Just about two years ago I had my first taste of chicken Marsala while out to dinner on Christmas Eve with my parents. I couldn’t believe I’d gone 40 some years without this wonderful meal and couldn’t wait to try making it myself.
Not a week had passed from trying my first bite of chicken Marsala when I began my quest for a comparable recipe to make at home. It didn’t take long for a recipe to evolve and it quickly became a family favorite that I prepare at least once every couple of months.
Recently I saw an advertisement on television for Olive Garden where they were tempting patrons with a chicken Marsala ravioli. Wow, did that sound good! So yesterday I spent five hours in the kitchen working on my own version of homemade chicken Marsala ravioli. It was a lot of work, but well worth the effort and I think the more I make it, the easier and quicker it will get.
Chicken Marsala Ravioli
For the ravioli dough:
3 Cups Flour
1/2 tsp. Salt
4 Eggs
4 Tbsp. Olive Oil
4 Tbsp. Water
Lightly dust a 3 x 2 foot work surface with flour. Pile flour and salt onto middle of work surface.
Combine eggs, oil, and water gently with a fork.
Make a well in center of flour/salt mixture.
Slowly pour the egg mixture into well in the flour and carefully incorporate the flour into the liquid.
Continue to work with the mixture until all the flour and egg mixture are combined.
The dough is done when it sticks cleanly to itself with no crumbs.
Knead for ten minutes. Some extra flour will be necessary as you knead if it becomes sticky.
Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and set aside until ready to use.
For the chicken filling:
1 Family Pack of Chicken Thighs (between 10 and 12)
8 Tbsp. Olive Oil
3 Cloves Garlic
2 tsp. Oregano
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 Cup Marsala Wine
4 Tbsp. Bread Crumbs
4 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese, grated
2 Eggs
1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
Boil chicken thighs in large stock pot for 30 minutes.
Remove chicken from pot and cool.
Clean chicken, removing all fat, skin, and bones. Place chicken pieces in fry pan with olive oil.
Fry chicken in olive oil with garlic, oregano, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and salt until slightly brown. Remove chicken mixture from pan and deglaze fry pan with Marsala wine. Combine deglazing liquid, chicken mixture, eggs and cream in food processor. Process until chicken is coarsely ground. Chill.
To prepare ravioli:
Unwrap prepared ravioli dough and cut into quarters. Take one-quarter and place on lightly floured surface. Roll dough to about 1/16 thickness.
Place dough over ravioli pan.
Press ravioli tray into dough to make indention for filling.
Place 1 heaping teaspoon of filling into each ravioli.
Cover with rolled out ravioli dough.
Seal ravioli.
This recipe made 50+ ravioli.
For Marsala sauce:
2 – 8 oz. packages Mushrooms, sliced
4 Tbsp. Butter
4 Tbsp. Flour
2 tsp. Oregano
12 oz. Marsala Wine
Melt butter in large fry pan.
Cook sliced mushrooms in butter until tender, about 5 minutes.
Add oregano and flour to mushrooms to form a roux.
Pour Marsala wine into fry pan and stir. Cook until thickened.
Assembly:
Bring a large stock pot of water with salt to boil. Add desired amount of chicken ravioli. Cook 10 – 15 minutes. Drain.
Place drained ravioli in fry pan with Marsala sauce. Cover and simmer for 10 to 20 minutes.
Although this dinner took some time to make, it was very good. I won’t say it’s better than the original chicken Marsala, but it was a nice change and definitely something we enjoyed. Plus, homemade ravioli always seems so elegant to me. Definitely company worthy (you up for some Suzanne?).
Chicken Marsala Ravioli
Ingredients
For the ravioli dough:
- 3 Cups Flour
- 1/2 tsp. Salt
- 4 Eggs
- 4 Tbsp. Olive Oil
- 4 Tbsp. Water
For the chicken filling:
- 1 Family Pack of Chicken Thighs (between 10 and 12)
- 8 Tbsp. Olive Oil
- 3 Cloves Garlic
- 2 tsp. Oregano
- 1 tsp. Salt
- 1/2 Cup Marsala Wine
- 4 Tbsp. Bread Crumbs
- 4 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese, grated
- 2 Eggs
- 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
For Marsala sauce:
- 2 – 8 oz. packages Mushrooms, sliced
- 4 Tbsp. Butter
- 4 Tbsp. Flour
- 2 tsp. Oregano
- 12 oz. Marsala Wine
Directions
For Dough:
- Lightly dust a 3 x 2 foot work surface with flour. Pile flour and salt onto middle of work surface.
- Combine eggs, oil, and water gently with a fork.
- Make a well in center of flour/salt mixture.
- Slowly pour the egg mixture into well in the flour and carefully incorporate the flour into the liquid.
- Continue to work with the mixture until all the flour and egg mixture are combined.
- The dough is done when it sticks cleanly to itself with no crumbs.
- Knead for ten minutes. Some extra flour will be necessary as you knead if it becomes sticky.
- Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and set aside until ready to use.
For Chicken:
- Boil chicken thighs in large stock pot for 30 minutes.
- Remove chicken from pot and cool.
- Clean chicken, removing all fat, skin, and bones. Place chicken pieces in fry pan with olive oil.
- Fry chicken in olive oil with garlic, oregano, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and salt until slightly brown. Remove chicken mixture from pan and deglaze fry pan with Marsala wine. Combine deglazing liquid, chicken mixture, eggs and cream in food processor. Process until chicken is coarsely ground. Chill.
To prepare ravioli:
- Unwrap prepared ravioli dough and cut into quarters. Take one-quarter and place on lightly floured surface. Roll dough to about 1/16 thickness.
- Place dough over ravioli pan.
- Press ravioli tray into dough to make indention for filling.
- Place 1 heaping teaspoon of filling into each ravioli.
- Cover with rolled out ravioli dough.
- Seal ravioli.
- This recipe made 50+ ravioli.
For Marsala Sauce:
- Melt butter in large fry pan.
- Cook sliced mushrooms in butter until tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add oregano and flour to mushrooms to form a roux.
- Pour Marsala wine into fry pan and stir. Cook until thickened.
Assembly:
- Bring a large stock pot of water with salt to boil. Add desired amount of chicken ravioli. Cook 10 – 15 minutes. Drain.
- Place drained ravioli in fry pan with Marsala sauce. Cover and simmer for 10 to 20 minutes.
Cooking Note
These freeze nicely. Place on baking sheet and freeze. Put in plastic bags until ready to use.
Recipe by: Tilly Frueh – Simply Grateful Cooking 2018
The best part…we only used a little more than 1/3 of the ravioli for dinner and I froze the rest. Now next time I want to serve this for dinner, all I’ll have to do is drop the frozen ravioli in a pot of boiling water and make the sauce, quick and easy, and for this I am — Simply Grateful.
Simply Grateful Cooking 