Mix up your regular chicken piccata with these Chicken Piccata Meatballs. Deliciously made with lemon zest, garlic, and a caper sauce!
The easiest homemade chicken piccata meatball recipe
Chicken piccata is always a good idea. From the lemon juice to the capers, the flavor is always top notch, and the dish always hits the spot! This week, try mixing things up a bit by making chicken piccata meatballs. The simple recipe is made quite similarly to the original dish and makes 20 meatballs. That's 4-5 large servings!
I love to prepare this dish during the week because the quick cook time makes for an easy meal. The whole dish comes together in under half an hour and can be enjoyed over pasta or rice. If preferred, you can also enjoy the meatballs as is! The caper and garlic sauce makes for a complete flavor.
Ingredients in chicken piccata meatballs
These meatballs made with chicken come together with the help of breadcrumbs and parmesan. They're flavored with garlic, salt, and lemon zest for the most delicious result!
- Ground chicken: The dish begins with a base of 1 lb of ground chicken. Feel free to substitute with ground turkey!
- Parmesan cheese: From there, we'll use ¼ cup of grated parmesan cheese.
- Panko breadcrumbs: ⅔ cup of panko breadcrumbs are going to help all of the ingredients bind together. They'll also help thicken up the meatballs.
- Salt: Add flavor with ½ teaspoon of salt.
- Garlic: Follow the salt with 4 cloves of minced garlic.
- Lemon zest: Next, add 1 tablespoon of lemon zest to create a nice and subtle zingy flavor.
- Olive oil: 2 tablespoon of olive oil will be used to cook the meatballs.
- Butter: ½ stick of butter will be mixed with garlic to create the base of the sauce.
- Garlic: You'll need another 3 cloves of minced garlic here.
- Flour: Next up, use 1 tablespoon flour.
- Chicken broth: Thicken up the sauce with 1 cup of chicken broth. Low sodium chicken broth works here, too.
- Capers: Add ¼ cup of capers and 2 tablespoon of caper brine.
- Lemon juice: Last but not least, finish up the recipe with ¼ cup of lemon juice.
Kitchen tools needed to make this recipe
To make chicken piccata meatballs, you will need a large mixing bowl, large saucepan, spatula, and whisk. You'll also need a total of 5 measuring cup sizes: ½ tsp, 1 tbsp, ¼ cup, ⅔ cup, and 1 cup.
How to make chicken piccata meatballs
Grab the tools listed above, and let's get started. You can expect this dish to be ready in about 30 minutes.
To begin, add the chicken, parmesan, breadcrumbs, salt, garlic, and lemon zest to a large bowl. Combine.
Then, use 2 tablespoon of the mixture at a time and roll into balls.
Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat and add the oil.
Once hot, add the meatballs to the pan and turn them every few minutes to ensure even cooking. Cook for 6 minutes and then remove the meatballs from the pan.
Next, add the butter and garlic to the same pan. Once melted, whisk in the flour.
Then, slowly whisk in the chicken broth followed by the capers and lemon juice. Let the sauce simmer for 6-7 minutes. It will thicken as it cooks.
Add the meatballs back to the pan and cook for another 5-6 minutes. The sauce should have thickened by now. Mix it up and spoon the sauce over all of the meatballs.
Serve the meatballs over pasta or rice, or enjoy as-is!
Side dish ideas
Wondering what to serve alongside these meatballs? Here are some ideas!
If you'd like to enjoy a classic side dish, try serving these up with this healthy green bean casserole or thick and creamy mashed potatoes.
For a side salad, shaved brussels sprout salad, fall harvest salad, and chicken cobb salad (with or without the chicken) all make great options!
Storing leftovers
Chicken piccata meatballs store quite well, which makes the recipe even better! Allow the meatballs to cool before placing them in an airtight container or freezer bag. The leftovers can be enjoyed within 2-3 days when refrigerated and within 3 months when frozen. For best results, reheat on the stove.
If you liked this recipe, you'll want to try these!
Meatballs are surprisingly versatile and can be made in a bunch of different ways! Try one of these ideas for your next meatball dinner. The Thai turkey variation is one of my favorites!
