Chicken Shepherds Pie

How good does this look?

Chicken is on sale! What can we make with chicken tonight I asked myself? Why not make a shepherds pie using chicken instead of beef? I love short cuts. When I spotted a product I have used before on sale I picked that up as well. That product is Simply Mashed Potatoes. So this dinner was a snap to put together.

You could do this dish with left over chicken............just saying.

I do put the potatoes in the microwave (in a bowl) with some butter. Mix it all up and add in some cream until I get the consistency I want. It truly is a time saver and they are pretty darn good.
The package of chicken cutlets contained 3 cutlets, so the recipe is for three people. You can ramp this up and get more cutlets because there is plenty of gravy for more and add in more of the frozen corn or whatever vegetable you choose.  The total cost for me was $7.88 and for three people the per person cost is $2.62. By the way this casserole ending up serving 5 servings, making it a whopping $1.57 per person.

If you don't find thin cutlets on sale but whole boneless skinless breasts are and you have more mouths to feed, get the breasts instead. You can use a sharp knife and slice the breast from end to end to the thickness you want for cutlets. Whatever chicken is left over, freeze it. Just make sure you wrap in plastic then in foil or use a sealer bag unit if you have one. Try not to freeze any protein over 3 weeks if possible, even chicken. You'll find the quality of the meat changes the longer it is frozen. Beef especially.

• 1 # chicken cutlets
• 2-3 cups mashed potatoes
• 2 cups chicken broth - warmed
• 1/3 cup half and half or cream
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 stick butter + 2-3 tbsp. melted butter for drizzling
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 to 1 full bag frozen golden corn (or baby peas or a combination thereof)
• 1 tsp. Gravy Master
• 1/4 tsp. dried sage
• 1/8 tsp. poultry seasoning
• 1/4 tsp. salt (for the roux)
• 1/4 tsp. pepper (for the roux)
• granulated garlic to taste (chicken seasoning)
• onion powder to taste (chicken seasoning)
• salt to taste (chicken seasoning)
• black pepper to taste (chicken seasoning)
• paprika and dried chives (optional for on top of the potatoes)

1. Cook some potatoes and mash them as you normally do, or take a short cut and use Simply Potatoes Mashed Potatoes if you can find them on sale as I did.
2. In a sauce pot melt the butter. Add the flour to make the roux. Keep whisking and stirring for a few minutes to cook out the raw flour taste.
3. Slowly add in warm broth and keep whisking until you have a smooth consistency. Bring to a boil so you will know how thick the gravy is.
4. Season with salt and pepper, sage and poultry seasoning and the Gravy Master. Mix well.
5. Add in the half and half or cream and whisk to incorporate. The gravy part is done and you can set it aside.
6. In a skillet over medium high heat add in the olive oil. Season the chicken on both sides with salt, pepper, granulated garlic and onion powder to taste. Saute the chicken on both sides quickly over medium or medium high heat for a couple of minutes until light golden brown, but not cooked all the way through. Remove to a waiting plate.
7. In an oven proof casserole dish layer the dish this way: gravy, chicken, gravy, corn, mashed potatoes. ***But do not make the mistake I did and put the cutlets in whole. Slice them in strips or bite size pieces and layer them in the dish.***
8. Preheat your oven to 375°. Place the casserole dish on a sheet pan lined with foil because that gravy is going to ooze over.
9. Sprinkle some dried chives and paprika on top for a little color and flavor and drizzle the melted butter over the potatoes to help with the browning of the top.
10. Depending on the thickness of the cutlets it will take around 30-35 minutes to bake.