Better Chicken Pot Pies

In a large, wide bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the butter and use a pastry blender or fingertips to cut them up into the flour mixture until it resembles little pebbles.

Whisk together sour cream, vinegar, and water in a small dish. Combine with the butter-flour mixture, stirring until a craggy dough forms. Knead into a ball, wrap in plastic, and chill for 1 hour or up to 2 days.

Generously season chicken parts with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large Dutch oven. Brown chicken in two parts, cooking until golden on both sides. Set aside.

In the same pot, heat another glug of olive oil, add onions and leeks, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until softened, about 7 minutes. Pour in sherry, if using, and scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom.

Add milk or cream, chicken broth, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer, nestle browned chicken back into the pot, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes until chicken is cooked through.

Transfer chicken to a cutting board to cool. Discard bay leaf. Skim fat from the surface of the sauce.

Mash butter and flour together in a medium bowl to form a paste. Whisk in ladlefuls of filling until smooth and return mixture to pot, simmering for 10 minutes until sauce thickens.

Add carrots and peas and simmer for 3 minutes. Shred chicken, discard bones and skin, and return to stew. Stir in parsley.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Divide chilled dough into quarters and roll into rounds to cover 4 2-cup ovenproof bowls with a 1-inch overhang. Cut vents into rounds.

Ladle filling into bowls, leaving 1 to 1 1/2 inches below the rim. Brush bowl edges with egg wash, cover with dough lids, and brush lids with egg wash.

Bake until crust is bronzed and filling is bubbling, about 30 to 35 minutes.