If you’re a fan of classic chicken piccata, this chicken piccata meatballs recipe might just become your new favorite. Full of all of the classic lemony, briny, and buttery goodness of the original!
This incredibly easy recipe swaps chicken breasts for meatballs and it never fails to be a hit for weeknight dinners or parties.
What Makes These Chicken Meatballs Marvelous
Once you make these mouthwatering meatballs, you’ll be getting requests to make them on the regular.
- Full of flavor. From plenty of garlic and parmesan cheese to briny capers and bright lemon, there’s no shortage of flavor in this dish.
- Depart from the norm. Sure, we love traditional Italian meatballs in marinara in our house. But this is a different take that delivers a whole new flavor profile.
- It’s easy-peasy. You can’t beat how easy this dish is to make — and no one will guess it either. It will be our secret!
Ingredients
The list for these is a little long but all of the ingredients are easy to find and since most of them are packaged, it’s just a matter of combining them all together. Trust me — these might be some of the most simple meatballs you’ll ever make!
Meatballs
- Ground Chicken – Ground chicken makes for a light meatball that lets the spices, seasonings, and other additions shine.
- Grated Parmesan Cheese – Grated Parmesan cheese adds a burst of savory umami flavor. Be sure to grate your own for the freshest flavor.
- Italian Style Bread Crumbs or Panko – Italian style bread crumbs or panko breadcrumbs help the meatballs to stay moist while cooking.
- Chopped Capers (Drained) – Capers add a bite of brininess to the meatballs and help them to pair well with the sauce. These little morsels of goodness can range in the amount of briny, salty flavor they have, though so be sure to taste test before adding them to the meat.
- Whole Large Egg – The whole egg helps to bind the meatball ingredients together.
- Minced Garlic – Minced garlic gives the meatballs their signature flavor. Be sure to chap it uniformly so that each bite is the perfect one!
- Salt – Salt brings out the flavors of the other ingredients.
- Black Pepper – Black pepper gives the meatballs a gentle heat.
- Garlic Powder – Using garlic powder helps to make sure that the flavor of the garlic is evenly dispersed throughout the meatballs.
- Italian Seasoning – Italian seasoning gives the meatballs their Italian flair.
- Onion Powder – Onion powder imparts a subtle sweetness and makes the meatballs’ flavor profile more complex.
- Finely Chopped Parsley – Finely chopped parsley lends fresh, herbaceousness to the meatballs.
- Lemon Zest – Lemon zest provides a concentrated, zesty citrus flavor that brightens up the meatballs and pairs perfectly with the sauce.
Sauce
- Olive Oil – I use olive oil to sauté the garlic and to give the sauce its rich mouthfeel.
- Butter – Butter also helps to make the sauce velvety.
- Minced Garlic – Minced garlic adds a savory layer of flavor to the sauce.
- Flour – Flour thickens the sauce, helping it to coat the meatballs.
- Chicken Broth – The broth helps to build the base of the sauce and imparts its rich flavor. If you’re watching your salt intake, use a low sodium chicken broth.
- Lemon Juice – The acidity of lemon juice helps to balance out the other ingredients.
- Lemon Zest – Lemon zest intensifies the citrusy flavor of the sauce.
- Finely Chopped Parsley – Parsley helps to brighten up the sauce with its fresh flavor.
- Capers (Drained) – A staple ingredient in any piccata sauce, capers bring their brininess to the table.
Toppings (Optional)
- Grated Parmesan Cheese – In our house, nearly no meatball is complete without a generous sprinkle of cheese. Nutty parmesan is a great pairing with piccata.
- Lemon Zest – Brighten up the dish even more with a healthy dose of lemon zest grated over top.
- Parsley – Add a pop of color and fresh flavor with even more chopped parsley.
How to Make Chicken Piccata Meatballs
These super simple meatballs and delicious sauce come together in nearly no time.
- Combine meatball ingredients. Add the ingredients for the meatballs to a large bowl and mix until the mixture is completely combined.
- Form meatballs. Form uniformly sized meatballs and place them on a prepared baking sheet.
- Broil for the recommended time, turning once toward the end of the cooking time.
- Sauté garlic in oil and butter. Prepare the sauce by adding the oil, butter, and garlic to the skillet and sauteing briefly.
- Make roux. Add the flour, whisking until it has formed a roux.
- Whisk in broth and lemon juice. Pour in the chicken broth and lemon juice, whisking to combine.
