Chicken Meatballs with Piccata Sauce | The Mediterranean Dish (2024)

Chicken meatballs are given a saucy upgrade in this flavor-packed weeknight recipe. A classic Italian piccata sauce bursts with bright, zesty flavor, bringing simple chicken meatballs to new heights in less than 30 minutes!

Piccata gets its name from the Italian word meaning “to pound.” A traditional chicken piccata is served with thinly pounded slices of meat that are coated in flour. Here, I take all the same flavors and sauce as a classic chicken or fish piccata. But, I swap out pounded meat with ground chicken to create a picatta-inspired chicken meatball recipe. This recipe is so quick and easy; I know you’re going to love it!

The piccata sauce is what makes these chicken meatballs so special. Lemon, garlic and white wine are reduced until their flavors are super concentrated. Just a touch of butter or ghee is all you need for a velvety, rich sauce that’s still somehow light and delicate in less than 5 minutes.

Like my sheet pan roasted meatballs and veggies, these chicken meatballs are a great addition to your weeknight dinner rotation. Serve with bread, basmati rice, or plain pasta or couscous for catching all the sauce.

Ingredients for Chicken Piccata Meatballs

This chicken meatball recipe features all the flavors of the Italian classic. Plus, the ingredients are found at most full-service grocery stores.

• Ground chicken: Ground chicken is great for more than just Chicken Burgers! Leaner than ground beef, ground chicken has a mild flavor that’s perfect for soaking up all the boldly bright and garlicky flavor.
• Egg: Acts like glue, holding the meatballs together.
• Garlic: Flavors both the meatballs and the sauce.
• Fresh parsley: Adds a pop of color and freshness.
• Breadcrumbs: Breadcrumbs improve meatballs’ consistency by soaking up some of the liquid and giving some textural variety to the ground meat. If you’re avoiding gluten, you can substitute with gluten free breadcrumbs.
• Italian seasoning: A combination of basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, and marjoram, Italian seasoning adds loads of flavor with just a couple of teaspoons.
• Paprika: Sweet or Smoky paprika gives these meatballs a mild kick. Use smoky for a bolder flavor.
• Salt and pepper: Bring out the flavor of both the meatballs and their sauce.
• Olive oil: Any high quality extra virgin olive oil you have on hand will do. For this recipe, I use Nocellara, a deliciously buttery Italian variety from our shop.
• Ghee: Ghee is butter that has had the water and milk solids removed from it. Find ghee in the oil or international section of your supermarket, or substitute with unsalted butter.
• Lemon: It wouldn’t be lemon piccata without lots of fresh lemon! We use both the juice and zest for this tangy sauce. You know how we feel about citrus around here. Fresh is best!
• White wine or chicken broth: A dry white wine gives you the brightest, most flavorful sauce. If you don’t do wine, you can use chicken broth.
• Capers: Capers are a key ingredient in a classic piccata sauce. They bring briny, salty bursts of flavor, which I love. I tend to buy the water-packed variety. However, if you’re using salt-packed capers, then I would soak them in water or milk for 20 minutes, then rinse well.

How to Cook Chicken Meatballs

You don’t need to plan ahead to make this simple dinner recipe. Piccata sauce comes together in minutes with just a few ingredients. To make chicken piccata meatballs:

• Season the chicken: In a medium mixing bowl, add 1 pound of ground chicken, 1 egg, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1/2 cup of chopped parsley leaves, and 1/4 cup breadcrumbs. Next, season the meat mixture with 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, and a big pinch of kosher salt and black pepper (about 1/2 teaspoon each). Add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and mix to combine.
• Bread the meatballs: Spread 1/4 cup of the breadcrumbs onto a large plate. Form the chicken mixture into small meatballs, about 1 heaping tablespoon each. Roll each meatball in the breadcrumbs to coat.
• Sear the meatballs: Coat a large nonstick pan with about 3 tablespoons of olive oil and set over medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, arrange the meatballs in one layer. Next, brown or sear each meatball. To do this, turn and rotate the meatballs, occasionally until each side is golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Once the meatballs are seared on all sides, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. (They’ll still be somewhat raw in the middle, but we’ll finish cooking them shortly.)
• Make the piccata sauce: Turn the pan to medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of ghee or butter. Whisk until melted, then add 3 minced garlic cloves and stir until fragrant. Whisk in the juice of 2 large lemons, 1/2 cup white wine, and 1/4 cup capers.
• Finish the meatballs: Turn the heat to high to bring the sauce to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to low and nestle the chicken meatballs back into the pan. Toss or spoon a bit of the sauce on top. Cover and simmer until cooked through, about 5 minutes.
• Garnish and serve: Sprinkle on the zest of 1 lemon and 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley leaves. Serve the meatballs hot, topped with plenty of piccata sauce.

Tips for Cooking Chicken Meatballs

This fail-proof meatball recipe is super easy. You really can’t go wrong with garlic, lemon, and white wine! Here are some of my tips to make these meatballs get extra golden brown, juicy, and delicious.

• Chicken is a lean meat, so it can be more fragile than pork or beef. Mix the ingredients well. The egg and breadcrumbs should do the trick. For extra security, knead the mixture with your hands for a few minutes to further strengthen it.
• Give the meatballs space when searing. If you have a smaller pan, brown the meatballs in batches. To get a nice sear, you need to cook them quickly with a super hot pan. Throwing too many cold to room temperature meatballs in the pan can lower the heat too drastically, making them harder to sear.
• To check if the chicken is cooked through, use a meat thermometer in the center of your biggest meatball. The internal temperature should register at 165°F. Other good indicators are that the meat at the center is no longer pink and the juices are clear.

What to Serve with Chicken Piccata Meatballs

Like Polpette In Sugo (Italian Meatballs In Tomato Sauce), these chicken meatballs can be considered a full meal on its own. That said, a leftover pool of delicious piccata sauce on the plate is a missed opportunity! Scoop these meatballs–and plenty of sauce—over simple basmati rice, plain couscous, or pasta.

What should I drink with chicken meatballs? I love this question. This easy recipe is perfect not only for a weeknight, but it’s also one of my go-tos for dinner parties all year. When it’s cold, kick things off with Italian Mulled Wine. Or, start with an Aperol Spritz in the hotter months.

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