Chicken Shepherd’s Pie

Helga Glaesel de Blandingabril 28, 2011

This post is also available in ENGLISH (INGLÉS)

When Kristen started school, I wanted to find recipes that I could prepare ahead of time and freeze, since I had to leave the house twice in the morning to drop her off and pick her up. I thought I was not going to have time to cook our family lunches, so in a panic I started to look for these type of recipes for me to just heat and serve. Thankfully, as the routine has set in I found that I can drop her off and pick her up and still have lunch on time… Without having to prepare 3 or 4 meals in advance on one afternoon to store and freeze. Not fun. Chicken and fish are my new best friends, they are quick to prepare and very versatile. I will be sharing my new recipes in future posts.

Meanwhile, this recipe is a definite keeper. It can be prepared ahead of time, stored in the refrigerator if you will prepare it the night before, or in the freezer if you won’t be using it for a couple of days or weeks. Leave the baking part for the moment you want to serve.

Helga

Chicken Shepherd’s Pie

A The Foodies’ Kitchen Original Recipe
Serves 4

Ingredients, for the pie:
2 chicken breasts
½ cup white wine
1 carrot, diced
½ cup peas
½ cup sliced mushrooms (about 4 whole mushrooms)
1 spring onion, sliced
Fresh thyme
Fresh rosemary
Salt and pepper
1 cup chicken stock
3 teaspoons flour

Ingredients, for the potato topping:

3 russet potatoes
¼ cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 350F.
Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper.
Start to cook the russet potatoes in boiling water first, while you prepare the chicken mixture.
Heat a medium sized pot over medium heat, brown chicken breasts for about 4 minutes on each side. Add the ½ cup of wine, shake the pot so the chicken breasts get coated with the wine. Lower the heat, cover the pot and let the chicken simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the pot, let it cool slightly and dice it.
Return to the pot, add the carrots, peas, mushrooms, sprinkle some fresh thyme and rosemary (about 1 tablespoon of each). Season with salt and pepper to taste, add the cup of chicken stock and let it simmer for 10-12 minutes.
Dissolve flour in a small amount of water, pass it through a sieve and add it to the pot. Let it boil for about 5 minutes longer until you notice the mixture has gotten thicker.
Using a baking dish suitable for 4 people, spoon the chicken mixture in it. Set aside.
When your potatoes are cooked, transfer them to a bowl and mash them up. Add the milk, butter, salt and pepper. The texture you should get is a creamy smooth one. (you can use your hand blender to mix in the milk and other ingredients)
Sprinkle the cheese on top of the chicken mixture. Now you’re ready to cover everything up using your mashed potatoes.
You can pipe your mashed potatoes to give it a more elegant presentation, or you can just spoon it over and try to make a few swirls using a spoon.
Bake for 25 minutes,or until golden brown.