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These chicken piccata meatballs are a fun twist on a classic: golden and crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, with a silky lemon butter sauce and briny capers. Perfect with pasta or rice.
If you love classic chicken piccata, these chicken piccata meatballs have all the same bright, briny notes, but in a little more fun way. I mean, who doesn’t love meatballs? Instead of pan-frying the cutlets, you get tender, juicy meatballs with a slightly crispy coating. They’re quick to mix, easy to cook, and perfect for serving over pasta or rice to soak up every last bit of sauce.
The flavor is pure piccata—fresh lemon juice, a silky, buttery sauce, and lots of capers—but the meatballs have a more relaxed, family-friendly feel. Even young children tend to like them (and you can always skip the sauce if they prefer things simple).
Contents
What You’ll Need to Make Chicken Piccata Meatballs
- For the meatballs: egg, parsley, shallots, capers, garlic, milk, salt and pepper, ground chicken (preferably not extra-lean breast meat), pecorino Romano (or Parmigiano Reggiano), seasoned breadcrumbs and olive oil
- For the sauce: chicken broth, unsalted butter, lemon juice, capers and Italian parsley
- Access the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step by step instructions
Step 1: Make and shape the meatballs. In a large bowl, mix together the egg, parsley, shallot, capers, garlic, milk, salt and pepper with a fork. Add the ground chicken, cheese and 6 tablespoons of the breadcrumbs and mix gently with your hand until well combined (the mixture will be a little wet). Place remaining breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl. With wet hands, form 12 meatballs (about 2 inches each), roll in breadcrumbs to coat, and place on a plate.
Step 2: Brown and roast. Heat the oil in a large nonstick ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the meatballs and cook, turning occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast, turning halfway through cooking, until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Place an oven mitt on the handle as a reminder that it’s hot, then transfer the meatballs to a platter or plates (cover lightly with foil to keep warm, if desired).
Pro tip: Don’t worry if the meatballs flatten slightly as they rest or cook: the mixture is intentionally a little moist for tenderness, so a little spreading is completely normal.
Step 3: Prepare the pan sauce. Place the pan over medium-high heat and add the broth. Bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits, and cook until slightly reduced, about 3 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the butter, lemon juice, capers and parsley until well combined.
Pro tip: Taste before serving: The saltiness of the sauce may vary depending on your broth and capers, so feel free to add a pinch of salt or a squeeze of lemon at the end, if desired.
Step 4. Serve. Pour the sauce over the meatballs and serve hot with noodles or rice.
Video tutorial
More Easy Italian Recipes You’ll Love
Chicken Piccata Meatballs
These chicken piccata meatballs are everything you want in a weeknight dinner: quick to make, full of flavor, and sure to please everyone at the table.
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- 1 big egg
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot, from 1 shallot
- 1 tablespoon capers, drained and rinsed, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- ¼ cup milk (any kind)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 kg ground chicken (preferably not extra-lean breast meat)
- ½ cup grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
- 6 tablespoons + ½ cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs, divided
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, for cooking
For the sauce
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, from 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) and place a rack in the middle position.
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In a large bowl, combine the egg, parsley, shallot, capers, garlic, milk, salt and pepper. Mix well with a fork. Add the ground chicken, grated cheese and 6 tablespoons (53 g) of breadcrumbs. Use your hand to mix the ingredients; it will be a little damp.
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Place the remaining ½ cup (70 g) bread crumbs in a shallow bowl. With wet hands, form 12 medium-sized meatballs (about 2 in/5 cm in diameter), rolling each in breadcrumbs to coat, then place on a plate.
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In a large nonstick ovenproof skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the meatballs and cook, turning occasionally, until lightly browned (they will continue to brown in the oven), about 5 minutes. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast, turning the meatballs halfway through cooking, until tender and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Immediately place an oven mitt on the handle of the pan to remind yourself that it is hot (it’s very easy to forget and burn yourself).
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Place the meatballs on a plate or divide them among 4 plates (cover with foil, if desired).
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Place the pan over medium-high heat and add the broth. Bring to a boil, stirring to lift any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until slightly reduced, about 3 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the butter, lemon juice, capers and parsley until well combined. Pour the pan sauce over the meatballs. Serve hot with noodles or rice.
Remarks
Cooked meatballs can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat them in a 350°F oven, lightly covered with foil, until heated through. Prepare the sauce just before serving.
To freeze, place cooked and cooled meatballs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze until firm. Transfer to a freezer-safe container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat in a 350°F oven, lightly covered with foil, until heated through. Prepare the sauce as directed and pour over the meatballs before serving.
Nutritional information
Per serving (4 servings)Calories: 545kilocaloriesCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 32gFat: 36gSaturated fat: 13gCholesterol: 187mgSodium: 743mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4g
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional information on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. Data is calculated via an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these numbers should only be considered estimates. Various factors such as types of produce or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and how ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information of a given recipe. Additionally, different online calculators provide different results based on their own nutritional data sources and algorithms. To get the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your favorite nutritional calculator.
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My husband made these last night and they were amazing. We haven’t found one of your recipes that we don’t like.
This recipe was divine!!! My toddlers were asking for more!! Definitely a recipe that will impress.
Sticking completely to the recipe, I doubled the sauce recipe.
My husband and I really enjoyed them the night I made them and the next night as well. Using my largest cookie scoop, I made 10 meatballs. I served with 3/4 lb of thin spaghetti and green salad with lemon vinaigrette, halved grape tomatoes and grated Parmigiano. This version is much less complicated than the traditional chicken piccata but just as tasty. I will do it again.
One word… fabulous. Jenn does it again!
These meatballs were delicious and I cooked them in our air fryer. Plus, we loved the sauce.
Another one hit Jenn. My family loved them!