But First We Brunch!

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Summer Favorites
  • Biscuits
  • All Recipes
  • About
  • Subscribe
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Summer Favorites
  • Biscuits
  • All Recipes
  • About
  • Subscribe
ร—
But First We Brunch ยป Recipes ยป Dinner

Chicken Piccata Meatballs

Modified: Dec 29, 2021 by Cynthia Christensen ยท This post may contain affiliate links ยท 6 Comments

296 shares
  • Facebook
  • Reddit
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp
  • SMS
4.86 from 7 votes
Jump to Recipe

All the flavor of Chicken Piccata in a juicy meatball, swimming in a savory, lemon cream sauce!

Chicken Piccata Meatballs swimming in a lemony gravy
Chicken Piccata Meatballs

Save This Recipe! ๐Ÿ’Œ

I'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later, plus you'll get great new recipes from me every week!

Why did I create this Chicken Piccata Meatballs recipe? First of all, I love chicken. I know, I know. A lot of people think chicken is boring, and that can be true. But fried or roasted, smothered or skewered, I really love chicken. And if a classic roasted chicken with lemon is good enough for Ina and Jeffrey, who are we to judge? Seriously. Adding the refreshing, acidic punch of lemon to my beloved chicken dinner? I swoon. No really, I'm actually in danger of swooning just thinking about it right now.

I don't even know where my love of lemon chicken originated. I mean, as I'm sitting here writing this, I pause, wracking my brain, and I cannot think of when was the first time I had any type of lemon chicken. It certainly didn't come from the Korean side of my family. And if my grandma Olga Mae did anything with lemons, it was probably in the form of a dessert (helloooo lemon pound cake).

I can only guess my love affair with lemony chicken began at some Italian-American Banquet Hall function in New Jersey, when I first met my husband's family. Silver rows of massive chafing dishes filled to the brim with steaming stacks of Chicken Franรงaise (Fran-cay-see in New Jersey speak) or Chicken Piccata. Can you picture it? The velvet-lined walls, for whatever reason? Classic Jersey Italian stuff.

Why chicken?

My love โค๏ธ of chicken shines through in this amazing one pan meal, Chicken Piccata Meatballs. Much to my own surprise, I've recently discovered my love of chicken meatballs. It started with a Thai Curry Meatball I worked out when all I had was chicken thighs. (I notoriously hate the texture of chicken thighs, so I pulled out my meat grinder!)

After that tasty experiment, I moved on to Chicken Parmesan Meatballs (cheese INSIDE the meatballs ๐Ÿคฏ), and now I'm introducing these saucy Chicken Piccata Meatballs! This recipe eats fancy, but it is so simple to make and gets on the table in no time. The meatballs use easy-to-find ingredients that you probably already have, take just minutes to cook, and the sauce comes together in the same pan!

Ingredients

  • Ground Chicken Normally, I would be  telling you all about how I prefer chicken breasts over thighs right now, but in this case you want at least a combination of both. Most ground chicken packages are labelled as either just "Ground Chicken" or "Ground Chicken Breast". This time you don't want the breast. The just found chicken package is going to have both breast and thigh meat, and therefore will have a little fat content. That's important in meatballs.
  • Pancetta I add very finely chopped (you can blitz it in a food chopper) to these meatballs for added flavor and fat. It's a little flavor bomb!
  • Panko bread crumbs In my classic Beef Meatball recipe, I use fresh torn white bread as a binder in the meatballs. In this recipe I use panko crumbs. Because chicken meatballs tend to be more dense than their beef or pork counterparts, the texture of the panko crumbs really lightens them up.
  • Fresh Lemons Please, take it from someone who used to buy bottled lemon juice, don't use bottled lemon juice. I can actually remember the first time, oh so long ago, that I used fresh lemon juice in a regular recipe of mine. It was mind blowing ๐Ÿคฏ and I've never once gone back. Buy a lemon. You'll be glad you did.
  • Chicken bouillon I could ask you to really reduce your broth until you get it almost thick, to really boost the flavor of the sauce, and you can, but also you can use a shortcut. Just one teaspoon of chicken bouillon granules or Better Than Bouillon chicken base can make a world of difference in your sauce, and save you about 15-20 minutes. I go for the time-saver.
  • Parmigiana reggiano This cheese just adds that something extra to the meatballs. I recommend buying the real thing, ungrated, in the wedge, found in the deli department of your local Mega Market. If you can't find/can't afford the real stuff, it ain't cheap, use the best quality parmesan you can.

Tips for Success

  • I love the texture of the chicken, and it will never be dry if you add some element of fat to the meat by either buying a white meat/dark meat mixture or adding fat, like I do, in this recipe with pancetta.
  • Avoid overcooking your meatballs by checking the temperature with an instant read thermometer as you cook. Bam! Perfect chicken.
  • You can also bake the meatballs if you prefer. Here's a quick rundown: Form the meatballs and then bake them at 400ยฐ for about 25-30 minutes, turning them over halfway through the baking time. Personally, I like the pan searing method, because all the flavor left behind in the pan adds to the sauce, but do whatever works for you! 
  • Your first instinct will be to serve these Chicken Piccata Meatballs with pasta, but hold on just a minute. For whatever reason, my brain said these needed a bed of creamy mashed potatoes and, let me tell you, I will never go back! Theres something about those fluffy mashers that perfectly held all the lemony sauce. Oh my.

