Chicken Shepherd's Pie

I had made this dish before and wasn't overwhelmed with the results, but I had a rotisserie chicken I needed to use so I decided to try it again. I don't know what was different, but the two of us ate the entire dish. It just hit the spot today.

I took some shortcuts (like using the store-bought cooked chicken) and bought the ready-made mashed potatoes (I used the Bob Evans brand of Garlic Mashed Potatoes). While the rest of the recipe pretty much stayed the same (I used half Pepper Jack cheese and half Cheddar), you could certainly substitute the vegetables, even using those frozen mixed vegetables (you know the ones, peas, carrots, corn). Most importantly, don't skimp on the fresh herbs, especially the thyme (and S&P). This made all the difference. Since I was making this just for two, I used a very small casserole dish (7 x 5 1/2 x 2"). I cooked the whole green beans in salted water, then sprinkled them with a bit of kosher salt. This recipe serves two.

CHICKEN SHEPHERD'S PIE

2 lb container of prepared garlic mashed potatoes, use only half....save the rest for tomorrow

1/2 cup (about 6 oz) finely chopped or shredded, cooked chicken, or enough to cover the bottom of the dish

S&P

1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme

1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary

1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced

1/2 cup fresh corn kernels

(or about a scant cup of frozen mixed vegetables)

1/2 cup shredded cheese of your choice

Spray casserole dish with cooking spray. Cover bottom of dish with chicken. Sprinkle with S&P and herbs. Add the vegetables. Spread the mashed potatoes over this (I first took the prepared potatoes out and put in a different bowl to mix up a bit since they were refrigerated and stiff) and then spread then over the vegetables using my fingers. Smooth out. Cover with cheese.

Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes. I turned the broiler on for the last few minutes to brown the cheese.