Chicken Piccata Meatballs

A skillet filled with browned chicken meatballs in a lemon sauce, garnished with lemon slices and chopped parsley.

5 from 2 votes

Chicken Piccata Meatballs

🍋🧀🎉 A fun twist on the classic Italian dish, featuring tender, juicy chicken meatballs simmered in a bright and tangy lemon-butter sauce with capers. EASY, ready in 30 minutes, and are restaurant-worthy! Meatballs freeze well, so you can make a double batch and freeze half.

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Course: 30-Minute Meals, Chicken, Dinner

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: chicken piccata meatballs, ground chicken meatballs

Servings:

Calories: 534cal

Equipment

Ingredients

Meatballs

1 pound ground chicken ground turkey may be substituted
½ cup breadcrumbs I use Italian seasoned breadcrumbs, use your favorite breadcrumbs
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg
2 cloves garlic finely minced
2 tablespoons fresh parsley finely minced
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil or as needed for sauteeing

Lemon Butter Sauce

2 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic finely minced and to taste (if you love garlic, use more)
1 cup chicken broth reduced sodium or regular broth may be used, noting to adjust salt
⅓ cup dry white wine chardonnay, pinot grigio, sauvignon blanc; or use 1/3 cup broth instead if you want to avoid cooking with wine
¼ cup lemon juice freshly squeezed
2 tablespoons capers drained
½ teaspoon salt or more to taste (depends of if you used reduced sodium broth and overall preference for saltiness)
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
Fresh parsley finely minced for garnishing (optional)

Instructions

Meatballs - To a large bowl, add all the ingredients, lightly mix with a wooden spoon or clean hands. Do not overmix or overwork or meatballs will be tougher.
Using a 2-tablespoon scoop, form meatballs that are about 1 1/2-inch in diameter each. Roll each meatball between your hands to smooth it. Tip - Lightly moisten your hands with a bit of oil or water to prevent sticking.
To a large skillet, add the olive oil, and cook meatballs over medium-high heat for about 6-8 minutes, or until golden on the outside and have cooked through in the interior. Turn frequently to ensure even cooking. Tip - Do not overcrowd the meatballs in your skillet and cook them in batches, if necessary. Overcrowding will reduce the overall temperature in the skillet and the meatballs will steam, rather than sear, and you won't get that lovely golden browned crust on them.
Remove the cooked meatballs to a plate and set aside while you make the sauce.
Lemon Butter Sauce - Don't wipe out the skillet. Tip - The browned bits from the meatballs have tons of flavor so just leave them be. Add the oil, butter, and heat to melt the butter, using a wooden spoon to help encourage it to melt and in the process, scraping up the browned bits.
Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute, or until fragrant; stir constantly.
Add the chicken broth, wine, lemon juice, capers, salt, pepper, bring to a gentle simmer, and simmer for about 3-4 minutes uncovered, or until the sauce reduces slightly.
Add the meatballs back into the skillet, toss and flip in the sauce to evenly coat, including spooning some of the sauce over the tops of the meatballs; and simmer for about 2-3 minutes or until rewarmed and the meatballs have absorbed some of the sauce.
Taste the sauce and make any necessary flavor adjustments, i.e. more salt, pepper, red pepper flakes if you prefer a bit of heat, extra wine/broth if you want more sauce volume, extra lemon juice, etc.
Optionally (but recommended) garnish with fresh parsley and serve immediately.

Notes

Storage: Meatballs and sauce will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat in gently in microwave as desired. Meatballs freeze well so you can make a double batch, if desired, and freeze for a rainy day.

Nutrition