Chicken Tikka Masala Shepherd’s Pie
Spicy ground chicken in a tikka masala sauce, topped with creamy whipped potato and cauliflower creates a fun twist on shepherd’s pie! The silky texture of the potato cauliflower mixture is the perfect balance for the chunky chicken mixture! The topping also has a hint of spice and seasoning but the creaminess really balances the spicy filling at the bottom.
The inspiration for this recipe
I love playing around with shepherd’s pie ideas. I know I get a lot of flack for calling things “shepherd’s” pie when there isn’t lamb, but to me shepherds pie is anything with meat on the bottom, mashed potato on top, and goes into an oven. This chicken tikka masala shepherd’s pie idea came from the thought of topping a meaty curry with a sort of aloo gobi mixture. I weighed some options and this was the version I ended up going with. It came out great!
Make the potato cauliflower topping
I like the flavor of charred cauliflower, so I broiled the cauliflower before blending it up. Cauliflower, garam masala, garlic, ginger, chili powder, and cream. I mentioned this was inspired by aloo gobi. At this point it is mostly just because of the cauliflower and potato, but there is still a little bit of spice and garlic and ginger in there to give it a hint of flavor.
Then add the boiled potatoes and some melted butter. I tried to mash this, but I wanted it super silky so I ended up using a hand blender. I would never do that with just potatoes because they are too starchy. With the cauliflower in there, it works out perfect.
Make the chicken tikka masala for the shepherd’s pie
Onion and fresno chilis in first. I was going to use serrano but they went bad. Then add chicken, and then tomato paste, garlic, and ginger.
Once that is browned up, add the liquids and spices to the chicken tikka masala shepherd’s pie. Chicken stock, cumin, coriander, curry powder, clove, turmeric, and more!
Tasty stuff!
Build the chicken tikka masala shepherd’s pie
Add the chicken tikka masala filling to the bottom, then top the shepherd’s pie with the potato cauliflower mixture.
Bake the shepherd’s pie
Get this into the oven at 400 and bake about 20 minutes. Then broil it for the last 5 minutes to brown.
Serve the chicken tikka masala shepherd’s pie
Give it about 10 minutes to cool before slicing and serving! Top with cilantro and dig in!
These flavors work so perfectly together! The creamy topping balances the spicy filling perfectly. What a comforting dish!
Shepherds pie has always been one of my personal favorite comfort food dishes, and this chicken tikka masala version doesn’t disappoint!
Twists on this recipe
If you are looking for an authentic chicken tikka masala recipe to use as the base of this dish, I like this one! I changed up my version a bit to fit in with what I was going for for this shepherds pie. You could also just use a mashed potato topping if you would rather instead of my cauliflower mixture. I made mine with cauliflower because I was inspired by aloo gobi.
For more fun twists on shepherds pie, check out my shepherd’s pie breakfast bake, these shepherd’s pie burgers, or this shepherd’s pie deep dish pizza!
Chicken Tikka Masala Shepherd’s Pie
Equipment
Ingredients
Potatoes
- 1 head cauliflower
- 1 teaspoon whole cumin seed
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil or other high heat oil
- 1 cup cream (alt – milk, coconut cream, or vegan cream)
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- pinch Kashmiri chili powder
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 inch ginger grated
- 2 large russet potatoes peeled and chopped
- 4 tablespoons butter melted
Chicken
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 small onion diced
- 3-5 fresno or serrano peppers diced, seeds optional for extra heat
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 2 inches ginger minced
- 3 ounces tomato paste (half a small can)
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon madras curry powder
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/8th teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder
- 1/8 teaspoon clove
- 1/2 cup cream (alt – milk, coconut cream, or vegan cream)
- cilantro for garnish
Instructions
Mash
- Preheat oven to broil. Add the cauliflower to a pan with the cumin seeds, salt, pepper, and oil. Toss to combine. Broil to brown the edges, about 15 minutes, stirring and flipping half way though.
- Add the contents of the pan to a blender and add in the cream, garam masala, curry powder, garlic, and ginger. Blend smooth.
- Meanwhile, add the potatoes to a pot of salted water and bring to a simmer. Cook until tender.
- Add the potatoes to a bowl with the melted butter. Add in he blender mixture. Mash or whip until fully combined. aste and adjust seasonings as needed. FYI The garlic will be strong because it is raw, but it will cook out in the oven.
Chicken
- Add the onion and pepper to a pan with the butter and cook on medium heat to soften. Add in the chicken and turn the heat to high. Cook to brown chicken around the edges and cook through, about 8 minutes.
- Add in the garlic, ginger, and tomato paste and cook 5 minutes, stirring often.
- Turn heat to low and add in the stock. Add in all the spices and stir to combine. Simmer 10 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400.
- Remove the chicken from the heat and stir in the cream.
- Add the chicken to a baking dish, then top with the potato cauliflower mixture. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes.
- Switch to broil to add some charring to the top of the potatoes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Thanks so much Mel! Fresh Tamarind is easy to use you should try it sometime 🙂