Gluten Free Chicken Shepherd’s Pie
Combining unconventional ingredients like rotisserie chicken, bacon, and Marsala wine, Gluten Free Chicken Shepherd’s Pie is puts a twist on an old classic!
An Easy Alternative to Chicken Pot Pie
I love a warm, comforting chicken pot pie. The problem is, I don’t always feel like making pastry… especially gluten free pastry (can we say temperamental!?). So to satisfy that craving, I developed this gluten free chicken shepherd’s pie. It’s loaded with flavor and is the equivalent of a warm hug on a cold day. This is easily in my top 5 favorite dishes to make and devour.
What’s In Gluten Free Chicken Shepherd’s Pie?
Shepherd’s pie is basically a lamb stew topped with mashed potatoes and broiled. Alternately, cottage pie is a beef stew topped with mashed potatoes and broiled; it’s what most of us think of when we refer to shepherd’s pie. Gluten free chicken shepherd’s pie is just like shepherd’s or cottage pie except it’s made with, you guessed it, chicken!
What makes this version different than others I’ve found is the addition of marsala wine, bacon, and heavy cream, along with my sour cream mashed potatoes on top. If you’ve never cooked onions and carrots in bacon fat, I highly recommend you try it. It’s a game changer.
Typically, I like to add wine and brandy to a lot of my cooking. I think it adds a depth of flavor and richness that you really can’t get from any other ingredient. And while I usually add some type of white wine to chicken dishes, I wanted to change it up a bit for this one.
I had a chicken pot pie once that had marsala wine in the sauce and it was SO GOOD. It was sweet, without tasting like sugar was added to the sauce, and the marsala made the whole dish velvety and luxurious. Marsala is an Italian dessert wine that is commonly found in desserts like zabaglione or even tiramisu, and is most famously used in the savory dish Chicken Marsala. It gives this gluten free chicken shepherd’s pie tremendous flavor!
Tips for Making Gluten Free Chicken Shepherd’s Pie
- Just so we’re all on the same page, this makes a lot of food. You could easily serve it at a dinner party or family gathering, I promise your guests will be glad you did, and it’s great for leftovers.
- You can definitely cut the recipe in half and it would make about 6 good size portions. Or double it if you’re feeding a huge crowd. This recipe is pretty forgiving.
- I wouldn’t recommend freezing this dish as the sauce will separate when you reheat it and the mashed potatoes will be have a funky texture, for lack of a better word.
- Don’t skip broiling the pie! The broiled mashed potatoes add a nice layer of crunch to everything. Plus the browned bits of potatoes add yet another flavor element to this already flavorful dish.
- If you’re trying to use up leftovers from a meal, like Thanksgiving, you can definitely swap the chicken for turkey.
- No marsala wine? No problem! A dry white wine would be a great alternative, but please note it will change the flavor of the overall dish.
- Additionally, you can use leftover mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes to top the stew (as long as the sweet potatoes don’t have marshmallows or anything like that on top).
- Lastly, feel free to change up the veggies in the stew to use what you have on hand (i.e. green beans, corn, etc.). If you’re using leftover fresh veggies that have already been cooked, add them to the stew towards the end so they don’t get soggy or mushy.
Let’s Eat!
This dish is a great alternative to a traditional shepherd’s or cottage pie. Even though it has some richer ingredients like wine, cream, and bacon, it still feels a little less heavy than a traditional shepherd’s pie. With no temperamental pastry crust to make and the use of a store-bought rotisserie chicken, it comes together pretty quickly, too.
It also combines the best of both worlds since you have your mashed potatoes, veggies, chicken, and “gravy” all in one dish! Who wouldn’t love that?
If you make this Gluten Free Chicken Shepherd’s Pie, be sure to leave a comment and/or rate the recipe! I love hearing from you and constructive feedback is always welcome. And be sure to tag me on social if you make it. Seeing photos of recipes you’ve made is my favorite!
Cheers to you, friend!
Gluten Free Chicken Shepherd's Pie
Ingredients
Stew
- 6 strips bacon
- 2 cups chopped baby carrots
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 1 cup Marsala wine
- 2 cups gluten free chicken broth such as Swanson
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2-3 cups rotisserie chicken white meat only
- 2 teaspoons chicken base or 1 bouillon cube
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
- 1 cup frozen peas thawed
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 tablespoons King Arthur Flour Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour
Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes
- 3 lbs Yukon gold potatoes
- ¼ cup half and half
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature and cut into 6 pieces
- 4 ounces sour cream
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
Instructions
For the Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into quarters. Place the potatoes in a large pot filled with cold, salted water. Boil potatoes over medium-high heat until fork tender, about 15 minutes. Drain potatoes and pour into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
- Mix the potatoes on low speed for 1 minute just to break them up.
- With the mixture still on low, add the half and half and the butter one tablespoon at a time until just combined.
- Add the sour cream, salt and pepper and mix until well combined and smooth, scrapping down the bowl as needed. Adjust seasonings and add more salt and pepper, if needed.
- Set potatoes aside. It's ok if they cool off while you make the stew.
For the Stew
- In a large pot or Dutch oven cook the bacon over medium-high heat until crispy. Remove bacon from the pot and drain on a paper towel lined plate, set aside to cool. Wipe or pour out all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat.
- Lower the heat to medium and add the carrots and onions to the pot. Season with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper. Stir often, and cook until carrots begin to soften and onions start to brown, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the Marsala wine to the pot and increase heat to high. Simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until wine reduces by half.
- Add the chicken stock to the Marsala and carrot-onion mixture in the pot and simmer for about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the heavy cream, rotisserie chicken, bullion or chicken base, fresh thyme, peas, kosher salt, and black pepper. Stir until well combined and reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 5 minutes.
- In a small bowl, combine softened butter and flour into a paste. Spoon ¼ of the sauce into the butter-flour paste and stir until combined. Add mixture to the pot and stir continuously until well combined. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, or until mixture begins to thicken and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Preheat broiler to 450 degrees or on high.
- Spray a large casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Pour the stew mixture into prepared casserole dish. Using a rubber spatula, scoop ½ cup of mashed potatoes onto the stew mixture. Repeat until top of stew is completely covered by the mashed potatoes.
- OPTIONAL: Using a fork, draw it across the mashed potatoes making a pattern to create ridges. Repeat until pattern covers the entire top of the potatoes.
- Place casserole dish under the broiler for 3-5 minutes, or until potatoes begin to brown. Allow the casserole to cool for a minute or two before serving.
One Comment
Scott
Was going to try and make this recipe this week – it sounds fantastic! I was curious how big a “large casserole dish” is? How thick is the stew portion supposed to be compared to the mashed potatoes? Or is it just a rough estimate or personal preference? Will likely try to half the recipe.