Rustic Chicken Piccata Meatballs
A new twist on the traditional chicken piccata! These chicken piccata meatballs are made with ground chicken and nuzzled in a rich lemon butter sauce. Serve it over pasta, quinoa, or with crusty bread on the side.
Oh sweet golden glory!
Chicken piccata meatballs are a REAL thing. They’re tender, seared chicken meatballs rolling around in a creamy, buttery lemon sauce speckled with capers and sprinkled with parsley to finish. The garlic is there. The meatballs are melt-in-your-mouth delicious. But for real though, that sauce. There may have been a moment (or two) of weakness where I slurped it with a spoon, straight from the skillet because it’s LEMON BUTTER sauce, and it’s so gosh darn good. But then there was also a moment when I went in with a wedge of crust bread. 🤷🏻♀️
Can you tell I’m still trying to cling to the last of winter comfort food while progressively venturing into springtime flavors? Is it blatantly obvious, I can’t make up my mind at this point? These chicken piccata meatballs are exactly that. Bright, beautiful flavors that are balanced.
Warm and comforting like a hearty winter meal should be.
Chicken Piccata Meatballs Video:
Holy guacamole! I’ve shared a ton of meatball recipes with you guys over the last 4 years. And I have to say, you guys have a place in your heart for chicken meatballs the way I do. Especially the firecracker meatballs! They’re always popular around Super Bowl time! A little sumthin’ for winter (try the Swedish meatballs) and then some for spring, like these chicken piccata meatballs. Before you know it, there’s a meatball recipe for every month out of the year.
And these are extra special because I can serve them over egg noodles for when I want a real weekend treat or with a side salad for days when I’m watching the carbs. And wasn’t there something called a ‘zoodle’ not too long ago? Are they out? Because that was quick. I mean, just five minutes ago errrrbody was getting a spiralizer and then all of a sudden the internet decided they didn’t make the cut this year.
The base for today’s chicken piccata meatball recipe is my go-to chicken meatball recipe I’ve been using for years. I’ll tweak it a little here and there to suit the flavors in the sauce.
What do you need to make chicken piccata meatballs?
- ground chicken (or turkey)
- panko breadcrumbs
- parmesan cheese (yas!)
- an egg
- garlic (because we heart it)
TIP: combine everything but the meat in a bowl first so you can ensure even mixing without overworking the meat. Once you add the meat, mix until it’s just combined. This way, you always end up with a tender meatball. When you overwork the meat, you almost always end up with dry meatballs. And I’ll be honest, there are times I throw it all in a bowl and call it a day too, but I almost always end up regretting it. The texture is so much better when you take an extra minute to do it right.
How to portion the chicken meatballs:
Once you’ve made the meatball mixture, just divide them into 20-22 portions. I use a medium cookie scoop so that all the meatballs are the same size. This also cuts out the guesswork because they cook in the same amount of time. We’ll sear them in a hot skillet, so they develop color. Then, we’ll let them finish cooking in the piccata sauce. This allows them to soak up all that lemon butter flavor.
What do you need for the sauce for chicken piccata meatballs?
- chicken stock (or broth)
- all-purpose flour
- lemon juice
- capers
- minced garlic
- knob of butter
Why do we use flour in the sauce for chicken piccata meatballs?
We’re using just a tiny bit so we can cut back on the butter a little. Normally to thicken the amount of chicken broth we’re using, you’d need way more than three tablespoons for butter. And those of us that are still hitting the treadmill hard need to save those butter calories for other things like peanut butter stuffed dates! Gah. It’s a gloopy-gloppy addiction. You have to try it.
And basically, what I’m trying to get at is that chicken piccata meatballs are the new way to eat chicken piccata. Listen, I don’t know about you, but I’ve always hated dredging chicken cutlets in flour.
- because who has the time to make cutlets
- because I hate dredging things in flour
So if you fall into one or both of those categories, as I do, my friend, these chicken piccata meatballs are for you.
Seared tender meatballs in golden sunshine sauce.
Rustic Chicken Piccata Meatballs
A new twist on the traditional chicken piccata! These chicken piccata meatballs are made with ground chicken and nuzzled in a rich lemon butter sauce. Serve it over pasta, quinoa, or with crusty bread on the side.
