Description
Bright and buttery chicken piccata is one of my favorite meals.
And while it isn’t traditional to serve this iconic Italian-American dish in meatball form, I think it makes a ton of sense, especially for busy home cooks – you can pack so much more flavor into chicken piccata meatballs than plain ol’ chicken cutlets!
So, that’s exactly what we’re doing here. Each tender meatball is studded with lemon zest, Italian herbs, and parmesan cheese, ensuring a super flavorful result.
From there, this recipe sticks pretty true to the classic: browning the meatballs up in a skillet and simmering with plenty of garlic and capers in a buttery white wine sauce.
Be sure to check out the blog post, above, for tips for tender meatballs and serving suggestions. Happy cooking! ♡
Ingredients
Scale
- lemon chicken meatballs, below
- 1–2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoons capers, roughly chopped
- ½ cup dry, unoaked white wine
- ½ cup chicken stock/broth
- 2 lemons, juiced (approx. ⅓ cup juice)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced into 1-tablespoon pieces
- kosher salt and ground black pepper, to season
- for serving, as desired: cooked pasta or mashed potatoes, crusty Italian bread, a simple green salad or Caesar salad, grated parmesan, finely chopped fresh parsley, etc.
for the lemon chicken meatballs:
- 1 pound 93% lean ground chicken or turkey
- 1 large egg
- 1 lemon, zested
- ½ small yellow onion, finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
- ⅓ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- kosher salt and ground black pepper, to season
Instructions
- Prep the lemon chicken meatball mixture: To a medium mixing bowl, add the egg, lemon zest, onion, garlic, panko breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, olive oil, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder. Season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and ground black pepper as desired. Use your hands to mix well. Once the breadcrumb mixture is combined, add in the ground chicken. Using your hands, mix just until combined – take care to avoid over-mixing.
- Form the lemon chicken meatballs: Divide the lemon chicken meatball mixture into 16 equal portions, then gently roll each into a meatball slightly larger than the size of a golf ball, rolling just until smooth – take care to avoid pressing the meatballs together too compactly. For quickness and ease, I like using a spring-loaded scoop. The mixture yields about 16 1 ½-inch meatballs.
- Brown the lemon chicken meatballs: Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot and shimmering, add the meatballs to the skillet. Working in batches as needed to avoid overcrowding the skillet, cook the meatballs 2 minutes per side, until deeply browned. Transfer to a plate and repeat with any remaining meatballs.
- Prepare the chicken piccata sauce: Add the chopped garlic and capers to the skillet. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. While stirring constantly, carefully pour in the wine – it will sizzle as soon as it hits the hot skillet. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up any browned bits that may have formed on the bottom of the pan. Once the wine is almost cooked off, add the chicken broth and lemon juice to the skillet. Increase heat to medium-high to maintain a vigorous simmer and cook 2-3 minutes. Working one by one, add the pieces of butter to the skillet, stirring constantly between additions to combine into a smooth, creamy sauce. As the butter melts, the sauce will thicken and take on a beautiful glossy sheen.
- Finish the chicken piccata meatballs: Add the lemon chicken meatballs back into the skillet. Simmer 2-3 minutes longer, turning the chicken meatballs a few times to coat in the sauce, until the piccata sauce is thickened sightly and the meatballs are cooked through.
- Serve immediately, drizzling the lemon sauce over the chicken meatballs. We love lemon chicken piccata meatballs served with some long thin pasta or with our favorite roasted garlic mashed potatoes. Enjoy!
Equipment
Medium Spring-Loaded Cookie Scoop
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Zwilling Madura Plus Non-Stick Fry Pan
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- Jess’ Tips and Tricks:
- Ground chicken: The secret to seriously juicy and tender chicken piccata meatballs is using the right poultry. It needs a decent fat content, otherwise the meatballs will dry out. Look for at least 93% lean, though if you can find 90-92%, that’s even better! If you’re purchasing from your grocery store’s butcher counter, ask for ground chicken thighs or dark meat. If you cannot find 93% lean ground chicken, ground turkey is a fine substitute for this recipe.
- Substitutes for wine: If you prefer not to cook with alcohol, omit the white wine by increasing to ¾ cup chicken stock/broth and juice of 3 lemons.
- 15-20 Minute Meal Prep: Nearly all of the active prep work for these meatballs comes from prepping and forming the meatballs. Take care of some of this in advance and you can jump straight in to cooking during the week: mix and form the chicken parmesan meatballs according to Steps 1-2 of Recipe Directions, above. You can roll out the meatballs immediately or save the rolling for dinnertime; either way, the mixture will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. (15 minutes active for meatball mixture prep, 5 minutes active for forming the lemon chicken meatballs)
- Storage and Reheating: Transfer cooled chicken piccata meatballs and sauce to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until warmed through, adding a splash of water or chicken stock as needed to loosen up the chicken piccata sauce.