These chicken piccata meatballs take everything you love about classic piccata (bright lemon, briny capers, and a silky garlic butter sauce) and roll it into tender, juicy bites that are on the table in about 30 minutes. If you've made my cod piccata or my chicken piccata skillet, you already know how good this flavor combo is, and these meatballs make it even easier to serve the whole family!
Jump to:
- Easy Chicken Piccata Meatballs in a Lemon Caper Sauce
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients Needed To Make These Chicken Piccata Meatballs
- How to Make Chicken Piccata Meatballs
- Erin's Expert Tips
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Storing leftovers
- If you liked this recipe, you'll want to try these…
- Chicken Piccata Meatballs
Easy Chicken Piccata Meatballs in a Lemon Caper Sauce
Classic chicken piccata usually means pounding chicken breasts thin and dredging them in flour. These meatballs skip all of that! Ground chicken gets mixed with parmesan, panko, garlic, and lemon zest, rolled into bite-sized balls, and browned right in the same pan you'll use for the sauce.
Once the meatballs are golden, make a quick butter, garlic, and broth sauce with capers, a splash of caper brine, and fresh lemon juice. It's the same tangy, savory sauce that makes piccata so craveable, and the meatballs soak it right up. If you love a bright, herby meatball, my lemon feta dill meatballs are another family favorite.
Serve these over pasta, rice, or mashed potatoes for an easy weeknight dinner that feels a little bit fancy. And if you need more meatball recipes like this one, you're going to LOVE my baked chicken parmesan meatballs or my butter chicken meatballs!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ready in about 30 minutes. Perfect for busy weeknights when you want something comforting without a lot of fuss.
- One pan does it all. The meatballs brown and the sauce simmers in the same sauté pan, so cleanup is a breeze.
- No pounding or dredging. You get all the piccata flavor without flattening chicken breasts.
- Tender, juicy meatballs. Parmesan, panko, and lemon zest keep the ground chicken flavorful and moist.
- That lemon caper sauce! Buttery, garlicky, and tangy, it's the best part of the whole dish.
- Family-friendly and versatile. Serve over pasta, rice, or mashed potatoes, or with your favorite veggie side.
Ingredients Needed To Make These Chicken Piccata Meatballs
Here's a little bit about everything that goes into these chicken piccata meatballs:
- Ground chicken: The base of the meatballs. It's lean and mild, so it soaks up all that lemony flavor. Ground turkey works too!
- Panko breadcrumbs: Help bind the meatballs and keep them light and tender.
- Parmesan cheese: Adds a salty, nutty flavor to every bite.
- Lemon (zest and juice): Zest goes into the meatballs, and fresh juice goes into the sauce for that bright piccata flavor.
- Butter: Creates a rich, silky base for the sauce.
- Chicken broth: Thins out the sauce and gives it savory depth. Low-sodium broth is a great option if you're watching salt.
- Capers and caper brine: The signature piccata ingredient! They add a briny, tangy pop to the sauce.
How to Make Chicken Piccata Meatballs
These meatballs come together in a few simple stages: mix and roll the meatballs, brown them in a hot pan, then build the lemon caper sauce right in the same skillet. Once the sauce thickens, the meatballs go back in to finish cooking and soak up all that flavor.
A large sauté pan is your best friend here, since it gives the meatballs room to brown without crowding. Have your sauce ingredients measured out before you start, because things move quickly once the butter hits the pan!
- Step 1: In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, parmesan, panko, salt, minced garlic, and lemon zest. Mix until just combined.
- Step 2: Roll the mixture into balls, about 2 tablespoons each. You should get about 20 meatballs.
- Step 3: Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and brown them on all sides, about 6 minutes. Remove them to a plate.
- Step 4: In the same pan, melt the butter, then add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Whisk in the flour.
- Step 5: Slowly whisk in the chicken broth, then add the capers, caper brine, and lemon juice. Simmer for 6-7 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
- Step 6: Return the meatballs to the pan and cook for 5-6 minutes, spooning the sauce over the top, until cooked through. Serve over pasta or rice and spoon any extra sauce over the top.
Erin's Expert Tips
From my kitchen to yours
- Don't overmix the meat. Stir just until everything is combined to keep the meatballs tender.
- Wet your hands. Lightly damp hands make rolling the meatballs so much easier and less sticky.
- Don't crowd the pan. Brown the meatballs in batches if needed so they get a nice golden crust.
- Zest before you juice. Zest your lemons first, then juice them. It's much easier than the other way around!
- Add the broth slowly. Whisking it in a little at a time keeps the sauce smooth and lump-free.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are some common questions about these chicken piccata meatballs.
Yes! Ground turkey works great in this recipe and has a similar mild flavor.
Capers are what give piccata its signature flavor, but if you're not a fan, some readers have swapped in chopped olives for a similar briny bite.
Traditional piccata often uses white wine, and some readers have used it in place of the chicken broth. The broth keeps this version simple and family-friendly.
This recipe pan-sears the meatballs so they brown nicely and build flavor for the sauce. If you prefer a hands-off oven method, check out my baked meatballs recipe for guidance, then finish them in the lemon caper sauce.
They're delicious over pasta, rice or mashed potatoes. For a side, try green bean casserole, a shaved Brussels sprout salad or my fall harvest salad.
As written, no, since the recipe uses panko and flour. Look for gluten-free breadcrumbs and a gluten-free flour blend if you need to avoid gluten.
