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Cast iron pan with Chicken Piccata Meatballs
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4.84 from 6 votes

Chicken Piccata Meatballs

All the flavor of Chicken Piccata in a juicy meatball, swimming in a savory, lemon cream sauce!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Italian
Servings: 8 Servings
Calories: 431kcal
Author: Cynthia

Ingredients

Chicken Meatballs

  • 1 ½ lb ground chicken
  • 4 oz very finely chopped pancetta
  • 2 large eggs, whisked
  • 1 cup panko bread crumbs
  • ½ cup parmigiana reggiano cheese grated
  • ½ 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 ½ 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
  • ¼ cup heavy cream
  • ¼ 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! (🤣)
    🔥Hot 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 12” 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 150°). If you cook them all the way to chicken's food-safe temp of 165°, you run the risk of having your perfect little meatballs go dry. Set cooked meatballs aside on a plate once they hit 150°, and don't worry, they'll finish cooking in the sauce.
  • 🔀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 12” 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. Sauté the garlic for about 30 seconds. Add the broth and the lemon juice and allow to reduce for about 10 minutes. Whisk cornstarch with ¼ 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 (165°).
    Serve over pasta or creamy mashed potatoes (my favorite!) and garnish with reserved parsley and capers.

Nutrition

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