I recently had the opportunity to try out Willow Tree Chicken Pie. Located in Attleboro, Massachusetts, Willow Tree Farm started out as a small poultry farm that soon became famous for their chicken pot pies. I’ve actually seen their frozen chicken pies in the grocery store before but have never given them a try. When the kind folks at Willow Tree sent me a coupon to try out one of their chicken pies, I was happy to give it a try after a long workday.

You can choose from a few different types of chicken pot pies – with no vegetables, with vegetables, and with potatoes. I opted for the chicken pot pie with vegetables. The chicken pies come frozen and require no thawing. You simply bake them in the oven at 400 degrees for an hour and fifteen minutes. Per the instructions, we brushed some milk onto the crust before baking to get that beautiful golden-brown crust.

The chicken pot pie has huge chunks of white chicken meat and vegetables such as corn, peas, green beans and carrots. The gravy is thick and luscious but a tad salty. The crust is wonderfully flaky and has a wonderful buttery flavor.

know from my own experience that making chicken pot pie can take some time and effort. The Willow Tree chicken pie is a perfect substitute. After a long workday, I was happy to throw the pie in the oven while I did an evening workout. I couldn’t tell that the pie had previously been frozen although if you know me, you know that I would never make anything too salty in my own kitchen.

Thanks to the folks at Willow Tree for providing me with a quick and easy weekday meal.

Full disclosure: The Willow Tree Chicken Pie was completely complimentary, but as always, my opinion is honest and completely my own.

Congratulations to Marilyn O. whose Willow Tree poem, posted below, was chosen as the winning entry! Thank you to everyone who participated. Willow Tree fans can look forward to more opportunities to showcase their creative side in the coming weeks. We really enjoy hearing from you!

Serve them for lunch

or devour them for dinner

Willow Tree pies

are always a winner.

.

With turkey or chicken, 

mild gravy, great crust,

Willow tree pies

in our home are a must.

.

The whole family loves them,

we think they’re a treat!

When we want something special,

Willow Tree’s what we eat.

 ~ Marilyn

What started out like any other Willow Tree tasting event at a Virginia Costco turned out to be the opportunity of a lifetime. Customers were enjoying their free samples, when one in particular explained that she was an event organizer for the annual White House Easter Egg Roll. She was very interested in serving Willow Tree chicken salad to event staffers and volunteers. 

Fast forward through a few logistics, such as security checks and chicken salad sandwich preparation, and Willow Tree president Wally Cekala and his family found themselves on the White House lawn on Easter Monday. We asked Wally to expand on some of the details about this great day in Willow Tree history.

What were your thoughts leading up the event itself? 

Well, to be honest, I took it with a grain of salt at first until I received the email confirming that it was really going to happen! My son Chris was on the road show in Virginia. Due to security requirements, and a little time pressure, he was immediately put through a security check and approved to be an on-site vendor. Then the order was placed for both our regular chicken salad as well as our new cranberry walnut variety. I like getting feedback on our latest chicken salad, but I sure didn’t expect it to happen on the White House grounds! 

While Chris was going to be the only person from the company working the event, my family and I were invited as guests. They thought it was just surreal. 

What did Chris do to prepare? 

Chris had to get through security at six in the morning. He worked with two chefs to make chicken salad sandwiches with bread from a local bakery. After almost four hours of preparation, the gates opened. 

You can imagine how many staffers and volunteers it takes to manage an outdoor event for over thirty thousand people, never mind the White House security requirements. That’s why event organizers look for really good food to serve the crew that works at the event all day. We were happy to be one of the vendors chosen. 

What was it like to be one of the thousands of families invited to the White House as guests? 

The White House Easter Egg Roll tradition goes back over 130 years. Everyone was so excited to be there. There are lots of musical artists, and it really is an awesome event. I think that everyone on that lawn felt like “Mr. Smith goes to Washington.” I can’t say enough about the people who run it and the Secret Service. They are very nice to the public. 

Between all of the families, the music, and the entertainment, it almost felt like Disney! There were so many people that guests enter in groups, staggered over time. It really was just amazing. We really felt lucky to be there, and we’d do it again if we could. 

For my family, one of the best parts couldn’t have been planned. As we were leaving, one of the staffers asked us if we tried the chicken salad! He said he loved it!

If you’d like to learn more about the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, click here. 

The cranberry walnut chicken salad mentioned in this article is now available at the Willow Tree Retail Store in Attleboro, MA. For directions and hours, click here.

When did you first discover Willow Tree? 