- Add remaining ingredients. Bring the sauce to a simmer before adding capers, parsley, and lemon zest.
- Add meatballs. Continue to cook for several minutes before adding the meatballs. Cook for a few more minutes, while covered, before serving.
What to Serve With Chicken Piccata Meatballs
You can spoon these meatballs and sauce right onto your plate and dig in as-is! Or, serve it over buttered noodles, mashed potatoes, or rice.
Want to sneak some veggies in? Try serving the meatballs alongside broccolini, roasted root vegetables, or a simple salad. And don’t sleep on grabbing some garlic knots or slices of easy homemade bread to soak up the sauce.
Variations
There are loads of ways to pack these meatballs with even more flavor.
- Meat – Instead of chicken, try using ground turkey or ground pork.
- Cheese – Substitute asiago or romano for the parmesan.
- Olives – Swap out the capers for diced olives for a different way to add brininess to the sauce.
- Fresh Herbs – Try adding thyme, basil, or rosemary to the meatballs or the sauce.
- Wine – Replace some of the chicken broth with a dry white wine like sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio.
- Mustard – Add Dijon mustard to the sauce for a touch of tanginess.
- Nuts – Toast some pine nuts and sprinkle them over top for some crunchy texture.
Storage and Freezing
Chicken piccata meatballs do store well, though you may want to keep them separate from the sauce if you’re looking to freeze them.
How to Store Chicken Piccata Meatballs
Store the meatballs in the refrigerator for three to four days in an airtight container.
These little balls of goodness are perfect for making ahead of time. Just store them in the fridge or freezer after they’ve cooled to room temperature and reheat them when you’re ready for a quick meal or a protein-packed snack.
Or, you can form the meatballs and refrigerate them for up to 24 hours before broiling. They can also be made and frozen while raw — just thaw in the fridge overnight before cooking.
Can I Freeze Chicken Piccata Meatballs?
Freeze the meatballs in a freezer-safe container or resealable freezer bag for up to 3 months.
Common Questions About Chicken Piccata Meatballs
Piccata sauce is a simple sauce made by combining wine, capers, and lemon juice. For this recipe, I use chicken broth and thicken it with a flour-based roux.
Piccata is a style of cooking that involves slicing and sauteing in a lemon butter-based sauce. Since this is recipe is for meatballs we’re not slicing our protein, but we are taking inspiration from the flavors of the classic dish.
Yes, you can reheat chicken piccata (or these chicken piccata meatballs) on the stovetop or in the microwave.
More Meatball Recipes
While we love traditional spaghetti and meatballs (and have a few recipes for those,) meatballs also make great appetizers! Here are a few of our favorite recipes.
Chicken Piccata Meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs:
- 1 lb. ground chicken
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup Italian style bread crumbs or panko
- 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped capers ; drained
- 1 whole egg
- 2 cloves garlic; minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 tablespoons parsley ; finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 3 cloves garlic ; minced
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons parsley ; finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons capers ; drained
Toppings: optional
- grated parmesan cheese
- lemon zest
- parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to broil and grease a baking sheet. Combine all of the meatball ingredients in a large bowl and mix with your hands or a wooden spoon. Use a mini ice cream scoop to scoop meatballs into round balls.
- Place on prepared baking sheet and broil for 9 minutes, then flip and broil for 2 more minutes on the other side.
- To make the sauce, add the oil, butter, and garlic to a large skillet or frying pan. Cook for 1 minutes or until garlic is fragrant.
- Whisk in flour until dissolved. Then add chicken broth and lemon juice. Let simmer.
- Add in capers, lemon zest and parsley. Cook for another 5 minutes on low heat.
- Add meatballs to the sauce and cover with a lid to finish cooking for 5 more minutes.
- Garnish and serve over pasta or just as they are!
Nutrition
Adding this to my dinner line up for the week! My whole family loved chicken piccata, and this recipe looks too good to pass up, indeed!
Love love love the idea to swap chicken for meatballs! My daughter doesn’t love cooked chicken (who knows why) but adores meatballs! Huge hit!
Love this chicken piccata meatballs recipe, so delicious and juicy. Will be in my recipes for dinner. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Chicken piccata is one of my favorite chicken dishes. This variation is so good and such a nice change of pace.
We love chicken picatta, and meatballs. But now we have a new favorite. THIS RECIPE ROCKS!