This Chicken Cottage Pie is a quick, simple meal that the whole family will enjoy. It is packed with ground chicken mince and vegetables in a creamy, savoury sauce, topped with light as air mashed potato and baked until bubbling and golden. Satisfying and comforting, it is full of flavour and easy to make. It will be a great addition to your mid-week meal plans.
Why You'll Love This Recipe:
- It is made from simple ingredients that are readily available year-round.
- It is easily made gluten and dairy free with a few simple substitutions.
- Like my Creamy Lemon Chicken, this is pure comfort food.
- It is a perfect family dinner, but don’t restrict it to your family. Serve it to your friends; we can all do with comfort food sometimes.
- Easy chicken dinners, such as my Butterflied Roast Chicken, are always popular.
- This is the weeknight dinner that everyone will love.
Recipe Inspiration: my Mum’s Beef Cottage Pie was met with very positive feedback, and I was keen to make another version of this pie. So, I developed a recipe with a creamy sauce and lighter flavours to better accompany the mild flavoured chicken. I will be interested to hear what you think.
Ingredients and Substitutions:
Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil – we use this for the best flavour. Use the best olive oil that you have.
- Chicken mince/ground chicken – our preference is for lean mince, which is approximately 90% meat to 10% fat.
- Butter – adds a richer flavour to the chicken dish and essential richness to the mashed potato. Use a dairy free alternative if you require.
- Brown/yellow onion – you can use a white onion if you prefer.
- Carrot – adds colour and flavour.
- Celery – together with the onion and carrot, this trio forms the flavour base.
- Garlic cloves – we use fresh garlic with the chicken mixture as well as in the mashed potatoes. The flavour is brighter than prepared garlic which often contains additives.
- Plain/all-purpose flour – a small amount is added to slightly thicken the sauce. Make this recipe gluten-free by using the appropriate flour if you require.
- Rosemary, thyme and parsley – we use finely chopped fresh herbs to add flavour.
- Chicken stock - use one with good flavour, whether homemade or commercial.
- Heavy/thickened cream – for added richness and creamy texture, we use cream with a minimum content of 35% milk fat.
- Grainy mustard - adds gentle spice, savouriness and a slight acidity which helps balance the flavours in the creamy sauce.
- Baby spinach – adds colour and flavour. It’s a great way to add greens to a dish.
- Salt and black pepper – seasoning is essential for both the chicken mixture and mashed potato. Our preference is for sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Potatoes – use floury potatoes, such as King Edward or Coliban or all-rounders such as Desiree, Yukon Gold or Dutch Creams.
- Garlic - we add peeled, whole cloves to the cooking water, along with the salt, to add flavour to the potatoes.
- Unsalted butter – we use unsalted butter in the mash and the topping, so we are better able to control the amount of salt in the dish.
- Milk – we have used full fat milk. Use the milk of your choice.
Variations:
Grainy mustard – you could use Dijon mustard if you prefer.
Spice – you could add some cayenne pepper to the sauce to suit your taste.
Baby spinach – frozen baby peas would be a good alternative.
How To Make Chicken Cottage Pie:
Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.
1 – Cook the chicken:
Over high heat, add the oil to a large, heavy based pan. Add the chicken mince to the pan, breaking it up as it cooks. Turn the mince into a bowl and set aside.
2 – Sauté the vegetables:
Lower the heat, add the butter, onion, carrot and celery and sauté, before adding the garlic.
3 – Bring the chicken filling together:
Return the chicken to the pan, add the flour and stir well. Add the stock, stir to deglaze the pan as the mixture thickens, then add herbs and mustard. Simmer before adding the cream and spinach.
4 – Make the mashed potato:
Add the potatoes and garlic to a medium size saucepan, along with salt and cold water to cover the potatoes. Bring to the boil and simmer until tender.
Mash the potato, then add butter and milk and mix to combine. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
5 – Add the chicken filling to your dish:
Once cooked and seasoned to your liking, turn into a casserole dish and set aside.
6 – Top with mashed potato:
Add the mashed potato to the top of the mince. Spread the potato out evenly, and use a fork to score the top.
Bake until the top is golden brown.
Hint: for smooth and creamy mashed potato, I recommend using a potato ricer or food mill. Never use a food processor or your potato will have a gluey consistency. A potato masher will also do a good job, but it does require a little more diligence.
Tips for Success, Storage and FAQs:
Yes, you certainly can, it is an ideal dish to prepare ahead of time. The pie can be completely assembled and then refrigerated for up to 3 days. When ready, bake as per the recipe instructions.
Cooled leftover pie can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Yes, you can. Store a prepared, uncooked pie in the freezer wrapped well with cling wrap and then covered in foil for up to 3 months. Be sure to label and date the dish as frozen foods can be difficult to identify. Thaw overnight in the fridge before baking as per the recipe.
Cover the dish with foil and place into a preheated 180 degrees C (355 F) oven and heat for about 30 minutes. The time will vary depending on the amount of pie that you are reheating.
Top Tip:
Ensure the dish is well seasoned. Properly seasoned food makes the difference between a delicious dish packed with flavour as opposed to one that is bland.
Serving Suggestions:
This nourishing, satisfying Chicken Cottage Pie is a complete meal, but our Roasted Broccolini is a great way to add some greens.