We first found Willow Tree when my husband and I were both teaching principals in the eighties. That meant we were often in late afternoon meetings, and we both had long commutes home. Most nights there was very little time to spend on dinner preparation, so I thought I’d try finding a frozen alternative to make a nice, substantial meal.

My kids, and now my grandkids, were brought up on Willow Tree chicken pies. I got my mother to start serving them when she took care of my girls. Now my daughter and I make them for my grandchildren. That’s four generations of big fans.

Truth be told, Willow Tree wasn’t the first chicken pie product I tried. It was actually the second, but it has remained the only chicken pie I’ve purchased ever since! I don’t even remember the name of the first chicken pie we tried (from a different company), but I was very disappointed with it. The crust used to crack or sink into the pie. It just didn’t work, but I didn’t want to give up. We needed to find something delicious that we could count on. That’s when I noticed the nice Willow Tree packaging, and we gave it a try. I have literally bought them exclusively ever since.

Do you remember what you thought of Willow Tree the first time you and your family tried the chicken pie?

I remember first being impressed with the crust. It remained intact just like a homemade pie would. It doesn’t crack or sink. Also, the chicken pieces were really large. They are exactly how you would make a chicken pie from scratch.

Over time we remained impressed with the consistency of the product. You always get the same great-tasting product. It really does look, feel and taste like a homemade pie.

What was a Willow Tree night like in your home?

Buying a Willow Tree chicken pie was part of our weekly shopping. I would have at least one in the freezer at all times.  It was a frequent dinner.

Whoever came home first would put the pie in the oven. We’d get the kids settled and they’d do their homework while the pie was cooking. When my husband and I were both working full time, we’d start the day very early, and try to time each evening so we were eating dinner by the six o’clock news. The nice part was that our busiest days also meant a delicious Willow Tree dinner. We’d make an easy side dish or sometimes just have the pie. It was great!

This is the same exact routine that we follow now with my grandchildren. I take care of the kids and put the pie in the oven so it’s ready when their parents come home. Then they go to hockey or baseball. That’s the convenient thing about Willow Tree pies: they work whether you need an early dinner or a late dinner, based on the kids’ activities.

What makes you keep Willow Tree on your list of regular dinners to serve your family?

It’s easy for parents to make, and everyone loves it. One of my grandkids is a fussy eater, but he is actually Willow Tree’s biggest fan, so you can’t beat that. My daughter’s family lived with me for six months when they moved back to Maine, and that’s when we really introduced the grandkids to Willow Tree. All I had to do was go from the 26oz. size I was using for my husband and me to the family size, which worked for all of us.

But it’s not just for immediate family. Whenever we need to bring food to friends or relatives, for a variety of situations, everyone loves Willow Tree. I sometimes bring it frozen so it can be used anytime. It’s a good gift.

Willow Tree chicken pie is a dish that you can be proud to serve to company. I’ve done it many times because it’s so reliable and you just know it’s going to be good.

Top ten reasons why I love Willow Tree Chicken Pies:

1. My mom used to cook them all the time when I was younger.

2. They are reasonably priced.

3. They are sooo delicious.

4. They always make me happy.

5. They are from RI.

6. They focus on the chicken which is the main event rather than work on making a fake crust.

7. The gravy is sooo yummy.

8. They are something that will be around forever that I can bring my kids up on as well.

9. They cook perfectly.

10. They are the best chicken pies ever made.

Richard M.

Providence, RI

Place an Order at our Online Store

So many people have grown up with Willow Tree chicken salad in their refrigerators that they want to always have access to it, even when they move to parts of the country where Willow Tree is not sold.  Over the years, people would ask for packages of Willow Tree products to be sent to various states. While Willow Tree President Wally Cekala was happy to accommodate them on an individual basis, eventually it made sense to give customers the option to order products on the website, via the Willow Tree Online Store. Willow Tree products can now be shipped anywhere within the continental US. This has come in handy for many families. They’ll order products for loved ones as gifts, while others will order for themselves.

Order Willow Tree chicken salad online here!

Do it Yourself

Still another group of Willow Tree fans would like the option of picking up Willow Tree product at the grocery store (or at the Willow Tree Retail Store) and bringing it with them when they go to visit friends or family. These folks are driving, or taking plane trips, and they often ask us about the safest way to bring Willow Tree chicken salad along.

Here are some important details to keep in mind when traveling with Willow Tree chicken salad:

Our chicken salad must be held at a temperature between 32 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit. While ice is melting it maintains a constant 32 degrees, so a cooler packed with ice would hold our salad at the proper temperature.  As long as there is still even a small amount of ice in your cooler when you arrive at your destination the salad should still be between 32 and 40 degrees.  You may want to pack a probe style food grade thermometer (available at any grocery store) so you can check the temperature of the product at your final destination just to be safe.

