Chicken Ravioli with Jalapeno Pesto is an easy pasta dinner recipe and guarenteed to be your new favorite 30 minute meal. Tender chicken ravioli pasta topped with the bold flavors of garlic jalapeno pesto, this quick dinner recipe is perfect comfort food.
As a food blogger, there are times when you know you have an exceptional recipe swirling around in your brain if you could just organize your thoughts. This Chicken Ravioli with Jalapeno Pesto is the super easy, super quick dinner idea that has been bouncing around in my head for the past two weeks and I will tell you, it was worth the wait! This Chicken Ravioli with Jalapeno Pesto dish is dreamy… yup, I said it … dreamy!! We are talking A) easy pasta dinner recipe done in just 30 minutes… B) tender ravioli swimming in a not too spicy but a little kicky garlic jalapeno pesta sauce and then topped with pancetta, roasted corn, pine nuts and cojita cheese.
WHAAAAAAAAAAT????
It’s a bit different, a bit wacky and 136% delicious. Trust those numbers, my friend.
HOMEMADE CHICKEN RAVIOLI?
Pffffttt…. Ok, let me say this, I bought a brand new ravioli maker when I came up with this recipe. However, life sometimes happens and I simply ran out of time to make my homemade ravioli. Now, before everyone closes out their internet browser in disgust, I promise you that a homemade chicken ravioli recipe will be forthcoming… just not today. That being said, in the age of 2018 pretty much every grocery store around the corner now carries ‘fresh’ ravioli in their refrigerated section of their store and if they don’t have chicken ravioli, I promise you that they at least have cheese filled ravioli .. maybe even mushroom…. and I will tell you that any flavor of ravioli you choose (if they don’t have chicken!) will work fine with this Chicken Ravioli with Jalapeno Pesto recipe.
WHAT IS COJITA CHEESE?
Cojita cheese is creamy dreamy deliciousness, is what it is. It’s a Hispanic-style cheese that reminds me a lot of feta cheese. It’s a hard, salty cow’s milk cheese that crumbles instead of melts and is perfect to use on tacos, enchiladas, eating it right off the cutting board … and anything else you can think of. If you are unable to find cojita cheese, feta cheese and even crumbles of goat cheese are perfect substitutions.
HOW DO YOU MAKE CHICKEN RAVIOLI WITH JALAPENO PESTO?
Easy! To make your Chicken Ravioli with Jalapeno Pesto, start with the little things first. Pour the pine nuts in a skillet and heat over medium high heat to roast them. Stir them often and do not walk away because they burn easily. Continue to stir the pine nuts for 3 to 4 minutes until they start to toast and become fragrant. Remove the pine nuts from the skillet and set aside.
Return the pan to the stove and add in your corn. Same as before, cook for 3 to minutes, stirring frequently. Any liquid will quickly evaporate and your corn will start to roast. Once the corn starts to roast and darken, remove from the pan and set aside.
Return the pan to the stove again and this time add your pancetta. Again, cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often. Your pancetta will cook like bacon does, it will render the fat and crisp up like bacon crumbles. Once your pancetta resembles cooked bacon, remove the pancetta from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Keep that grease in the pan for now. Now, bring a pot of salted water to boil and cook your storebought chicken ravioli as the package instructs. While your ravioli is cooking, add parsley, jalapeno, garlic, parmesan cheese, most of the pinenuts (keep some out for garnishing) the zest and juice of one lime, the juice of one lemon and the olive oil into a small food processer and pulse until everything is incorporated and you are left with a thick, smooth sauce.
Then pour the pancetta grease into the food processor and pulse again to combine. Once your ravioli is cooked and drained, move the chicken ravioli to the skillet over medium heat, top with the jalapeno pasta and stir to warm the pesto through. Move the chicken ravioli to a serving bowl and top with roasted corn, pancetta, the researved pine nuts and sprinkle with cojita cheese crumbles. Serve immediately.
PRO TIPS FOR MAKING CHICKEN RAVIOLI WITH JALAPENO PESTO
- Be sure to constantly stir your pine nuts, corn and pancetta. You are cooking these items over medium high heat and they will burn quickly if left unattended. Be sure to go to the bathroom before you start 🙂
- Adding in the pancetta grease to the pesto may sound wrong but the heat really brings out the Parmesan flavor and adds another layer of flavor to the pesto.
- Any flavor of ravioli can be used in this recipe, I choose chicken but if you are not a fan pick whatever flavor ravioli speaks to you.
Looking for more easy pasta recipes to share with your family and friends? Check a few of my favorite pasta recipes below.
MORE PASTA RECIPES!
- Parmesan Garlic Spaghetti with Chicken Meatballs
- Green Chile Macaroni and Cheese
- White Chicken Lasagna
- Cajun Chicken Alfredo Pasta
Enjoy!
IF YOU’VE MADE THIS, PLEASE GIVE IT A STAR RATING BELOW!
- 1 cup fresh parsley
- 3 large jalapeno peppers ribs and seeds removed
- 2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 6 large garlic cloves
- 1 zest / juice lime
- 1 juice of lemon
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 30 ounces chicken ravioli
- 4 ounces pine nuts
- 8 ounces whole kernel corn
- 4 ounces pancetta diced
- 3 ounces cojita cheese crumbled
To make your Chicken Ravioli with Jalapeno Pesto, start with the little things first. Pour the pine nuts in a skillet and heat over medium high heat to roast them. Stir them often and do not walk away because they burn easily. Continue to stir the pine nuts for 3 to 4 minutes until they start to toast and become fragrant. Remove the pine nuts from the skillet and set aside.
- Return the pan to the stove and add in your corn. Same as before, cook for 3 to minutes, stirring frequently. Any liquid will quickly evaporate and your corn will start to roast. Once the corn starts to roast and darken, remove from the pan and set aside.
- Return the pan to the stove again and this time add your pancetta. Again, cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often. Your pancetta will cook like bacon does, it will render the fat and crisp up like bacon crumbles. Once your pancetta resembles cooked bacon, remove the pancetta from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Keep that grease in the pan for now.
- Now, bring a pot of salted water to boil and cook your storebought chicken ravioli as the package instructs. While your ravioli is cooking, add parsley, jalapeno, garlic, parmesan cheese, most of the pinenuts (keep some out for garnishing) the zest and juice of one lime, the juice of one lemon and the olive oil into a small food processer and pulse until everything is incorporated and you are left with a thick, smooth sauce. Then pour the pancetta grease into the food processor and pulse again to combine.
- Once your ravioli is cooked and drained, move the chicken ravioli to the skillet over medium heat, top with the jalapeno pasta and stir to warm the pesto through. Move the chicken ravioli to a serving bowl and top with roasted corn, pancetta, the researved pine nuts and sprinkle with cojita cheese crumbles. Serve immediately.
NEVER MISS A WICKED WHISK RECIPE
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