Ingredients
Meatballs:
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan
- 4 cloves minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup chopped parsley (plus more)
- 1 1/4 pounds ground chicken (or turkey)
- 1 teaspoon salt + 1/2 teaspoon pepp
Sauce:
- 4 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (scant)
- 1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1/4 cup capers (plus 2 tsp caper brine)
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- MEATBALLS: In a medium bowl, using a fork, mix together all the ingredients except the ground chicken. When the ingredients are combined, add the ground chicken and mix until *just* combined. Just be sure you don't overwork the meat. Roll into 20-22 meatballs using a cookie scoop (affiliate link) or about 1 1/2 tablespoons each.
- SEAR: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drizzle in a little oil. Add the meatballs to the skillet but do not overcrowd. Cook in batches if they don't all fit. Sear the meatballs for 4-5 minutes, flipping to brown all sides evenly. We'll finish cooking the meatballs through in the sauce later. Remove meatballs to a plate.
- SAUCE: Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the skillet along with the garlic and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add the flour and whisk. Once the flour cooks for 30 seconds, slowly drizzle in the chicken broth with one hand while you continue to whisk with the other hand. Add the caper brine, capers, lemon juice, and allow the sauce to gain a simmer. Then add the meatballs reduce the heat to medium and let thicken, about 5-7 minutes. Lower the heat to low, add the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter and allow them to slowly melt into the sauce as you stir. The butter will help thicken the sauce further. Serve with additional chopped parsley on top if desired.
Notes
- The sauce will thicken as it sits so I'd advise keeping a little additional broth on hand if you don't plan on serving this right away. Serve over egg noodles, zoodles, quinoa, rice, or with crusty bread!
This is a fabulous dish!
I have three suggestions:
1). Buy an electric meat grinder. In my area, ground chicken is 4.99/lb. but I can buy boneless/skinless chicken breasts and thighs on sale for 1.99 or less on sale. The meatballs taste best using a combo of light & dark meat; the preground chicken is only white. I purchased a Gourmia GMG525 on Amazon for 50.00 and it will pay for itself in just 3 months grinding the chicken for this recipe!
2). Use a #10 cookie scoop to portion the mixture onto a wax paper lined cookie sheet. Refrigerate for one hour. This will firm up the mixture and then when you pick up each portion to roll it into a nice ball it won’t stick to your hands! (The balls also will stay more round when you brown them).
3). I like to use a vegetable peeler to remove just the yellow part of the skin of a second lemon in vertical strips. Then I stack 3-4 strips at a time and cut them into julienne strips about 1/8″ wide. I add these to the sauce to give it a nice, bright, lemon flavor (in addition to the lemon juice in the recipe). Those thin yellow strips look pretty, too!
GREAT RECIPE!!!!
Fantastic! I made them exactly as is and I couldn’t be happier. I took the advice from TwirlyGirly and chilled the meatball mixture before forming them, and I think it definitely helped to keep their shape when cooking. I served the meatballs over some penne.
Wow! These were so delicious. To make it even easier, I did the meatballs in my air fryer for 8 min at 390. I used a cookie scoop to portion them so they cooked evenly.
Thank you for yet another 5 star recipe!
These were fantastic! Everybody loved them. The sauce is crazy good – glad I doubled it!
My family loved this. Followed the recipe exactly except I didn’t get fresh parsley, used a reduced amount of dried parsley. Paired it with linguini. Delicious. Thank you for the recipe.
Hi,
Your recipes look amazing. Wanna try this but what to alternate for capers? I don’t know if they’re readily available in my part of the world.
You can use a few green olives that you just chop up finely or you can simply omit them from the recipe 🙂
A great, yummy recipe! I actually used half the chicken broth and substituted the other half with white wine and it added a great flavor. Served it over whole wheat noodles for a hearty, healthy dinner. It made a good amount of sauce too, and I didn’t feel the need to double it like in most recipes.
So glad to hear it was enjoyed Amy, and I love how you made it your own! Thank you for taking the time to come back and comment 🙂
Absolutely delicious! We had it a couple of weeks ago and my husband already wanted it again! Great recommendation! It’s easy to make a double batch of meatballs and freeze, so I now have a stash waiting for our next time.
So glad to hear this was a hit for y’all! Love that you doubled up on the meatball mixture for another round, Kandy!
What/how can I sub out the cheese since I’m allergic?
Hi Rosa! I’m so glad to hear you’d like to give this recipe a try! You can sub the parmesan with 1 additional tablespoon of breadcrumbs. I would start with 1 and see if the meatballs hold their shape, they should, but if not, just add another tablespoon!
Made this last night because my family loves the piccata flavor combo. We all loved it! It’s being added to our collection of faves. We also talked about how great the sauce would be on fish or chicken thighs, pasta, rice … slurped from a bowl! Totally love it.