A properly packed cooler with the adequate amount of ice should be fine for a very long time, but there are a lot of factors to consider, for example, total travel time, method of travel, outside air temperature, etc.

Why Willow Tree Chicken Salad Should Stay with You on a Plane

While it may be a nuisance to carry a small cooler of chicken salad on a plane, it’s actually important that you do not stow it as luggage under the plane. Since the temperature drops as the plane reaches higher altitudes, you can’t risk freezing chicken salad. The mayonnaise won’t be the same after freezing, and the normal, fresh, tasty Willow Tree chicken salad will not look like itself. Definitely not the treat you had in mind for your friend or relative.

We hope you’ve found this information helpful in spreading Willow Tree’s tasty goodness nationwide. We will keep you posted when our product becomes available in states outside of New England.  For example, here is the latest on our expansion into the metro New York area.

And for new ideas of how to serve Willow Tree chicken salad, click here!

‘Pie A Day Giveaway’ helps launch product in Tri-State Area

MARCH 2, 2012— In the mid 1900’s, a small poultry farm was founded in Attleboro, Massachusetts. Taking its name from the trees that dotted its landscape, Willow Tree Farm rapidly became a mainstay of the local economy, producing fresh poultry and eggs for those who farmed it as well as for local merchants.

Over time, the business grew. Willow Tree became a thriving egg and broiler-producing farm, complete with a neighborhood retail outlet and door-to-door egg business. Then, one day, owner Chet Cekala uttered the words that would change the company’s history…“Chicken Pie.”

Customers knew a good thing when they tasted it. Practically overnight, Willow Tree’s chicken-pie business grew to all of Massachusetts and then to the entire New England area.

Today, Chet’s son, Walter “Wally” Cekala, is running the family business with his sons Alex and Chris and Willow Tree is expanding its reach beyond New England for the first time. Starting this month, New England’s top-selling premium chicken pies are now available in 233 supermarket locations in the Tri-state area.

Shoppers can now find Willow Tree premium chicken pies in the frozen foods section of nearly 200 Stop & Shop stores in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, 20 Grand Union Family Markets in New York and Connecticut, and 13 Best Yet Markets in the Metro New York and Long Island areas.

“We’ve come a long way since the days when my Dad was delivering eggs door to door,” said Wally Cekala, President, Willow Tree. “The company is growing into new markets and expanding its product lines but we’re still very much a family business. Our chicken pies are prepared fresh and packed with wholesome white meat chicken, home-style gravy, and topped by a delicious flaky crust made from scratch. We make them by hand with only the highest quality ingredients, like you would at home only in a much bigger kitchen.”

A New England original since 1954, Willow Tree Premium Chicken Pies are available in three varieties: the Original Premium Chicken Pie, Premium Chicken Pie with Classic Vegetables and Premium Chicken Pie with Red Bliss Potatoes, Supermarkets in the Tri-state area will stock the three serving, 26 ounce size. In addition, Best Yet Markets will also carry the single serving, 8 ounce size.

“We’re thrilled to be bringing Willow Tree Premium Chicken Pies to consumers in the Tri-state area through Stop & Shop, Grand Union and Best Yet Markets, said Walter Cekala, President, Willow Tree. “For more than 40 years, Willow Tree has come to symbolize comfort, quality and value for tens of thousands of families throughout New England. Now, we hope to gain the same loyal following in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.”

To help introduce its pies to new consumers in the Tri-state area, Willow Tree is giving away a “Pie-A-Day” on its Facebook page. Consumers can also download product coupons and qualify for additional giveaways by answering quick survey questions such as “Who Do You Love to Cook For?” and “What’s Your Pie-Q?”.

For additional company and product information, visit www.willowtreefarm.com.

###

About Willow Tree

Willow Tree is New England’s leading provider of prepared fresh/sold frozen poultry pies and fresh deli and sandwich salads. For nearly 60 years, Willow Tree has provided the finest premium poultry products for families, offering delicious, wholesome comfort foods that have satisfied appetites for generations. The company’s growing line of products are still prepared by hand and sold in supermarkets, delis, sports and entertainment venues and restaurants throughout New England, online and at the Willow Tree retail store in Attleboro, Massachusetts. http://www.willowtreefarm.com

Q: Jeremy, what interested you in making quality control your career?

