The Chicken Shepherd's Pie.
A shepherd's pie without the lamb: peppery chicken in gravy under a baked mashed potato top. What it is, and how DonChef's kitchen makes one.
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What is a chicken shepherd's pie?
A chicken shepherd's pie is a mash-topped baked dish that swaps the traditional lamb for chicken. The structure is the classic one: a thick, spoonable filling on the bottom, a layer of mashed potato on top, and a spell in a hot oven to set and brown the mash. There is no pastry. Purists would point out that without lamb it is not technically a shepherd's pie at all, a point our shepherd's pie vs cottage pie explainer goes into, but "chicken shepherd's pie" is the name people use and search for.
The chicken version suits Singapore tables. Chicken is the most widely eaten meat here, it takes well to pepper, soy and local spice, and it has none of the lamb smell that puts some diners off. It is also an easy dish to share: one tray, one spoon, everyone served.
How is DonChef's Chicken Shepherd's Pie built?
DonChef's Chicken Shepherd's Pie is built from two parts the kitchen already knows well. The base is the filling from DonChef's Black Pepper Chicken Pie: chunky chicken in a peppery gravy, the same filling that goes inside the pastry version with an extra kick of black pepper. On top goes a layer of mashed potato, which is baked until it sets and colours. The kitchen's printed menu describes it simply as the Black Pepper Pie filling topped with baked mashed potato, and pictures it as a rectangular tray.
- The filling. Chicken in chunks rather than shreds, cooked into a gravy seasoned with black pepper. Chunky meat keeps its bite under the mash instead of turning to paste.
- The mash. A layer of mashed potato spread over the filling. It replaces the golden, flaky crust of the pastry pies and acts as the lid.
- The bake. The tray is baked so the top firms and browns while the filling below stays moist.
- The tray. It is sold in a personal size for one and a whole tray that feeds four to six.
The pies are baked in small batches in deck ovens at the kitchen on Tyrwhitt Road in Jalan Besar, which runs what it calls a zero overnight pies policy: what is baked is meant to be sold and eaten fresh, not held for the next day. The menu listing, prices and one set of honest tasting notes are collected on donpies.com in their write-up of the Chicken Shepherd's Pie.
Who is behind the recipe?
The recipe goes back to Chef Don Lim, the founder of Don Pie and a co-founder of Chicken Pie Kitchen & Don Signature Crab. Chef Don Lim created his chicken pie recipe in 1983, while making pastries for a staff cafeteria at a large technology company, and opened his first pie shop at Far East Square in 2000. That shop became known as Don Pie. Today the pies are baked at Chicken Pie Kitchen & Don Signature Crab, the restaurant and kitchen he co-founded at 39 Tyrwhitt Road, under the DonChef name, and Chef Don Lim still appears at the kitchen's events.
The Chicken Shepherd's Pie is a newer branch of that family. It keeps the DonChef kitchen's seasoning and its preference for real chunks of chicken, and changes the lid. For the longer account of where the recipe started and how it got to Jalan Besar, the original Don story is told in the kitchen's own voice.
Why black pepper?
Black pepper is one of Singapore's favourite flavour tags, from black pepper crab to black pepper beef hor fun, and it does a specific job in a mash-topped pie. Mashed potato is rich and mild. A filling seasoned only with salt and herbs can taste flat against it. Pepper gives warmth and a clean bite that cuts through the butter in the mash, so the last spoonful tastes as lively as the first.
Pepper-forward chicken fillings also have deep roots in the Hainanese-style Western food that shaped Singapore's old-school pies. chickenpie.net's atlas entry on the Singapore Hainanese chicken pie sets out how that style differs from British and Australian chicken pies.
| Chicken Shepherd's Pie | Black Pepper Chicken Pie | |
|---|---|---|
| Filling | Black pepper chicken in gravy | Black pepper chicken in gravy |
| Top | Baked mashed potato | Golden, flaky crust |
| Format | Rectangular tray | Round pie |
| Personal / whole (Feb 2026 menu) | $6.80 / $33.80 | $6.80 / $33.80 |
| Best for | Spooning, sharing, softer textures | Eating by hand, crunch |
How big is it, and what does it cost?
The Chicken Shepherd's Pie comes in two sizes. The personal size feeds one. The whole tray is listed as feeding four to six. On the kitchen's printed menu dated February 2026, the personal size is $6.80 and the whole tray is $33.80, the same prices as the Original and Black Pepper Chicken Pies. Those are the prices as of October 2026; check the official ordering site before you buy, as online and delivery prices can differ from the dine-in menu. Our shepherd's pie price guide puts those numbers next to the rest of the market.
Where can you buy it?
DonChef's pies are sold at the flagship restaurant at 39 Tyrwhitt Road in Jalan Besar and at four takeaway kiosks: AMK Hub, Wisma Atria, White Sands in Pasir Ris and Tiong Bahru Plaza. Kiosks can sell out, and not every item is at every counter every day, so if you have your heart set on a whole tray, order ahead on the official ordering site and collect, or book delivery. For a group, the party tray guide covers quantities and lead times.
No pork, no lard, not Halal-certified. The kitchen does not claim that any of its products are halal. More detail is in our shepherd's pie FAQ.
How long does it keep, and how do you reheat it?
The kitchen recommends eating its pies within four hours of purchase for the best texture, and keeping the Chicken Shepherd's Pie in the fridge for no more than three days. Mash-topped pies hold more moisture than pastry pies, which is why the limit is firm. To reheat, use the oven or an air fryer so the mash crisps again, and make sure the centre reaches 75°C. The full method, including the microwave shortcut, is in our guide on how to reheat shepherd's pie.