The Trader Joe's Frozen Find That Reinvents Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken pot pie is a classic comfort food that's great to make on your own from scratch, but is also commonly available in convenient frozen varieties. One recent addition to this broad lineup adds a relatively new twist to the usual format, and it comes from a store known for its diehard fans — Trader Joe's.

In 2025, Trader Joe's introduced its Handheld Chicken Pot Pie for a limited time. Just like the name says, each of the two pies inside every box are meant to be held while eating. This is a significant departure from the competition, which is typically a miniature whole pie that's not meant to be picked up and eaten.

The flaky crust of this handheld chicken pot pie is somewhat reminiscent of the Jamaican fast food of choice, beef patties. In those, well-seasoned ground beef is wrapped inside pastry dough and baked to produce a yellow-orange, ultra-flaky beef turnover. Trader Joe's chicken pot pies adopt a shape and flakiness common to Jamaican-style patties, but with chicken and vegetables inside instead of beef and diced peppers.

When we recently ranked 8 store-bought chicken pot pies from worst to best, Trader Joe's handheld version was unfortunately not among the contenders due to its recent release. Instead, the Chicken Pot Pie by Chef Ramsay took top honors because of its flaky crust and flavorful gravy, though it's possible this new Trader Joe's pie would rank up there. 

Many customers enjoy these handheld pot pies, but a common complaint is that they are too dry. "I wanted more of the pot pie 'goo' in it," read one Reddit comment. Possibly related, some also say that Trader Joe's Handheld Chicken Pot Pies taste a little bland — a far cry from the complex, flavorful seasoning in their distant Jamaican cousins. Every product has its detractors, though, and this is especially true of frozen food. Plenty of other Trader Joe's shoppers liked the handheld chicken pot pies, even in spite of their shortcomings. To get the flakiest crust possible, though, air fry those chicken pot pies just like the package instructions say.