Chicken Shepard’s Pie

This delicious version of a Shepard’s pie was given to me by an old friend.  The recipe is packed full of really amazing flavors and, tastes really good served with gravy.  If you don’t want to serve this pie with gravy though be sure to make the chicken a little less dry than I did here by adding a bit of water to it whilst cooking.

The first step is to prepare the marinated chicken chicken, as well as the mashed potatoes.

I then cooked down the veggies a little bit until they softened slightly.

Then it’s time to layer up, starting with a thin layer of the mashed potatoes on the bottom followed by a mixture of the chicken and veggies.  This can all be topped off with the remainder of the mashed potatoes and a layer of mozzarella, or your favorite cheese mixture before baking in an oven until the cheese turns a beautiful golden color on top.

Ingredients:
oil, for cooking the chicken and veggies in
1/2 cup of shredded cheese (mozzarella, cheddar, or any other cheese that you prefer)

Chicken:
2 whole chicken breasts, 1 inch cubed
1 tsp salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
juice from half a lemon
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp vinegar
2 tbsp Nando’s hot chili sauce
​1 tbsp tandoori masala

Veggies:
1 small can of sweet corn
2 red onions
1 red bell pepper

Potatoes:
approx 11/2  cups of prepared mashed potato mix, prepared according to package directions
1 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. Marinate the chicken in all the  ingredients listed under the chicken section for at least an hour.
2. Prepare the mashed potatoes according to the package directions, stir in an additional tbsp of butter and 1/2 tsp of freshly cracked black pepper.
3. Heat a skillet to medium high add 2 tbsp oil.  Once heated, add the chicken and cook stirring constantly until the chicken is cooked through (approx 8-10 minutes).  Remove from the pan and set aside.
4. In the same heated skillet add 1 tbsp oil and then add the veggies.  Cook stirring frequently for about 2 minutes until the peppers and onions start to soften slightly, do not over cook.  Remove from heat and mix together with the cooked chicken.
5. Preheat oven to 350°C, add a thin layer of mashed potatoes to the bottom of a casserole dish.   Add the chicken and veggie mixture on top of the potato base.  Top  with the remainder of the potatoes.  Spread cheese over the top.
6. Cover the dish with tinfoil before baking for 20-25 minutes, covered.
7. Set the oven to broil on high, remove the tinfoil to uncover the dish, and broil for 2-3 minutes until the cheese is golden.  Keep an eye on the dis at this point because the cheese can burn easily.

Remove from heat and serve with gravy or more of the Nando’s sauce.