- Baked Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
- Healthier Sweet and Sour Meatballs
- Thai Turkey Meatballs with Peanut Sauce
- Healthy Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
All recipes by Erin Morrissey and Photos by Sierra Inn
If you tried this recipe or any other recipes on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Follow @erinliveswhole on Instagram and tag me in any of the recipes you make so I can repost them!
Chicken Piccata Meatballs
Ingredients
Method
- In a large bowl, mix together chicken, parmesan, panko, salt, garlic, and lemon zest.
- Using 2 tablespoon of meat, roll into balls.
- Heat a large sautepan over medium-high heat and add oil.
- Once hot, add meatballs, turning every few minutes to ensure even cooking. Cook for 6 minutes and then remove meatballs from pan.
- In the same pan, add butter and garlic. Once melted, whisk in flour.
- Slowly whisk in chicken broth, then capers, brine, and lemon juice. Simmer sauce for 6-7 minutes, it will thicken as it cooks.
- Add meatballs back to pan and cook for another 5-6 minutes. Sauce should have thickened by now. Mix up and spoon sauce all over meatballs.
- Serve meatballs over pasta, rice, or enjoy as is.
Nutrition
Notes
- Don't forget the caper brine! The recipe calls for both capers AND 2 tablespoons of caper brine — that extra tangy liquid is a big part of what makes the piccata sauce so flavorful. Don't drain and toss it!
- Remove the meatballs from the pan before making the sauce. After browning them for 6 minutes, take them out while you build the butter, garlic, and broth sauce. Then add them back in for the final 5-6 minutes so they finish cooking and soak up all that goodness.
- Let the sauce simmer and thicken before adding the meatballs back. Give it a full 6-7 minutes to reduce — it will thicken as it cooks. Once the meatballs go back in, spoon the sauce all over them so every single one is coated.
Dawn Burtone says
This recipe looks fantastic and I’m looking forward to making it. Can I substitute the Panko for almond flour? There’s almond flour in your chicken Parmesan meatballs that I love and make all the time and I was wondering if I could use the almond flour in place of the Panko for this recipe to give it a little more protein less carb?
Erin says
Hi Dawn, I haven't tired that sub but feel free to try and let me know how they come out!!
Judy bresnan says
I have made this and it is absolutely wonderful! I am trying to prepare meals for a family member. Can I make this ahead and freeze the whole dish, sauce and all?
Erin says
Hi Judy, so happy you love them so much! Yes, for sure. Just allow the meatballs to cool before placing them in a freezer bag then enjoy within 3 months!
Terri says
This recipe is super easy, quick and delicious! The only thing I added to this recipe was a little bit of graded onion to the meatballs. Double the recipe for the sauce if you would like a little more as we did.
Erin says
Hi Terri, so happy you loved it and made them your own! 🙂
Tracy says
Made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious. I didn’t add all the lemon juice for the sauce. I was a little short because I had a smaller lemon but it was still amazing. My husband asked for it to be added to our normal meal rotation after the first bite. Thank you so much for the recipe.
Erin says
Hi Tracy, so happy they were a hit! 🙂
Heather Cole says
Delicious!!!
Ingredients & instructions are fabulous!
Erin says
Hi Heather, so happy you loved them! 🙂
Kailey K says
I love how Erin’s recipes are straightforward and use simple ingredients that are easy to find. This is the 3rd (?) time (probably more) that I’ve made this time.
Erin says
Hi Kailey, so happy you love them so much! Thanks for your support! 🙂
Valerie says
I made this tonight and it's delicious! Simple, great ingredients, keeper!
I wish I could attach a picture!
Erin says
Hi Valerie, so glad you loved them! If you post on Instagram, tag me @erinliveswhole 🙂
Nicole says
One of my all time favorite recipes!! So easy and delicious.
Erin says
Hi Nicole, so glad you loved them!!
Stef says
I love this recipe. Quick and easy to make which is great when cooking for a hungry 4 year old. A great alternative to the usual beef meatballs.
Erin says
Hi Stef, so happy they were a hit!!
Kelly says
These are great! I love regular chicken piccata, my kids love meatballs so this was a perfect match. You know it’s a winner when all 3 of my kids eat it without a single complaint!
Erin says
Hi Kelly, so happy you all loved them!! 🙂
Meagan says
I love this recipe and so does my husband.
Erin says
Hi Meagan, so happy you both enjoyed them!! 🙂