My chicken piccata meatball recipe is a total weeknight joy! Briny capers, zingy lemon, a splash of white wine, plus (of course) a bit of butter and garlic make simple chicken meatballs taste positively exciting! Panko breadcrumbs in the meatballs help them hold together, but stay light and tender. Roll them by hand for the best, most tender results. Serve over your favorite carb (suggestions below) for a cozy dinner everyone will love.
Chicken Piccata Meatball Ingredients
- Ground chicken: Healthy, but never boring (at least when paired with ingredients this delicious).
- Panko breadcrumbs: While regular breadcrumbs do work, panko is much lighter and I prefer the airier texture in meatball recipes.
- Egg: Egg plus breadcrumbs are how you get meatballs to stick together.
- Capers: You’ll use capers in both the sauce and in the meatballs themselves. YUM.
- Lemon: The lemon is the backbone of piccata sauce! Don’t skip it.
- Wine: It’s OK to use chicken stock if you prefer not to cook with wine.
- Fresh seasonings: Fresh garlic, parsley and shallots.
- Parmesan cheese: A little Parm in the meatballs gives the ground chicken a lot of rich umami depth.
How to Make The Best Piccata Meatballs
Find the full recipe instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.
- Make meatball mixture. Mix the chicken, panko, Parm, garlic, parsley, capers, shallot, egg, salt, and pepper.
- Roll out about 18 chicken meatballs.
- Brown the meatballs so that each meatball has a nice outer crust. (They don’t need to be fully cooked through yet.)
- Make the piccata sauce. Sauté garlic and shallots in butter, then add wine and stock. Then add more butter, lemon and capers. Voila!
- Simmer the chicken meatballs in the piccata sauce for about 10 minutes.
Tips For Rolling Perfect Meatballs
- Mix and roll your meatball mixture by hand to ensure tender meatballs every time.
- Keep a little bowl of water next to you as you roll, and get your palms slightly damp. This will keep the ground chicken from sticking to your palms as you roll.
- Don’t over mix the meatballs! They can get tough if you do.
Serving Suggestions
There are so many great ways to serve these zingy, savory chicken meatballs. I always default to serving meatballs with mashed potatoes, but they’re also great over buttered noodles (families with little kids, I’m looking at you!) or over orzo. Orzo cooks quickly, I’ve usually got it in the pantry, and the piccata sauce goes great with it, so when I’m in a pinch, I do that.
How To Store Leftovers
Any leftovers will keep well in the fridge for about 3-4 days. Store the piccata meatballs separately from any orzo or buttered noodles. Reheat the meatballs gently on the stovetop over medium low heat in the sauce before serving.
So Many Chicken Meatballs!
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