Storing leftovers
Let the meatballs and sauce cool completely, then store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. You can also freeze them in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Reheat gently on the stovetop until warmed through, adding a splash of broth if the sauce has thickened.
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!
If you liked this recipe, you'll want to try these…
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground chicken
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ⅔ cup panko breadcumbs
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ stick butter
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ¼ cup capers + 2 tablespoon caper brine
- ¼ cup lemon juice
Instructions
- 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.
- 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.
Nutrition
Per serving. Nutrition is an estimate.
Leave a star rating below and tag me on Instagram so I can see your creation!
Rate This RecipeRecipe by Erin Morrissey and Photos by The Mindful Hapa
Janet says
So good and easy to make. Served it with Trader Joe’s asparagus risotto. Nice for quick weekday meal.
Lori says
I don’t like capers. Can we leave that out?
Anna Berman says
This was perfect and a crowd hit!! Will make again but double the recipe
Erin says
Hi Anna, so happy you loved them! 🙂
Donna Martin Burgess says
Great recipe! I made them into burgers instead of meatballs. So delicious 😋
Erin says
Hi Donna, so happy you loved them and made them your own! Great idea!!
michele says
Can these be made day before and heated in crockpot on low next day for holiday dinner?
Erin says
Hi Michele, yep! That works! Let me know how they come out for you!!
Rebekah says
I'm not sure where I went wrong but this did not turn out for me and I wanted it to so badly!! My meatballs wouldn't stay together, everytime I turned them a layer would stick to the pan and rip off. I eventually gave up and tried to cook it as if browning ground beef. My plan was to serve it over orzo but the mixture absorbed all of the sauce so I mixed in the cooked orzo at the end like a Hamburger Helper type dish. It was just not good, very salty and sticky. I'm so sad. I might try again with ground turkey and a different skillet but for the meantime I'm gonna wait awhile.
Erin says
Hi Rebekah, what kind of pan did you use? To me, it sounds like it wasn't oiled well enough or wasn't the right type of pan! I hope you have better luck next time! You can always also bake the meatballs, if you prefer! 🙂
sunshine Linda says
When you fry meat in a stainless pan or any pan actually make sure to let the meat brown a bit before you turn them, They release very easy if browned. Use med high heat
That may help, it works on beef chicken or pork.
Chelsea James says
Can these be frozen with the sauce?
Erin says
Hi Chelsea, yep! That works! Just store in an airtight container or freezer bag.
Laura says
Sooooooo good! I will make this again!
Erin says
Hi Laura, so happy you loved them!!
Chloe says
By far one of my favorite recipes. I make this constantly and crave it all the time!! I like to double the sauce and eat over pasta!
Erin says
Hi Chloe, so glad you loved them so much! 🙂
Cindy says
These meatballs are delicious! Both kids and my husband loved this recipe, and that says a LOT because all 3 of them are finicky eaters. I doubled the sauce and served theirs with pasta and mine with zucchini. Will definitely be adding this recipe to our rotation.
Erin says
Hi Cindy, so happy they are a big hit!! 🙂
Morgan says
hi 🙂 do you freeze the meatballs alone or with the sauce?
Kelly says
Made the meatballs and they are delicious 😋 they are also very universal I feel like. Today I am going to make them but I am going to boil some orzo in some chx broth and add the meatballs. Didn't really care for the sauce in this recipe but it was ok.
Erin says
Hi Kelly, so happy you like them and great idea with the orzo!
Clare says
These were so good! I served them with polenta and the flavors went so well together. I'm a sauce fan, so I doubled it, but other than that, I wouldn't change a thing. Great recipe!!
Erin says
Hi Clare, so happy you loved them and made them your own!!
Sara says
We loved it! Definitely making again!
Erin says
Hi Sara, so happy you loved them! 🙂
Jen Bodnark says
My family LOVED this recipe! Will definitely make it again. I reduced the amount of panko to cut back on carbs but didn’t change anything else. So delicious! It would be great with angel hair pasta next time.
Erin says
Hi Jen, so happy you loved them and made them your own! 🙂
Ellen says
Absolutely delicious as is! I made them for my dinner group and they were a huge hit, they keep talking about them! I did make extra sauce!
Erin says
Hi Ellen, so happy you loved them so much! 🙂
Shannon says
My husband makes some pretty bomb chicken piccata, and this was a new way to experience similar flavors to his recipe! It was absolutely delicious, bright, and flavorful! We served ours over orzo, and it was perfect. Thank you for sharing this recipe!!
Erin says
Hi Shannon, so happy you loved it so much and great idea!!
Lana says
I like your recipes but the adding the brine to an already tart sauce took it over the top.
Erin says
Hi Lana, so happy you enjoyed them! 🙂
lori says
do you think the cheese can be left out of the meatballs? I'm dairy free. Thanks!
Erin says
Hi Lori, yes, that should be okay! Let me know how they come out!
Blair says
10/10.. these are SO EASY and so good... i am a pretty good cook and my husband and in-laws were RAVING about these (more than their normal rave)
i made these with a giant spaghtetti squash (so i doubled the sauce) and i added a bag of spinach in at the end of cooking the sauce (just for extra veggies)
it definitely does not need to be tweaked, but next time i may try adding more garlic, more lemon, less butter, and maybe add some chopped parsley in with the meatballs.. thank you so much for the recipe, will be a new weekly go-to.. yum yum
Erin says
Hi Blair, so happy you all loved them and great side ideas! 🙂