A savory filling of chicken, onion, and mushrooms is packed into ramekins, sprinkled with shortbread crumbs, and covered with a rich black pepper dough. The buttery shortbread absorbs the broth while everything simmers away, sealed up under the crust, creating buttery little crust bits that have the entire flavor of the pot pie concentrated into them. • serves 4
Black Pepper Dough
Chicken, Carrot, and Mushroom Filling
For the dough, in a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, salt, black pepper, and nutmeg. Grate the frozen butter over the bowl with the large hole setting of your grater, tossing the butter shards in the flour mixture to coat every 2 minutes or so to avoid ending up with one giant clump of butter.
Begin adding the ice water, 2 tablespoons at a time, while stirring gently. After about ⅓ cup of water, grab a handful of the dough and squeeze. If it generally sticks together when you let go, it is ready. If it completely crumbles apart, it needs a bit more water. Shape the dough into a ball, cover, and keep refrigerated until you’re ready to roll it out, or up to 2 days in advance.
For the filling, rub the chicken down with ½ teaspoon of the salt and ½ teaspoon of the black pepper. Melt the butter in a medium frying pan over medium heat and add the chicken breasts. Cover and cook until they are well browned on both sides, about 8 minutes on each side depending on the heat. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. Add the flour to the pan and whisk until a thick paste forms. Gradually add the stock, whisking constantly until smooth. Add the onion, mushrooms, carrots, peas, sweet potato, thyme, sage, savory, and remaining 1½ teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the mixture has thickened, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, chop the chicken breasts into roughly 1-inch cubes. Add the chicken and cream to the pan and stir until combined.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Divide the chilled dough into four equal spheres. Roll each one out into a circle that is about ¼ inch thick. Evenly distribute the filling between four 16-ounce oven-safe ramekins or bowls. Crumble a shortbread cookie over each. Place a dough round over the top of one filling and press down around the edges to seal the dough against the rim of the bowl, trimming any excess dough. Lightly brush the egg wash over the top of the dough. Use a sharp knife to poke a few holes in the top to allow steam to escape. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make 4 pot pies. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the crusts are golden around the edges. Allow to cool for 20 minutes before serving.