Cajun Shepherd's pie

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On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me 4 calling birds...which inspired me to make this Cajun Shepherd's Pie.  

When we were thinking of what to do about 4 calling birds we looked up what calling birds were. Turns out that's what black birds used to be called. This reminded me of the nursery rhyme "4 and 20 blackbirds baked in a pie." So immediately I thought of blackened chicken pot pie.

But after doing much research and being inspired by Tiffany-Anne Parkes recipe for Jerk Chicken Shepherd's pie, I decided a Cajun Shepherd's Pie would be the best approach.

Cajun Shepherd's Pie

The recipe I came up with is so delicious. And although it's not true shepherd's pie because it uses chicken instead of lamb, it's still shepherd's pie-esque. The spice level from the Cajun Spice mix had the perfect amount of heat for me. The sweetness of the sweet potato mash pairs so well with the spicy flavor of the chicken. But my favorite part of the dish is the andouille cream sauce. It is amazing and was largely  inspired by chef Antony Field, though my recipe does differ a bit.

Cajun Shepherd's Pie with Cream Sauce

Tips For Making Cajun Shepherd's Pie

I hope you guys enjoy this! It was so fun to come up with and even a better thing to eat. Here's some tips for making it:

• The amount of Cajun Spice is up to you. I used a pre-made spice mix from McCormick Gourmet but there's lots of recipes out there to put together your own blend. It has a kick to it so add as much or as little as you can handle.
• Use chicken thighs because the chicken gets cooked twice essentially and thighs can retain they're juiciness better.
• This is true blackened chicken since it gets shredded and cooked again, but getting the spices seared onto the chicken in a super hot pan adds to the depth of flavor.
• Bake the chicken in the same loaf pan that you will put the whole dish together in; it will help the juices to reabsorb in the shredded chicken.
• If you don't have cream on hand, milk will work fine, your sauce will just be looser, but you can add some flour to help thicken it a bit. I used milk my second time making it and it turned out great!