Equipment
Ingredients
Chicken Poaching
- 500 g chicken breast, boneless, skinless
- 1 carrot, rough chop
- 1 celery stalk, rough chop
- ½ onion, halved
- 5 g black peppercorns, whole
Venetian Salad Dressing & Mix-ins
- 60 g golden raisins, dried
- 45 ml white wine vinegar
- 40 g pine nuts
- 2 celery hearts, finely diced
- 60 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 15 ml lemon juice
Parsley Pasta Dough
- 300 g 00 flour
- 3 eggs, large, room temperature
- 20 g fresh parsley leaves, washed and dried completely
- 10 ml olive oil
Ravioli Filling
- 250 g ricotta cheese, drained well
- 50 g parmigiano reggiano, finely grated
- 3 g lemon zest
- 1 g nutmeg, freshly grated
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 994 kcal
- Protein
- 60 g
- Carbohydrates
- 77 g
- Fat
- 49 g
- Fiber
- 5 g
- Sugar
- 13 g
- Sodium
- 1047 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 17 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 16 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 4 g
- Cholesterol
- 253 mg
- Potassium
- 903 mg
- Calcium
- 406 mg
- Iron
- 3.4 mg
- Magnesium
- 100 mg
- Phosphorus
- 603 mg
- Zinc
- 3.0 mg
- Vitamin A
- 254 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 11 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.9 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 4.0 mg
- Vitamin K
- 103 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 1.2 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.8 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.26 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.55 mg
- Niacin
- 13.5 mg
- Folate
- 72 mcg
- Water
- 188 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Place chicken breasts, carrot, celery stalk, onion, and peppercorns in a pot. Cover with cold water by 2cm. Bring to a gentle simmer (do not boil vigorously). Cook until internal temperature reaches 74°C/165°F.
While chicken poaches, soak raisins in the white wine vinegar in a small bowl. Toast pine nuts in a dry pan over medium heat until golden brown and fragrant.
Remove chicken from liquid and let cool slightly. Hand-shred into bite-sized strips. In a large bowl, whisk olive oil and lemon juice. Add chicken, drained raisins (reserve vinegar), pine nuts, and diced celery hearts. Toss well. Season with salt and pepper. Add a splash of the soaking vinegar if more acidity is needed. Set aside at room temperature.
For the dough: Blitz flour and parsley in a food processor until flour turns light green. Add eggs and olive oil; pulse until a rough ball forms. Knead by hand on a surface for 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Wrap in plastic and rest for 30 minutes.
Mix ricotta, parmesan, lemon zest, nutmeg, salt, and black pepper in a bowl. Transfer to a piping bag or keep chilled.
Roll pasta dough into thin sheets (setting 6 or 7 on most machines). Pipe teaspoon-sized mounds of filling 3cm apart on one sheet. Brush water around filling. Place a second sheet on top, press to seal tightly, removing air pockets. Cut into squares or circles.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Cook ravioli until they float and the pasta is tender, usually 2-3 minutes. Drain gently.
Plate the warm ravioli immediately. Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil. Serve the room-temperature chicken salad alongside or gently spooned over the ravioli as a composed ragout.
Chef's Notes
- This recipe embraces the Venetian tradition of 'agrodolce' (sour-sweet) by pairing the savory chicken with raisins and vinegar.
- Do not chill the chicken salad before serving; the fats in the olive oil and chicken congeal in the fridge, muting the flavor. Room temperature is ideal.
- For the pasta, ensure the parsley is bone-dry before processing with the flour, otherwise the dough hydration will be unpredictable.
- If you want a more visual presentation, reserve whole parsley leaves and laminate them between two thin sheets of plain dough instead of blending them into the flour.
Storage
Refrigerator: 2 days — Store salad and cooked ravioli separately. The salad improves after 24 hours.
Freezer: 1 month — Uncooked ravioli can be frozen on a baking sheet, then bagged. Do not freeze the salad.
Reheating: Boil ravioli from frozen. Serve salad at room temperature; do not heat.
Troubleshooting
Ravioli bursts during cooking
Cause: Air was trapped inside during sealing or seal was weak
Fix: Scoop out gently with a spider strainer immediately; serve 'open' style
Prevention: Press down firmly around the filling to expel all air before cutting
Chicken is dry
Cause: Overcooked or boiled vigorously instead of poached
Fix: Add more olive oil and a tablespoon of the pasta cooking water to the dressing
Prevention: Keep water at a bare simmer; remove immediately at 74°C/165°F
Cultural Context
While creamy mayo-based chicken salads are common globally, the classic Italian 'Insalata di Pollo' leans on high-quality olive oil and acid. This version nods to Venice's history as a spice trade hub through the use of pine nuts (pinoli) and sultanas, paired here with fresh egg pasta for a complete meal.