A: I grew up around food science through my father, whom I work with here at Willow Tree. I got into the field because of my interest in science, but what comes with that is pride in developing a quality product. I’m very aware of what can go wrong in food, and that’s what makes me so strict about testing. I have a lot of passion for the science, and for the Willow Tree products.

I graduated from UMass Amherst with a BS Food Science and I’ve been in the food industry for years. I’ve done quality testing and product development. The way we do that here at Willow Tree is through quality inspections. Every single batch of gravy has different quality controls that it is tested against such as salt content, thickness, color – and that includes a taste test! Different lab instruments are used, as well as people.

When I started at Willow Tree, I set up a quality standard. I broke down what makes consistent gravy. Through months of testing I documented standards. One of the key parts of testing is that we have experienced tasters that compliment the instrument-based testing.

Q: Willow Tree has a lot of gravy fans out there. But what about the other great part of a Willow Tree pie, the crust? A lot of fans can’t get over how something that tastes like it was rolled out right there in their own kitchen actually started out in their freezer.

A: Constant tasting and quality control also helps with the crust. The fact is, you are cooking the dough at home, which plays into the freshness. It’s never been baked before it hits your oven.

Q: As you know, everyone comments on how fresh the chicken tastes, and how huge the chunks of meat are. How do you do it?

A: The biggest thing that contributes to the taste of the chicken is that it’s cooked here and deboned by hand. It’s hormone-free, fresh chicken breast. Because we cook it ourselves, it is very close to a homemade process.

Q: How do you approach USDA and food industry standards? It’s our understanding that there are areas where you actually exceed those standards. How do you decide when that makes sense?

A: There are certainly regulations and you can do the minimum needed to satisfy the regulation, or you can go beyond the regulation. We often exceed the standards. At the end of the day, it’s better for everyone. It makes it a safe, high quality product, and it tastes the best it can be.

Government guidelines are more concerned with product safety. We are concerned with safety as well as creating something that consistently tastes great. That is where we set our own high standards.

Q: Willow Tree customers have come to expect a consistently high-quality product.  What does that mean to you?

A: It means that we are satisfying both ourselves and our customers. To me it means that all of your bases are covered before something is released to the public.

I get a lot of customer feedback from people who want it to continue to taste as good as the first pie they had 15 years ago. That’s great motivation.

Q: How frequently do you eat Willow Tree products?

A: I eat Willow Tree products every single day, plus I bring something home every weekend.  I’ve involved my family in Willow Tree tasting events. My house is loaded with chicken gear. It’s great to be able to have a job that is such a satisfying part of my life, and my family’s lives.

Thank you for your time Jeremy, and for reminding us about the care that goes into each pie!

As seen in the New England Business Bulletin

In a down economy, businesses need to identify cost-savings measures. But there’s one thing Willow Tree Poultry Farm President Wally Cekala won’t sacrifice: quality.

The Attleboro-based producer of chicken products — perhaps best-known for its deli chicken salad and chicken pot pies — has undergone some major changes in the past few years — including a facility upgrade, the creation of a management team, the addition of new products, a number of green initiatives, and recent expansion into new markets. But there’s one thing that hasn’t changed.

“I do believe that if you go back and try our chicken salad 20 years ago and tried it today side-by-side, you wouldn’t notice a difference,” Cekala said. “That’s really been our goal. We don’t ever want the quality of the product to feel less-than.”

The family-owned business began as an egg and poultry farm in the late 1800s, and Cekala’s father bought the farm in 1954 after working there. In the 1960s, the company stopped raising poultry and entered the end-processing side of the business, growing into a full-production and retail operation.

“We’ve had a lot of opportunities where we could have produced a cheaper product and gone for the quick dollar,” Cekala said. “But my dad taught me well. (In a bad economy), you ride the wave. You have to take a little bit of a hit in sales. We didn’t want to join the wave of less-expensive products. We just know the (down economic) cycle will end.

“We don’t mind if (consumers) only buy half as much in a down economy,” he said. “We won’t put out anything that isn’t quality.”

Willow Tree workers still debone chicken by hand, because the company hasn’t found another method that provides the same quality, and the company avoids preservatives. During a facility upgrade in 2010, the one mandate Cekala had was that “we make sure the chicken coming out of the cooker was as good or better” than before, he said.

The 2010 facility upgrade is allowing the company to expand its product line, and go into new markets.

Among changes — the company replaced 14 gas-fired kettle cookers with an inline cooker that cooks about 26,000 pounds of chicken per day. The inline cooker takes up less space and cooks chicken continuously through a conveyor system.

“We tried to streamline our production process, without changing the process,” Cekala said, noting that the change was from what he called “old-world ways” to a more efficient process.

