Chicken Ravioli with Brown Butter Sage & Tomato Marinara
Skip the pasta machine entirely — wonton wrappers make tender, restaurant-quality ravioli in minutes. Blitz a chicken-and-ricotta filling in the food processor, seal each parcel with a fork, and serve them two ways: nutty brown butter sage or a creamy marinara. It's a dinner-party pasta without the dinner-party labor.
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
- Place the cooked chicken into the bowl of a food processor and pulse to mince.
- Add the ricotta cheese, fresh basil leaves, and grated Parmesan cheese into the bowl.
- Pulse until the ingredients are completely combined.
- Season the filling with the kosher salt and coarse black pepper.
- Spread four wonton wrappers flat onto your clean work surface.
- Place a spoonful of the chicken filling directly into the center of each square.
- Place a small, fresh basil leaf on top of the filling mound.
- Use your finger or a pastry brush to wet the entire border of the wonton square with water.
- Place a second wonton wrapper on top of the filling.
- Gently press down with your fingers, working from the center out, to push out the air and seal the ravioli.
- Use the tines of a fork to firmly crimp and seal the outer edges.
- Repeat this process with the remaining wonton wrappers and filling.
- For the brown butter sauce, warm the butter in a skillet over low heat until it begins to froth and turn golden, about 5 minutes.
- Toss the sage leaves into the brown butter and continue cooking for two minutes more.
- For the red sauce, heat the marinara sauce in a small saucepan over low heat.
- Stir in the half and half until the sauce is creamy and warm.
- Fill a deep pot with water and bring it to a rolling boil.
- Season the boiling water with a generous amount of salt.
- Carefully lower the ravioli into the pot, one at a time, working in small batches so you do not overcrowd the pot or tear the delicate wrappers.
- Boil until they float to the top and become tender, just a few minutes.
- Use a slotted spoon or spider skimmer to gently lift the ravioli from the water and transfer them directly into either the brown butter or the red sauce.
- Garnish the finished dish with extra grated Parmesan cheese and toasted 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.