Hen House Pie

A delicious chicken variant of the British classic - Shepherd’s pie.

My Life Story

It's a bit weird if you've landed here looking for a recipe. I'm a software engineer - not a chef!

Even with that said, this is a favourite of mine. I'm trying to reduce my beef consumption and this helped a lot. It goes down well in the family, and hopefully in yours too.

I wanted somewhere to keep this that wasn't my phones notes - I accidentally deleted half of it once, and had to wing the recipe. I prefer a consise set of instructions written in the way I'd execute them.

So no more waffle:

Ingredients

• 500g chicken mince

• 1 medium onion

• 1 leek

• 3-4 carrots

• 1 tsp mixed herbs

• 1 tbsp tomato purée

• 2 chicken stock cubes in 500ml boiled water

• 1 tbsp Worcestershire¹ sauce (optional, but recommended)

• 800-900g potatoes

• 10-20g salted butter

• Splash of milk

Method

Cooking time: 1-2 hours.

1. Dice onions and sweat in a wide saucepan with a splash of olive oil for a few minutes (or until they start to turn translucent).

2. Meanwhile, peel the carrots, and chop together with the leek.

3. Add them to the onions and sauté for a few more minutes. Be careful not to burn the onion.

4. Remove the veg into a container and set aside.

5. Crumble the mince and cook until no longer pink. Break into small pieces while cooking and do not let it burn. Discard excess water from the meat.

6. Re-add the veg. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover for 20 minutes.

7. Add the mixed herbs, tomato purée, and Worcestershire sauce; then simmer uncovered for another 20 minutes.

8. While boiling covered, peel, chop, and boil the potatoes. Finely mash with a knob of butter and a splash of milk to taste.

9. Place cooked meat & veg into a wide oven-proof dish and make roughly level.

10. Cover with a layer of mashed potatoes; then flatten, and roughen with a fork for pretty, crispy, and tasty ridges.

11. Place into preheated 200°C oven for 20 minutes, then change to grill at 150°C until crispy on top, to taste.

12. Enjoy!

If pre-cooking for later, skip the oven bit. Prepare in the oven-proof dish, and leave uncovered until cool.

When ready, place in the oven for 30 minutes before grilling till crispy.