(Silly little note, but kudos to The Boy: I sent him shopping for this recipe and he brought home curly parsley instead of flat leaf Italian parsley. I found out I'm a bit of a parsley snob. I tried to be all cool about it, but I felt myself being kind of...  a little bit of a b-word about it inside. Guess what? In the end, I really liked the texture of the curly parsley and it tasted exactly the same as flat-leaf parsley. The Boy wins. This time.)

Chicken meatballs in a lemon cream sauce.

Can I use the sauce with another protein?

The sauce from this recipe is equally good with chicken, pork, or even fish. I've seen cod piccata on menus before, but I recommend a good piece of salmon. Yum! I'll add optional salmon instructions below.

More Italian meals you'll love

  • Pizza al Taglio
  • Sheet Pan Sausage and Peppers
  • Best Italian Meatballs

Serves 4-6

๐Ÿ“– Recipe

Cast iron pan with Chicken Piccata Meatballs

Chicken Piccata Meatballs

All the flavor of Chicken Piccata in a juicy meatball, swimming in a savory, lemon cream sauce!
4.86 from 7 votes
Author: Cynthia Christensen
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 25 minutes mins
Total Time 45 minutes mins
Course Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine American, Italian
Servings 8 Servings
Calories 431 kcal
Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients
 

Chicken Meatballs

  • 1 ยฝ lb ground chicken
  • 4 oz very finely chopped pancetta
  • 2 large eggs, whisked
  • 1 cup panko bread crumbs
  • ยฝ cup parmigiana reggiano cheese grated
  • ยฝ cup chopped parsley
  • 2 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano (one teaspoon if using dried)
  • 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
  • Zest of one lemon
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 ยฝ teaspoon kosher salt (use half the amount if using table salt)
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper

Piccata Sauce

  • 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 4 garlic cloves, grated
  • 2 cup chicken stock
  • Juice of one lemon (add an extra half a lemon, if you're a pucker maniac)
  • 2 teaspoon cornstarch
  • ยผ cup heavy cream
  • ยผ cup capers, rinsed and drained
  • 2 tablespoon chopped parsley
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon or base, such as Better Than Bouillon (optional)

Optional Protein Substitution

  • 4 6 oz salmon filets, skin removed

Instructions

Let's make Meatballs!

  • Place ground chicken in a medium bowl. If you are an overachiever (as I am oft called), and are grinding your own chicken, I highly recommend adding the 4 oz of pancetta into the grinder with your chicken to really blend the meats together. You don't even have to finely dice it, just a rough chop will do.
    Add all the other meatball ingredients to the chicken and gently mix together. Do not overmix or you might end up with a tough meatball. Treat your balls with care! (๐Ÿคฃ)
    ๐Ÿ”ฅHot tip: when making any type of meatballs it is impossible to test for seasoning, since the meat is raw. There is a work-around used in the restaurant industry. Take a small amount of your meatball mixture and fry it in a pan. When done, taste it and adjust the seasoning in your mixture, if needed. Easy!
  • Place a piece of parchment paper on a sheet pan, or lightly grease the sheet pan if you don't have parchment paper. Using a small scoop (or eyeballing it if you're a daredevil) scoop your mixture into golfball-sized meatballs, and line them up on the sheet pan.
    After all your meatballs are scooped, using lightly dampened hands, gently roll the scoops into nicely-rounded balls. Once they're all ready to go, heat a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil in a 12โ€ skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot (you'll see it shimmer a bit when it's ready), add one tablespoon of butter. It'll melt up quick, so go ahead and add some meatballs!
    Cook the meatballs, in batches, until golden brown on all sides and cooked almost completely through (about 150ยฐ). If you cook them all the way to chicken's food-safe temp of 165ยฐ, you run the risk of having your perfect little meatballs go dry. Set cooked meatballs aside on a plate once they hit 150ยฐ, and don't worry, they'll finish cooking in the sauce.
  • ๐Ÿ”€Optional Substitution: If you would like to make this with salmon instead of meatballs, no problem. I got you! Let the salmon filets sit on the counter for about 30 minutes, to come to room temperature. Just before cooking, season the fish on both sides with salt.
    Heat a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil in a 12โ€ skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot (you'll see it shimmer a bit when it's ready), add one tablespoon of butter. Place the salmon, presentation side down, in the pan and sear for 3 minutes, to allow a nice crust to form. Gently flip salmon over and cook for another 3 minutes on the other side. Remove to a plate to rest. It will be about medium-rare at this point, but will continue cooking a bit in the finished sauce.
  • In the same pan that your meatballs cooked in, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Sautรฉ the garlic for about 30 seconds. Add the broth and the lemon juice and allow to reduce for about 10 minutes. Whisk cornstarch with ยผ cup heavy cream and add to the sauce, whisking the whole time, until completely incorporated. Add most of the parsley and most of the capers, reserving some for garnish. Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste. For even more flavor, add one teaspoon of a chicken base, such as Better Than Bouillon. Nestle the meatballs (and any juices that may have settled) into the sauce and allow to simmer for 5-10 minutes or until meatballs are completely cooked (165ยฐ).
    Serve over pasta or creamy mashed potatoes (my favorite!) and garnish with reserved parsley and capers.

