain their bright orange color. The peas are soft without being mushy. There aren’t any other veggies here — no celery or potatoes.
(Hey, do you love carrots? Here is my review of Costco’s Carrot Bar Cake, which includes pineapple, walnuts, raisins, and whole wheat.)
The quality of the chicken meat is much better than Publix’s Chicken Pot Pie — it’s Costco’s own rotisserie chicken breast meat. Even though mine dried out too much from baking, it was still pretty good. Unfortunately, the meat distribution is extremely inconsistent. In some slices, there were huge, unwieldly chunks. But essentially “none” in others. My second slice of pie had only one tiny chicken fragment the size of my thumb-tip. It doesn’t appear that anyone bothered to chop up the chicken before dumping it into the pie. It might have made the gravy less disgusting if it had been distributed in and around the chicken instead of just a thick, sticky trench of it on the bottom of the pie. Probably would have kept the chicken from drying out, too.
I was underwhelmed by the flavors, overall. I can’t tell if it is the gravy or some other factor, but there was a subtle, off-putting aroma from this pie that I can’t quite put my finger on. There was plenty of “salty” taste, but there wasn’t enough savory, rich taste. Some extra celery flavor or butter would have helped a lot, IMHO. The ingredients list onions AND celery, but I did not detect either flavor, and there were no onion or celery pieces. This is a relatively bland pie.
I especially did not like the taste of the crust. I tried to make excuses for it — such as shifting the blame to the over-baked outcome — but the crust just doesn’t have a good taste. It’s not just because it’s dry and has a bad texture — it’s doesn’t have a good flavor. I feel strange saying this, because I’ve been a cheerleader for Costco pie crusts from the Bakery, every time. I don’t know why the Deli is such a different story. This crust needs different “fats” to taste right, methinks. I ended up throwing away almost all my crust.
I am someone who loves leftovers. I love leftovers almost more than I love freshly cooked food. I eat leftovers all day, every day. But, I did not want leftovers of this pie. I tried. Multiple times. My body just did not want to eat this. Since I sunk $22+ into this purchase, that is a huge disappointment. My frugal self was horrified. After a week, I threw my enormous, uneaten pie in the garbage. Sadness.
This massive pie is too heavy and liquid for the aluminum pie pan it is packaged in — it buckles and bends when lifting, and the pie crust breaks and falls off in chunks when this happens. I carefully slid mine onto a large cookie sheet that measures ~16×16 inches; the pie won’t fit on a standard half-sheet pan. Fortunately, no oozing of the gravy during baking.
I followed the cooking instructions from the product label exactly — 375 degrees for 1.5 hours, on the center rack of the oven. As mentioned above, this resulted in a nearly burnt crust and dry chicken. Next time, I might try dialing back the temperature to 350 degrees and/or covering the top of the pie with aluminum foil for the first hour or so.
Just kidding. There won’t be a next time.
