Rotisserie Chicken (Cottage) Shepherds Pie Recipe for 2 People

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This is one of my very favorite uses for a rotisserie chicken (and I have a lot!).

This combines cooking elements I have started to specialize...

Leftovers!!!  Taking a bit of leftover side dish from yesterday's meal and turning it into something new and better is one of my favorite things.  Truth be told, I am usually making extra potatoes just so I can make a dish like this.

Bits of this, Bits of that...  The recipe below is indeed what I made for the dish photographed.  But really this is a "whatever you got" recipe.  In the dead of winter when there is nothing really fresh, grab a few bags of mixed frozen vegetables, add taters and chicken and you have a fine meal.  Aside from the chicken, I never really shop or even plan to make a Cottage Pie.  Just kind of happens when I look at what I have.

The modern definition (one I am using here) of a Shepherd's or Cottage Pie is a meat pie using leftover meat dishes, with a top crust of mashed potatoes. Thanks to the wonders of a store bought, pre-seasoned, already cooked Rotisserie Chicken, I had plenty of left over meat to make this dish. Historically, Mutton (the dish dates back to at least the 1700's), Lamb or occasionally beef was used. So, I'll use the modern definition, one of my beloved rotisserie chickens and give you all my recipe for a Chicken Shepherd's Pie...

OK, Here's what I did...

Rotisserie Chicken Shepherds Pie Recipe for 2

Ingredients

• White Meat from a single breast from a Rotisserie chicken, diced, @ 1 and 1/2 Cups
• 2 Cups Leftover Mashed Potatoes
• 2 TBS Butter
• 2 TBS Flour
• 1/2 Medium Onion, Medium Dice
• 1 Large Carrot, Medium Dice
• 2 Stalks Celery, Medium Dice
• 1/2 Cup Frozen Corn, Rinsed in hot water to thaw
• 1/2 Cup Frozen Peas, Rinsed in hot water to thaw
• 1/2 Cup to a full cup Chicken Stock
• Salt and Pepper to Taste
• 2 TBS Dijon Mustard
• 2 TBS Butter
• Pinch Paprika for color garnish

Cooking Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. First, make a roux, in a heated heavy bottom frying pan, melt the butter. Heat to just before it starts to brown Add the flour to the heated butter and stir constantly for 2 minutes.
3. Add the onions and continue stirring for another couple of minutes until the onions are soft.
4. Add the Chicken Stock and bring to a simmer... still stirring
5. Add the carrots and Celery and simmer for 5 minutes to soften
6. Add the chicken,
7. Add the remaining vegetables, mustard, salt and pepper.
8. At the last minute, add the diced chicken and stir to mix
9. Pour all of this into a casserole dish, top with the mashed potatoes
10. Bake for 30 minutes, until the potatoes get a crusty top.
11. Drizzle with the remaining melted butter
12. Cover with foil and freeze if you want to save for a rainy day or Enjoy popping hot and fresh!
13. When serving for presentation, I put the potatoes on the bottom of the plate and top with the soupy chicken/vegetable mix... Heartwarming!
14. Serve HOT and ENJOY!

Yes indeed, one of my favorite "52 Uses for a Rotisserie Chicken" (now up to 70!!!).

I am trying something a bit new this round of recipes... My own little culinary challenge of seeing just what I can do with a single rotisserie bird. So far, I used a single chicken breast to make a delicious...
Garlic Garlic Chicken and Dumplings (Red Lobster Copy Cat recipe for Garlic Cheese biscuits used as the dumplings). This recipe only uses a single Chicken Thigh as the chicken ingredient, leaving plenty of the "bird" to continue the challenge.

I also made a Quick Cheesy, Sweet Corn Chicken Muffin recipe using one of the Thighs.  Three recipes down and plenty of chicken left

My Goals for the experiment......

1. Eat Well... Make something that tastes good.
2. Recipes for 2 people. One of the great things about a rotisserie chicken is the versatility fr a quick meal for small dinners (breakfast and lunch). Save the BIG cooking for another day, let's have something for just my wife and myself (and young couples, empty nest couples and singles)
3. Versatility... Just how many rotisserie chicken recipes are out there???
4. Keep Track of the costs... Life on a budget, need I explain more?
5. Go beyond the basic recipes and add some tips and HOT TO Photos appropriate for less experienced cooks so that indeed...ANYONE CAN COOK THIS!

As to tips... This really is a very easy recipe.  Only a few suggestions... Be sure and saute the raw vegetables for at least 5 minutes before adding stock and frozen veggies.  The carrots are softened, the onions turn sweet and translucent.

Once you start adding frozen vegetables, add the stock immediately and heat to simmer.

This is more of a thick stew than a soup.  SO be careful about adding too much stock.  You want everything wet and small amount of pooling liquid but do pour too much liquid in.

Once you start adding potatoes on the top, it is easier to drop plops of potatoes all round and then smooth those plops around.

Add the chicken last minute.  You are using a chicken breast which is the most likely chicken part to fry out.  Since you are cooking in the stock this is not a big problem, but again, already cooked... no need in cutting the time of fully cooked to over cooked.

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So, as to cost for this dish.... Hmmmm... A bit hard as just how much does left over mashed potatoes cost?  A dollar would more than cover that

The chicken averages out to a dollar per recipe.

And half cups of frozen vegetables?  I buy m frozen vegetables only when they are on sale.  SO I get about 4 cups of corn for $0.39 Cents.... Nickle a half cup?  Let's be very generous and say fifty cents for the frozen veggies.

The chicken stock is free since I had made the stck from the bones of last week's bird.

The fresh vegetables (Carrots, Celery and onion) are all bought at a big box warehouse store where I get big bags of onions, carrots and celery for around $10... So, one carrot, couple stalks of celery and half an onion.  I am sure a dollar covers that.

Combined with all the pantry items and Bingo Bango Bongo...

Total came in at about $3.50...  less than $2 a serving for a main course meal in itself!!!

A Great meal for the costs!
Stay tuned, come on back tomorrow and see what else I make from the single bird!

And of course the Rotisserie Chicken makes this easy to make. Making this one of my new favorite additions to my "52 Uses For a Rotisserie Chicken"! Which now has blossomed well over 70 uses with still more to come!

What could be easier and tastier?

And as always, if you like this recipe and think you might want to give it a try, pin this to your Pinterest Board and be sure to follow me on Pinterest if you want to see the rest of my 52 Ideas (now at 65 and growing)!