“The chicken still takes an hour to cook, but being an inline system, we can continually load the cooker and the other end is continually unloaded,” he said.

The company has seen a 40 percent increase in production, Cekala said, but that success is not only attributed to the new cooker. “The cooker gave us the ability to build some efficiency in the system, but really, the changes we made were really top-to-bottom,” he said.

Cekala said the company has maintained its employee base of about 100 through the economic downturn, but he put a new production team in place, adding several management positions. “It was pretty much a one-man show before 2010,” Cekala said. “Rather than me trying to be everywhere — it was becoming an exercise in futility. It was hitting a point where I couldn’t keep all the balls in the air.”

So Cekala added several key positions, including an operations manager, regional sales manager, plant manager, and a logistics department. And two of Cekala’s sons are involved in the business — Christopher Cekala is sales director, while Alex Cekala is controller.

Now that the company has expanded its production capacity, “it’s just a matter of bringing in additional business,” Cekala said, noting that sales are expanding further into New York, and into Pennsylvania.

“Our core market is still New England,” Cekala said, noting that the company’s increased production capacity is helping it solidify the outer fringes of the New England market.

Breaking into markets outside of New England can be difficult. “The challenge we always have is trying to get the consumer to try our product,” Cekala said. “It’s really tough in an area where your name isn’t well-known.”

Now that the company can produce more product, Cekala is trying to introduce “new” products, as well. During the holidays, the company offered turkey and chicken gravy, fresh to market, in pint containers, at major supermarkets in the area. Also, last summer the company introduced two new versions of its chicken pie — one with vegetables, and one with potatoes. And it is currently selling a line of chicken dips for crackers, chips, or to use as a spread. A buffalo chicken dip, and a chicken Caesar, dip are available, primarily in the Boston area right now. DeMoula’s Market Basket also pretty much carries the full Willow Tree line, Cekala said. The new products should be cycling into stores throughout New England in the coming year.

“It’s our hope that when the economy does turn that we’ll be poised and ready with the new products,” Cekala said.

Willow Tree products are available in most major supermarket chains in New England, New York and New Jersey, at smaller independent retailers and delis, as well as at the company’s retail store in Attleboro.

The company has taken on a number of green initiatives, including donating its used cooking oil to a nonprofit that converts it into biofuel. “Our oil used to just go to waste, and now it gets sent to a company that produces a biodiesel type of product,” he said.

The chicken skin goes to pig farms.

“We also went through great pains to change all of our lighting,” he said. “We reduced energy consumption by about 20 percent, which is huge.”

The company also moved to a single-stream recycling company, and heats the facility with secondary use of heat.

Willow Tree also supports dozens of local charities.

“The company has been a part of the community forever,” Cekala said. “It’s our home. We want to make sure future generations enjoy being here as much as we do.”

By Michelle Levine, author of Eat and Sip in the City

Willow Tree Poultry farm, located in Attleboro, Massachusetts, is loved for making everyone’s favorite comfort food, pot pies, perfect for the winter weather or any time of year. Available in three kinds, which include original, classic with vegetables, and chicken pot pie with red bliss potatoes, there is something for everyone. On a chilly Sunday, I finally got a taste of the New England favorite, which was established in 1954.

I enjoyed the classic pot pie featuring vegetables, which had three servings and was under 300 calories for a serving. They take premium white meat chicken and create a pot pie with home-style gravy, classic vegetables including peas, corn, green beans, and carrots, along with a flaky crust. 

You keep the pot pie in your freezer until you are ready to bake and in one hour and fifteen minutes in a 400 degree oven, you have yourself a meal you will look forward to. Just place it on a cookie sheet lined with tin foil for easy clean up (since the sauce can bubble over the pie plate). I didn’t have milk on hand, which they recommend for a darker crust, but I thought the crust was just right.

The ingredients are kept simple and wholesome. The filling of the pie has the veggies and chicken broth, thickened up with flour and flavored with margarine, onion powder, and salt to name a few ingredients. The crust is a basic recipe with items such as flour, shortening, milk, and oil listed to create the top of the pie.

I was so impressed with the chunks of chicken. Huge pieces fill the pie and easily shred with your fork.

Jam packed with veggies 

I served it alongside white rice on a plate but next time would love it piled on top of the rice in a bowl instead, so I can scoop up every last drop of the creamy warm treat! It’s the perfect staple to stock in your freezer for a hearty meal, any time of day, when you don’t want to cook or venture out in the cold weather.

Rice compliments the meal and the chicken is the star of the show