Ok, I have an unsolicited product endorsement to make (which is rare for me since Lynn is a gourmet cook). I love a good chicken pot pie, but they're hard to find. In L.A. there was a Marie Callender's close to work and I hit the place once a week or so for lunch. One of my favorites was their Chicken Pot Pie, but I haven't been to a Marie Callender's in probably 35-40 years, so things may have changed. I have bought their commercial Chicken Pot Pies from the grocery store and either the store version is different, or they just weren't as good as I remember them.

We had a very good Chicken Pot Pie at Cracker Barrel ONCE, but at three or four different Cracker Barrels, they were nothing to get excited about. We often eat at Cracker Barrel on the road with the camper because they have camper parking (even overnight camping) in their lots. One would assume, as a chain, they'd be consistent, but we've found that not to be the case. The Chicken Pot Pie got a thumbs down every place but the first one we tried (in Destin, Florida). We no longer order the pie at Cracker Barrel.

Now, here's the endorsement. While in L.A. over the Christmas holidays, we wanted something quick for dinner. We happened to be at Sam's Club and Lynn picked up a very large and heavy chicken pot pie. They're made fresh daily, in the store. It was a pretty big gamble because we'd never tried them before and they were huge (maybe 10"? 12"?) and extremely heavy (about 5-lbs). They're actually sold by the pound and of the pies available, seemed to run between $19-$21 each. I'd have been pissed if they sucked, but Sam's has a very generous return/refund policy, so we took the plunge. It was the best danged Chicken Pot Pie I've ever had! Packed with WHITE chicken meat. Not cut up chunks, but shredded, whole muscle (like pulled pork?), very tasty gravy and a great crust. I know tastes vary, but don't fill mine with celery, carrots, peas, corn and whatever else you find lying around the kitchen. This one had (baby, like Le Sueur Early) peas, which is the only green pea I like. The odd thing is, the website also lists carrots in the ingredients, but neither Lynn nor I remember carrots. Either way, it's larrupin!

Ok, score one for Sam's Club, but after the Cracker Barrel fiasco, we weren't convinced. We later purchased one at our local Sam's Club here and it was exactly the same as what we'd experienced in California. We've now had two here ... extremely consistent, even though they are made daily in the store. If you like Chicken Pot Pie, you can take it from this self-proclaimed CPP connoisseur, this pie would be very hard to beat. As a side note, we have Costco AND Sam's Clubs in Tampa and Orlando, but only two Sam's Clubs here in town, so I have no idea if Costco has anything equivalent.

https://www.samsclub.com/p/members-m...b./prod8900191