Chicken and Mashed Potato Pie

This is similar to shepherd's pie, but is made with chicken instead of lamb or beef. It's kind of a cross between a chicken pot pie and a shepherd's pie. You will need 3 cups of béchamel sauce for this recipe. I use Sauce Béchamel for this. For the chicken, I usually buy a rotisserie chicken and chop the breast and thigh meat. I use frozen peas and cook them in the microwave for half the recommended time before adding them to the recipe.

• Ready In: 1 hr 15 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 5  idaho potatoes, scrubbed well
• 5  garlic cloves, halved
• 1⁄2 cup  cream
• 2  tablespoons butter
•  salt
•  pepper
• 2  tablespoons cream cheese, softened
• 1⁄2 cup  diced celery
• 1⁄2 cup  diced carrot
• 1⁄2 cup  diced onion
• 1  tablespoon butter
• 1  cup  cooked peas
• 2  cups  cooked chicken, chopped
• 3  cups bechamel sauce
• 1  tablespoon  mccormick  chicken base

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350Ëš F.
2. Make the garlic mashed potatoes: cut each potato into 16 pieces (I leave the peels on, but you can peel them if you like). Place them in a saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt. Boil, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Drain well and return to the saucepan you cooked them inches Toss the potatoes over medium heat for a minute. This is to evaporate any excess moisture.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the garlic: in a small covered saucepan, heat the garlic cloves with the butter and cook over lowest heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until very tender. They should not color more than a creamy yellow. Pour 1/2 cup of cream in with the garlic and butter, add a good pinch of salt and pepper, and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.
4. Add the garlic and cream, and the cream cheese to the potatoes and mash well with a potato masher. Taste and add salt as needed. Set aside.
5. In a large skillet, sauté the celery, carrot, and onion in the 1 tablespoon of butter for 10 minutes over medium heat. In a large bowl, combine the sautéed vegetables, the peas, and the chicken.
6. Add the McCormick chicken base to the béchamel sauce, and stir well to combine. Add the sauce to the chicken and vegetables and mix well to combine.
7. Grease a 3 quart pyrex baking dish. Pour the chicken mixture into the dish, and cover it with the garlic mashed potatoes. Bake, uncovered, at 350ËšF for 45 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.