Some ways to serve it are:
- For weeknight family meals – it is likely to become a favourite.
- Take it to a potluck; it may be the first dish to go. It is a guaranteed crowd pleaser!
- Serve it to good friends. Believe me, they will thank you. Who doesn’t love comfort food?
For occasions when you only want comfort food, look no further than this Chicken Cottage Pie. The inviting aroma as the pie bakes in the oven promises wonderful, old-style food that is warm and satisfying - don’t we all need this sometimes?
Alex xx
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Chicken Cottage Pie
Please note:
For accuracy, when weights are provided, we recommend weighing your ingredients. This will produce the best results. All oven temperatures listed are for fan forced.
Ingredients
For the Chicken Pie Filling:
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil - divided See Note 1
- 700 g (1.5 lb) ground chicken breast mince – remove from fridge 20 minutes before cooking and pat mince dry with paper towel.
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 large brown/yellow onion - finely chopped
- 1 large carrot - finely chopped
- 2 ribs celery - finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves - finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon all-purpose/plain flour
- 500 ml (2 cups) chicken stock
- 1 ½ teaspoon fresh rosemary - finely chopped
- 1 ½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves - finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon flat leaf parsley - finely chopped
- 125 ml (½ cup) heavy whipping/thickened cream See Note 2
- 1 teaspoon grainy mustard
- 70 g (2 cups) baby spinach - firmly packed
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper – to taste See Note 3
For the Mashed Potato Topping:
- 1 kg (2.2 lb) potatoes - peeled & cut into cubes about 2.5 cm (1 inch) – Desiree, King Edward, Coliban etc. See Note 4
- 3 garlic cloves - peeled
- cold water - to cover the potatoes
- 1 teaspoon coarse cooking salt
- 80 g (⅓ cup) unsalted butter
- 80 ml (⅓ cup) milk
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper – to taste
Instructions
For the Chicken Pie Filling:
- Over high heat, add the oil to a large, heavy based pan. Add the chicken mince to the pan.Cook the chicken, breaking it up as you go - this will take about 5-7 minutes. Turn the mince into a bowl and set aside.
- Lower the heat to medium and add the butter to melt. Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.
- Add in the garlic and stir well, about 1-2 minutes, watching that the garlic doesn’t burn.
- Add the chicken back to the pan and stir to combine. Add the flour, stir well and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the stock and stir to deglaze the pan as the mixture thickens.Add in the herbs and mustard. Simmer for 12-15 minutes, until the vegetables are tender but not fully cooked. You want to make sure there is still some liquid left to form a nice gravy.Add in the cream and spinach and simmer for a further 3 minutes.
- Grease a ceramic dish with a little oil or butter.Turn the chicken mixture into your greased dish and set aside to cool slightly.I used a dish that measures about 30 x 18 cm (12 x 7 inch).
For the Mashed Potato Topping:
- Add the potatoes and garlic to a medium size saucepan. Add cold water to cover the potatoes and sprinkle in the salt.Bring the water to the boil and simmer until the potatoes are tender. This will take 10-15 minutes.While the potatoes are cooking, preheat your oven to 180 degrees C (355 F).
- Once the potatoes are tender, drain well and then return the potatoes to the saucepan to dry out briefly for 1-2 minutes. (Ensure the heat is switched off.)Mash the potato and the garlic. Add in the butter and mix to melt. Add the milk and mix to combine.Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Bake the Chicken Cottage Pie:
- Add the mashed potato to the top of the mince and gently spread out evenly. Use a fork to scrape a pattern into the top. Bake in your preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the dish is warmed through.Stand for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Tablespoon: we use a standard Australian tablespoon which is 20 ml (4 teaspoons). For readers located elsewhere in the world, please use 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon for each listed tablespoon.
- Cream: for a creamy texture and best flavour, use full-fat cream. Thickened/heavy whipping cream should have a minimum 35% fat content.
- Seasoning: adjust the seasoning to your liking – we recommend using freshly ground black pepper and sea salt flakes for the best flavour. Proper seasoning is essential for a delicious dish that is well flavoured.
- Potatoes: I have used Desiree potatoes, which are a great all-rounder. Other varieties that work well for mash are King Edward, Coliban or Dutch Creams.
- Servings: will serve 4-6 people, depending on what it is served with. For my family, it tends to be 4 serves!
- Storage and reheating: store leftover Chicken Cottage Pie in an airtight container for up to 3 days. To reheat, cover the dish with foil and place into a preheated 180 degrees C (355 F) oven and heat for about 30 minutes. The time will vary depending on the amount of pie that you are reheating.
- Freezing: store a prepared, uncooked Chicken Cottage Pie in the freezer wrapped well with cling wrap and then covered in foil for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before baking as per the recipe.
Nutrition Estimate:
Nutritional Disclaimer:
The nutritional information is an estimate only, and is derived from online calculators. For accurate results, we recommend calculating the nutritional information based on the ingredients and brands you use.
Jan Miller says
Perfect chicken pie recipe. Family loved it. And so easy to do.
Alexandra Cook says
Thank you so much, Jan!
I am so happy to hear this 🙂 I appreciate your comment! Alex xo