Smoked Chicken Shepherd’s Pie

Name: Smoked Chicken Shepherd’s Pie
Prep time: 1 h 30 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 5 lb whole chicken; Cattleman’s Grill Trail Dust All Purpose Seasoning; 3 tbsp unsalted butter; 1 cup portobello mushrooms, small dice; 1 cup yellow onion, small dice; 1/2 cup carrot, small dice; 1/2 cup celery, small dice; 2 tbsp white miso paste; 1 tbsp garlic, minced; 1/4 cup flour; 2 cups chicken stock; 1 cup frozen peas; 1 tsp fresh thyme, minced; 1 tsp Bear &amp; Burton’s W Sauce Worcestershire; 1/2 cup half and half; 3 lb russet potatoes, peeled, quartered; 4 oz Black Truffle Romano Cheese, finely grated, divided; 3/4 cup half and half; 2 tbsp unsalted butter; 1 egg yolk; 1 tbsp fresh chives, minced; Jacobsen Salt Co. Black Garlic Infused Salt

Feb 21, 2023 • Tom Jackson

Chef Tom fires up the Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill for Smoked Chicken Shepherd's Pie! In this fusion of comfort food favorites, the chicken pot pie meets the shepherd's pie and the results will blow away your taste buds and wrap you up in a warm hug of comfort food goodness!

WHAT YOU'LL LOVE

The chicken skin gets crisped separately for a garnish, not wasted. Pulling the skin off after the main cook and re-crisping it in a hot skillet turns what's normally discarded into a crunchy topping for the finished pie.
Miso sneaks umami depth into the filling. Whisking it in with the garlic before adding stock gives the sauce a savory backbone that a standard flour-thickened gravy wouldn't have on its own.
A crosshatch pattern on the potatoes isn't just decorative. Dragging fork tines across the smoothed mashed potato layer creates ridges that catch and hold more browned, crispy texture once it's back in the oven.
Black truffle cheese gets used twice. Folding half into the mashed potatoes and saving half to sprinkle on top means the truffle flavor comes through in both the base and the browned crust.

Smoked Chicken Shepherd’s Pie

Tom Jackson

Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users

Cuisine

American

Servings

8

Prep Time

1 hour 5 minutes

Cook Time

1 hour

Calories

798

Experience ultimate comfort food satisfaction with Chef Tom's Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill-cooked Smoked Chicken Shepherd's Pie! This savory fusion of two classic comfort dishes will tantalize your taste buds and leave you feeling warm and satisfied!

Print Recipe

Ingredients

5 lb whole chicken
Cattleman’s Grill Trail Dust All Purpose Seasoning
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup portobello mushrooms, small dice
1 cup yellow onion, small dice
1/2 cup carrot, small dice
1/2 cup celery, small dice
2 tbsp white miso paste
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1/4 cup flour
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup frozen peas
1 tsp fresh thyme, minced
1 tsp Bear & Burton’s W Sauce Worcestershire
1/2 cup half and half

For the mashed potatoes

3 lb russet potatoes, peeled, quartered
4 oz Black Truffle Romano Cheese, finely grated, divided
3/4 cup half and half
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp fresh chives, minced
Jacobsen Salt Co. Black Garlic Infused Salt

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Directions

Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill to 300ºF, with the Yoder smokers Wood Fired Oven installed.
Spatchcock the chicken by cutting along both sides of the backbone and removing the backbone. Pull back the skin, but do not remove or tear the skin. Season the flesh under the skin with Cattleman’s Grill Trail Dust All Purpose Seasoning, then pull the skin back in place and season the outer surfaces as well. Place on foil lined sheet pan, skin side up.
Transfer the pan to the grill, placing it on top of the Wood Fired Oven. Cook on top of the oven for 45 minutes. Next, carefully flip the bird over on the pan so the the skin side is down. Continue cooking until the internal temperature reaches 155ºF in the breasts. Remove from the grill.
Remove the skin from the chicken. Place in a cast iron skillet and slide the skillet into the oven. Cook until crispy. Remove and dice. Save for garnishing the top of the shepherd’s pie. When the chicken meat is cool enough to handle, pull the meat from the bones and shred the meat by hand. Discard the bones. You should have 4-5 cups of shredded chicken.
While the chicken cooks, cook potatoes in simmering water until tender. Remove from the water. Pass through a potato ricer and into a large bowl. Combine the butter and half and half. Heat until butter is melted. Add to the bowl with the potatoes. Add half (4 oz) of the cheese, the egg yolk and chives. Mix well with a spatula. Season with Jacobsen Salt Co. Black Garlic Infused Salt to taste. Set aside for later.
Increase the grill temperature to 450ºF. Place a 12” skillet on a sheet pan inside the oven to preheat.
Melt butter in the skillet. Add the mushrooms, onion, carrot and celery. Season with about one tablespoon Cattleman’s Grill Trail Dust. Cook inside the WFO, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are softened and onion is translucent. Add the miso and garlic. Cook for another 1-2 minutes. Remove the skillet from the oven and place it on top of the oven. Slowly add the chicken stock, stirring constantly. Add the chicken, peas, thyme and worcestershire sauce. Carefully stir. Return the skillet to the oven and cook until thickened, about 5-10 minutes.
Remove the skillet from the oven. Carefully stir in the half and half. Top the chicken mixture with the mashed potatoes, spreading them out evenly and smoothing the top. Rub the backside of fork tongs across the surface of the potatoes to score a crosshatch design into the potatoes. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top. Return the skillet to the oven and cook until the top is browned, about 5-10 minutes.
Remove the skillet from the grill. Top the shepherd’s pie with the diced crunchy chicken skin and serve warm.

Recipe Note

Recipe FAQ

Why crisp the chicken skin separately instead of leaving it on the shredded meat?
Pulling the skin off and re-crisping it in a hot skillet turns it into a crunchy garnish rather than letting it go soft and rubbery mixed in with the pulled meat.

Why add miso paste to the vegetable filling?
Miso adds a savory, umami depth to the sauce that a standard flour-thickened gravy alone wouldn't have, rounding out the filling's flavor before the stock goes in.

Why score a crosshatch pattern into the mashed potatoes before baking?
Dragging fork tines across the smoothed surface creates ridges that catch more direct heat, giving the top a crispier, more textured finish than a flat surface would.

Why split the truffle cheese between the potatoes and the topping?
Folding half into the mash and saving half for the top means the truffle flavor comes through in both the base and the browned crust, rather than concentrating it in just one layer.

What internal temperature should the chicken breast actually reach?
This recipe lists 155°F, but USDA's minimum safe internal temperature for poultry is 165°F, including the breast. Cook to at least 165°F to make sure the chicken is fully safe before shredding it into the filling.

How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
3 out of 5 — the filling, mashed potatoes, and assembly all work in a standard oven and stovetop; the smoked flavor from the Wood Fired Oven attachment is the one thing you'd be missing indoors.

Recipe Highlights

Separately crisped chicken skin: Re-crisping it on its own turns a normally discarded part of the bird into a crunchy garnish for the finished dish.
Miso in the filling: Whisking it in before the stock builds a savory depth that a plain gravy base wouldn't have.
Crosshatch scoring on the potatoes: This creates ridges that brown and crisp more thoroughly than a smooth, flat surface would.
Truffle cheese used twice: Splitting it between the mash and the topping layers the flavor through both parts of the dish instead of concentrating it in one spot.