Eat up: I tried supermarket chicken pies and found the best
One of the chicken and vegetable pies I tested
FANCY a taste of autumn - grab yourself a pie.
I haven't eaten an oven-bake supermarket-bought pie in a long time - so thought I would give them a try.
Boxes of four are very affordable, so I wasn't expecting the Earth to move, but I hoped for a reasonable depth of flavour. So which ones would I happily buy again and eat with mashed potato or chips for my tea? I tried eight supermarket brands, as well as Birds Eye.
Here's my verdict:
*4 Rich Chicken & Veg Pies by Asda, 568g (4x142g), £2.25
The pastry on top puffed up nicely in the oven and the shortcrust bottom was sufficiently firm. Inside it was well filled, with decent-sized pieces of chicken, and enough small pieces of carrot and peas to pass muster. So far, so good, but the taste let it down - it was bland and reminded me of the budget pies my housemates and I used to eat as a student.
Pros: pasty, contents.
Cons: taste.
Mark: 2/5
*Hearty Food Company, Tesco, 4 Chicken & Veg Pies, 568g, £3.49
These pies looked smaller, but were deeper than some others. The shortcrust pastry was quite heavy and a bit chewy, the puff pastry top was nice and light. While the pie had an acceptable amount of chicken, peas and carrot within the gravy - which was okay - it didn’t have much, if any, flavour. More costly than others with the same box weight - in my opinion, not worth the extra.
Pros: contents.
Cons: taste.
Mark: 2/5
*Sainsbury’s 4 Chicken & Vegetable Pies, 568g, £1.99
These looked lighter in colour than the others, which was less appetising. The pastry base was a bit chewy in texture, but it was a reasonably well-packed pie with a good amount of tender chicken which I could actually taste within the gravy - which was just the right thickness - along with the peas and chopped carrot. Not a bad pie and a very good price for four.
Pros: filling, taste, price.
Cons: consistency (pastry base).
Mark: 3/5
Asda Chicken & Mushroom Pies
Hearty Food Company, Tesco
Sainsbury's Chicken & Vegetable Pies
Fresh from the oven
Birds Eye pies
*Crestwood 4 Chicken & Vegetable Pies, Aldi, 568g, £1.99
Like Tesco, these were smaller in width but deeper. The pastry was light. Inside, and the pieces of chicken were a good size, tasty and tender. I found the dark gravy rich and tasty - the best gravy of the selection - but was disappointed to find peas but no pieces of carrot. This was a tasty, well-rounded pie, but unfortunately I was unable to find any evidence of carrot, which is listed on the ingredients. My husband also ate a pie, and his did have carrots, so, at that price, I’ll forgive them the production error and award it four.
Pros: consistency, taste.
Cons: contents, price.
Mark: 4/5
*Iceland 4 Chicken & Vegetable Pies (bought at The Range), 664g (4x166g), £2.50
This pie was bigger than the others, hence the higher price, and had a simple decorative pattern on top, which was a nice touch. The pastry top and bottom were light with a good texture and taste, but the contents did not live up to that. The gravy wasn’t bad but the amount of chicken pieces and vegetables was quite sparse - maybe that’s why this pie lacked flavour.
Pros: size, appearance.
Cons: contents, taste.
Mark: 2/5
*Morrisons Chicken and Vegetable Pies, 468g, £2.13
A good shape and colour - an appetising golden brown on top. The pastry had a light consistency and kept its shape while slicing into it, which was a bonus. There was a decent amount of peas and carrot - especially carrot, which good-sized pieces, which I could taste. There wasn’t much chicken, however, and what there was tasteless, and the gravy quite watery. As a whole the pie lacked flavour.
Pros: size, appearance.
Cons: content (chicken); taste
Mark: 2/5
Crestwood Chicken &Vegetable Pies, Aldi
Iceland Chicken & Vegetable Pies
Morrisons Chicken & Vegetable Pies
Lidl's Chef Select pies
*Birds Eye Chicken and Vegetable Pies (Farm Foods), 620g, £3.49
A good-sized pie, its neatly-shaped pastry covering was light and buttery – a good start, I thought. I also liked the dark gravy which surrounded the peas and carrots, but there was a shortage of the key player – chicken: there wasn’t much to get your teeth into. The taste came from the gravy. A bit more costly than some, but bigger pies.
Pros: size, taste (pastry) .
Cons: contents, taste.
Mark: 2/5
*Chef Select 4 Chicken & Vegetable Pies, Lidl, 568g, £1.99
This puffed up nicely, to a rich brown on top. The pastry base and top had a good texture and taste, while the chicken was tender and tasty within a light gravy. There were sufficient pieces of peas and carrots. All in all, a decent enough pie at a very affordable price.
Pros: consistency, taste, price.
Cons: none.
Mark: 3/5
*Pies bought July and August 2026