Chicken Marsala Ravioli

If you ask my sister and brother in law what their favorite Cucina DiBella recipe is, there's a solid chance they would answer with, "Chicken Marsala".  This is a great dish, but I have stumbled upon a way to make it even better.  Take the delicious ingredients for Chicken Marsala and put them in homemade ravioli pasta, each one a perfect package of deliciousness.

This recipe is pretty time consuming if you are making fresh pasta.  I recommend breaking the work up into two days unless you really do have a few hours to devote to this.  I made the pasta dough one night and then made the filling and assembled and cooked the ravioli the next day.  Fresh dough will keep in the fridge for a couple days, so it's the perfect way to split up the process.  If you have a ravioli cutter to make fancy edges, by all means use it.  I don't, so I opted for the "rustic" look of just hacking away at the pasta dough with a knife. It's not the prettiest method, but it tastes delicious either way!

Chicken Marsala Ravioli

Adapted from Tyler Florence

Makes about 24 three inch wide ravioli

Ingredients:

For the dough:

2 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1 1/2 tablespoons water

For the filling:

1 chicken breast, cut into strips

4 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup onion, diced

2 garlic cloves

1/4 cup Marsala wine

2 slices prosciutto, diced

2 tablespoon breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

1 large egg

1 tablespoon heavy cream

Salt and pepper to taste

For the sauce:

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons butter

6 ounces mushrooms, sliced

1/4 cup Marsala wine

3/4 cup chicken stock

Flour to thicken

Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

1. To make the dough, combine the flour and salt.  Pour out on a work surface and form a well with the flour.  Beat the eggs with a fork and put the eggs and water into the center of the well.  Slowly incorporate the flour into the egg and water, keeping the well formation.  When fully incorporated, knead the dough for about 8 minutes.  Form into a ball and wrap tightly in plastic.  Place in the refrigerator until ready to use, at least 1 hour.
2. Next, make the filling.  Heat two tablespoons of the olive oil in a pan over medium heat.  Add the chicken and brown until cooked through, about five minutes.  Add the onion and garlic and cook about 1 minute.  Add the 1/4 cup Marsala wine and cook 1 minute, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen the browned bits at the bottom of the pan.  Add the prosciutto and cook until the prosciutto has browned slightly. 
3. Move the chicken mixture to a food processor and add the breadcrumbs, parmesan, and 1 tablespoon olive oil, reserving the pan to make the sauce.  Pulse the mixture.  Add the egg, cream, and remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Pulse again until well mixed.  Chill the filling in the refrigerator while you roll out the dough.
4. To roll the dough, break the ball of dough into two equal pieces.  Run through a pasta roller beginning at a wide setting and slowly thin the dough until it is your desired thickness (generally ravioli filling should be very thin - I put my pasta roller at a setting of 5).  Cut the dough into whatever size and shape you want your ravioli to be.  This recipe is based on 3 inch square pieces.  Note: the fresh dough dries quickly and will stick together, so as you cut the pieces, place them on a baking sheet.  Place a wet paper towel over the layer to keep them moist and to separate layers if you need more than 1 layer.
5. Fill the ravioli by placing 2 teaspoons of filling in the center of one ravioli square.  Wet your finger and run it along all four edges.  Take another ravioli square and place it on top, pressing firmly around all of the edges to seal the ravioli.  If you do not seal it fully, the filling will come out when cooking.  When each ravioli is done, place under a wet paper towel in a single layer to keep moist and to keep from sticking to each other until you finish filling each ravioli.
6. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add salt.  Cook the ravioli in batches, about 5 or 6 at a time.  Cook for about 3-5 minutes.
7. To make the sauce, add two tablespoons of olive oil and two tablespoons of butter to the pan used to make the filling.  Heat over medium heat.  Once the butter has melted, add the mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are softened.  Add the 1/4 cup Marsala wine and the chicken broth.  Bring to a simmer and cook about 5 minutes.  Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and reduce to low for another 1 minute.  Adjust the thickness of the sauce to your desired consistency by whisking in 1 tablespoon of flour at a time.  Add salt and pepper to taste.
8. Serve the ravioli with the sauce spooned over it.

Ryan's rating of Chicken Marsala Ravioli - 5.  Miraculously, we had leftovers for lunch the next day.  Even more miraculous was the fact that Ryan shared them with me.  I expected him to hijack them while I was getting ready for work.

1 - Awful. If you make this again I'll shove a fork in my eye.

2 - Meh. It's not my favorite, but I won't threaten self-harm if it shows up again.

3 - Good. I wouldn't feel forced to order a pizza behind your back.

4 - Great! I will fight you for the leftovers.

5 - Love it! Make it again tomorrow. Or immediately and I will bathe in it.

 

 

Comments

[Jeanne]

Whoa! Your recipes always sound great but this one is really impressive. It's 9:30 at night and we've already eaten but I'm tempted to try this one right now.

[Pasta Machine]

Wow and yummy! I am anxious to try your recipe for Chicken Marsala Ravioli. As you suggest, I will make my pasta the day before and carry on with the assembly and the remainder of the preparations the next day for that evening's meal. I, certainly, don't mind the rustic appearance of the ravioli. It sounds and looks incredibly delicious. Marsala Wine is always kept at hand in my kitchen. I'm with Ryan...you get a "5" Rating.

[Mom]

Made this for dinner tonight. Fantastic! Perfect taste. Thank you -Suzanne!