Hi Marci! I’m so happy to hear it was a hit! and yes – LOVE the idea of using htat sauce on pasta, or even fish! Appreciate you taking the time to come back and leaving a comment 🙂
Can I substitute gluten free flour?
Can I bake the meatballs and finish in the sauce? How long and what temp?
Thank you
Hi there! I’m so glad you wanted to give this recipe a try. Unfortunately, I’ve never tried baking the meatballs for this recipe so I’m not entirely sure if they’ll bake properly. If you’d like to try anyway, I’d suggest following the baking instructions here. You’ll have to check for doneness since these meatballs are a smaller size. Hope you enjoy the chicken piccata meatballs!
Absolutely delicious! I served with some asparagus which pairs perfectly with the sauce. I did add a few extra herbs to the meatballs (thyme, oregano, marjoram) but otherwise followed the recipe as written.
Hi Rachel! So glad you enjoyed the meatballs. Bet the sauce was delicious over asparagus! Appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment!
SO DELICIOUS!! I am NOT a good cook, and they still came out amazing. Thank you for this great recipe! Did everything as shared except added chopped sundried tomatoes and fresh thyme to the meatballs. Soooo yummy!!! My hubby was impressed (he is definitely the chef so thats a big deal!).
Your additions sound delicious, Terri-lyn! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Sooo good and very easy,thank you!!!
Happy to hear it was enjoyed 🙂
Any recommendations on a cheese substitute. Went dairy free a little Iver a year ago
Hi Nicole! You could try using dairy-free parmesan cheese that will give you the same flavor for these meatballs. It’s available at stores such as Whole Foods and Sprouts.
I know this is kind of a late comment, but my daughter is lactose intolerant and I just left the cheese out entirely. I honestly didn’t miss it at all! These meatballs were absolutely delicious!
I enjoyed this recipe but I wish you had nutritional info and serving sizes on your recipes. I’m on a food plan and it would be great to know! It would also help in planning how to fit these great recipes into my daily totals. Just an idea
Hi Andi! I’m glad you’ve enjoyed this recipe! Unfortunately, we no longer provide nutritional info for recipes. We have done so in the past, and readers were quick to point out there are inconsistencies from what we displayed and what they calculated. For this reason, I suggest popping in the URL of this page into a nutrition calculator such as this one and then customizing it with the brand(s) of ingredients you’ve used to prepare the recipe. That way, you’ll get the most accurate info! Hope that helps 🙂
So easy and so good! The whole family approved – including my toddler.
Love hearing that! So glad they were a hit for you, Megan!
These were amazing! The flavors were exceptional and they were so simple to make. I only had ground turkey so I used that and they were delicious. Had a few left over and they sat in the juices overnight and we steamed them in the Instant Pot for lunch the next day…and they may have tasted even better! Will be making these time and time again. Thank you!
This is an amazing recipe. Chicken balls are so tender. Love the zesty sauce. I made more sauce just because we like it that way. Added a little milk to the chicken mixture because it adds moisture. Easy delicious recipe
What a treat. I served these over parmesian grits with a side of steamed baby spinach.
I did double the sauce and it was fantastic with the spinach and the grits.
A flavor packed dinner, and it was easy.
Thanks!!
Yes tonight and it was delicious. I served over noodles with broccoli on the side. Bon appetite.
This was EXCELLENT! I doubled the recipe, and Keto-ized the meatballs (Almond flour, in place of breadcrumbs). The flavor was outstanding! Thank you for a delicious recipe I will definitely be making again!
These were delicious! The meatballs were so tender and full of flavor. Served over Egg Noodles and Vegetables. Thanks for the tip on mixing up the meatballs!
Seriously amazing. This is a household favorite among my little girls and my husband! Easy to make too. I serve over wild rice.
I made this as directed, opting for 1/2 chicken, 1/2 turkey and it turned out great. I will make it again but will definitely double the sauce. Because it’s so delicious. Loved having the flavour of a nice tangy picatta without the preparation hassle.
I wish you had put the nutritional content in the recipe. Going to still make it, but disappointed that I don’t have all the info form this recipe.
great recipe! Definitely a keeper.
Made this yesterday
Served over creamy polenta.
Fantastic!
I bake the meatballs, and it is wonderful! I also leave out the parm. I bake at 400° for 20 mins , then simmer in a sauce of 2c water, 4tsp chicken better than bullion , 1/4c capers, 1 squeezed lemon, 1tbs corn starch, 1 small bottle of white wine, 1 tea cage of rosemary, 1 bunch green onions, and 1 pack of chopped mushrooms. SO GOOD!!