by Lola Valentine

Created on: June 14, 2008   Last Updated: June 18, 2008

Chicken Shepard's Pie

Here's a fun twist on the old fashion recipe. This recipe uses 1 whole chicken, but you can use whatever chicken you have on hand, be it canned, boneless, parts, etc. If using something other than a whole chicken, omit the first 8 ingredients.

1 whole chicken
1 carrot
1 celery
1 onion
3 garlic cloves
1 bay leaf
salt/pepper
water
-
2 cups of gravy, homemade (see Easy Chicken Gravy recipe below) or use store bought

1 bag of frozen corn
12 potatoes, peeled and halved
salt/pepper
butter
milk/chicken broth for mashed potatoes
3 cups of cheddar cheese

1. Add the whole chicken with the first 8 ingredients, adding enough water to cover in a large pot. Boil until done. Meanwhile, peel and wash potatoes and add to a large pot with enough water to cover. Boil potatoes until tender.

2. When the chicken is done, remove it from pot, cool, shred.

3. Remove potatoes from water and mash with either milk or chicken broth (you can use the homemade broth you just made from whole chicken or store bought), butter, and salt and pepper to taste.

4. Layer the shredded chicken in the bottom of a large baking dish. Pour gravy over chicken. Layer with corn. Layer with mashed potatoes, smoothing evenly into corners. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.

5. Cover dish with parchment paper and foil and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove cover and bake an additional 10 minutes under broiler until cheese is golden brown, only a few minutes.

Easy Homemade Chicken Gravy

In a skillet, heat 2-3 tablespoons of butter. Add 2 tablespoons of flour. Cook for a minute to remove its starchy taste. Add two cups of broth (either can, box or homemade) and 1 cup of milk. Bring to a boil. Simmer until thick, about 10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

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