Chicken Ravioli with Brown Butter Sage & Tomato Marinara
Shred cooked chicken in a food processor and pulse it with ricotta, fresh basil and Parmesan for the filling. Set a spoonful and a small basil leaf on each wonton wrapper, moisten the borders, press a second wrapper on top, and crimp the edges with a fork. Make two sauces, sage leaves in butter warmed until frothy and golden, and marinara heated with half-and-half, then cook the ravioli in boiling salted water and serve with Parmesan and toasted pine nuts.
Homemade ravioli sounds like a project reserved for a free Sunday and a pasta machine gathering dust in the cabinet. It isn't. A package of wonton wrappers — thin, square, and already rolled — turns fresh ravioli into a weeknight possibility, delicate enough to fool anyone and forgiving enough for a first attempt. This is the shortcut that makes an impressive plate feel entirely within reach.
Wonton Wrappers, Not a Pasta Machine
The filling comes together in the food processor — cooked chicken pulsed with ricotta, fresh basil, and Parmesan into a smooth, savory mince — and the wonton wrappers do the rest. Because they're already thin and uniform, there's no dough to roll, rest, or crank through a machine. A spoonful of filling, a whole basil leaf for perfume, and a second wrapper on top: that's a ravioli, and it took under a minute.
Sealing Ravioli That Won't Burst
A ravioli lives or dies on its seal. Brush the entire border of the bottom wrapper with water, set the top on, then press from the center outward to force out every pocket of trapped air — air is what expands in the pot and splits the parcel open. Crimp the edges firmly with the tines of a fork to lock them, then boil gently in small batches so the delicate wrappers have room and lift them out with a spider the moment they float.
Chicken Ravioli with Brown Butter Sage & Tomato Marinara
Ingredients
Method
- Add the chicken to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to shred.
- Add the ricotta cheese, basil leaves, and Parmesan cheese and pulse to combine.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Lay four wonton wrappers onto your work surface.
- Add a spoonful of the chicken filling into the center of each square.
- Place a small basil leaf on top of the filling.
- Wet the borders of the squares with water.
- Lay another wonton wrapper on top and gently press with your fingers to seal in the filling.
- Use the tines of a fork to crimp the edges together.
- Repeat with the remaining wonton wrappers and filling.
- Cover the ravioli with a clean towel or plastic wrap while you make the sauce.
- Warm the butter over low heat until it begins to froth and turn golden, about 5 minutes.
- Toss in the sage leaves and continue cooking for two minutes more.
- Heat marinara sauce over low heat.
- Stir in the cream.
- Lower the ravioli into a pot of boiling salted water, one at a time. Do this in batches to avoid overcrowding the pot. The ravioli will cook in just a few minutes.
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer to the brown butter or red sauce.
- Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and pine nuts.
The Heart of the Table
There is a particular warmth in food made by hand, parcel by parcel — and ravioli practically invites company into the kitchen to help fill and crimp. It turns cooking into the gathering itself, the kind of unhurried, floury afternoon where the making is half the pleasure and the shared plate at the end simply confirms it.
The Art of the Host
A food processor makes quick work of the filling, a pastry brush (or a wet fingertip) seals the edges, and a fork does the crimping — humble tools for an elegant result. A spider skimmer or slotted spoon is the one thing worth having on hand to lift the tender parcels from the water without tearing them, and two small pans let you offer both sauces at once.
Neighborly Grace
- The Preparation: Wonton wrappers stand in for fresh pasta, so the ravioli come together in minutes — blitz the filling, seal each parcel with a fork, and freeze any extras on a tray before bagging. Serve them two ways: brown-butter sage or creamy marinara.
- The Pour: A medium Italian red like Chianti suits the marinara, and a buttery Chardonnay flatters the brown-butter sage. For a non-alcoholic option, a sparkling red grape or a San Pellegrino with lemon keeps it festive.
- The Vibe: This is restaurant elegance made easy — plate a few of each sauce, shower with Parmesan, and let a weeknight feel like a trattoria dinner.