Save This Recipe! ๐Ÿ’Œ

I'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later, plus you'll get great new recipes from me every week!

Calories: 431kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 190mg | Sodium: 992mg | Potassium: 1040mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 719IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 3mg

The nutritional and caloric information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It does not assert or suggest that readers should or should not count calories, and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionistโ€™s or doctorโ€™s counseling.

Tried this recipe?I would love for you to leave a comment!

More Amazing Dinner Recipes

  • Raw homemade Mexican chorizo in a metal bowl.
    Homemade Mexican Chorizo (Easy & Flavorful)
  • A Korean vegetable pancake, cut into wedges, on a wooden cutting board.
    Easy Korean Vegetable Pancakes (Yachaejeon)
  • Author's hands holding a white bowl containing balsamic tomato salad and a spoon.
    Simple and Refreshing Balsamic Tomato Salad
  • Potatoes O'Brien in a cast-iron pan with an antique spoon.
    10-Minute Crispy Potatoes O'Brien
296 shares
  • Facebook
  • Reddit
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp
  • SMS

Comments

    4.86 from 7 votes (5 ratings without comment)

    Leave a star rating and review, ask a question, or share a tip! Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Rate This Recipe!




  1. nicole says

    December 12, 2024 at 9:58 am

    5 stars
    these are so incredibly tasty, we have made them several times and im just now prepping to make another big batch! the meatballs are awesome to stock the freezer with, theyre one of our go-tos now. once theyre scooped out, we freeze them till sold on a sheet pad, then into a big freezer bag they go. the included sauce is my favorite way to have them, but they are also great quick meal with a jar of nice alfredo like raos, or in a sub, or a grain bowl. A+ recipe!

    Reply
    • Cynthia Christensen says

      December 12, 2024 at 2:00 pm

      I love everything about this!!

      Reply
  2. Flo says

    February 04, 2021 at 6:21 pm

    5 stars
    Made these for the family tonight !
    They were nicknamed โ€œthe crack meatballs!โ€!
    We will defiantly make them again.

    Reply
    • Cynthia says

      February 04, 2021 at 6:22 pm

      Iโ€™m so glad you all liked them!!

      Reply
  3. Lynn L Dowers says

    October 30, 2020 at 1:23 pm

    Can't wait to make it!

    Reply
    • Cynthia says

      October 30, 2020 at 1:59 pm

      I hope you love it as much as we do!!

      Reply
Picture of the author with a banner, stating welcome to my blog I am Cynthia.

In our house we get up with the sun, and most of us don't stop working until late in the night, so breakfast and brunch are our family meals. So join me at the kitchen counter, where I cook up delicious food for my busy family, starting first thing in the morning!

More about me โ†’

Trending Recipes

  • Sliced crispy corned beef on a wooden cutting board.
    Crispy Corned Beef (Oven or Slow Cooker Method)
  • White plate containing a piece of toast with crispy prosciutto and creamy ricotta scrambled eggs.
    Creamy Ricotta Scrambled Eggs
  • Basic buttermilk muffins on a white background.
    Basic Buttermilk Muffins with Variations
  • A blackberry sage refresher on a black counter with a accoutrements behind.
    Copycat Starbucks Blackberry Sage Refresher
  • flaky buttermilk biscuits in a cast iron pan/
    Small Batch Buttermilk Biscuits for Two
  • Two ingredient bagels, one with cream cheese, on a wooden cutting board.
    2-Ingredient Bagels

Summer Favorites โ˜€๏ธ

  • Potatoes O'Brien in a cast-iron pan with an antique spoon.
    10-Minute Crispy Potatoes O'Brien
  • A stack of birthday cake pancakes with vanilla glaze and whipped cream and a lit candle on top.
    Festive Birthday Cake Pancakes (From Scratch!)
  • strawberry-spoon-cake
    One-Bowl Strawberry Spoon Cake
  • Potato cheddar and chive egg bites on a white platter.
    Potato Cheddar and Chive Egg Bites (Better-than-Starbucks Copycat)
  • Side view of croissant breakfast sandwiches on a parchment paper lined sheet pan.
    Croissant Breakfast Sandwich (Easy Make-Ahead & Freezer-Friendly)
  • Yogurt and brown sugar peach parfaits topped with granola in small glasses.
    Yogurt Peach Parfait

Footer

Follow

โ†‘ back to top

About

About Cynthia
The Breakfast Club
Newsletter
Media & Events
Contact Page

Notices

Privacy Policy
Accessibility Policy
Terms of Service

AS AN AMAZON ASSOCIATE, AT NO COST TO YOU, I MAY EARN FROM QUALIFIED PURCHASES MADE THROUGH LINKS ON MY WEBSITE.

Copyright ยฉ 2025 But First We Brunch

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.