A Chicken Pot Pie Dare at Ken's Kickin' Chicken

The that ran a few weeks back generated quite a bit of attention.

Next winter, we will return to burgers and visit some places we may have missed this year.

Ken Rothwell of had a different reaction. He dared us to visit his place and sample his chicken pies. I put it out to the group, and we decided to take him up on the challenge.

We rated his pies on a 10-point, six-tiered system — crust, gravy, chicken, vegetables, chicken/vegetable ratio and seasoning. There were seven raters present. I recused myself because I have known Kenny for years and already knew what I thought of his pies. All but one of the raters had never eaten one of his chicken creations.

Ken presented the group with four pie types. Chicken and gravy, chicken veggie, Thanksgiving pie (it has stuffing baked into it) and buffalo chicken. All of the foodies were able to sample whichever pies they desired.

BEST COMMENTS:

Chicken and Gravy Pie: Thick with nice overall flavor, tender and moist.

Chicken and Veggie Pie: Peas and carrots were steamed and fresh, not mushy. Good amount of potato.

Thanksgiving Pie: Loved the stuffing, it added to the overall meat/veggie ratio.

Buffalo Chicken Pie: Nice balance of heat and creamy texture. A classic buffalo flavor with the bleu cheese baked in.

The overall average score was a very strong 47 points. It should be noted that two of the raters are professional cooks, one who tends to score very tough. There was some discussion as to how much onion is enough or too much for a pie. Kenny's pies have no obvious pieces of onion in them. Further discussion focused on the proper amount of "doughiness" for the crust on the bottom of the pie.

Each of the pie types generated different comments, but I think the most telling occurrence was three of the raters buying pies to take home as we were leaving.

In the end, you shouldn't take our word for it, try a pie yourself and let us know what you think.

Beginning on 10 April, we will begin to visit brunch places in Salem to do our thing. Let is know if you would like to participate or to suggest a favorite place.