Easy recipes make the best dinners! If you are looking for more recipes to make for dinner, try this easy Cheesy Taco Pasta, made with ground turkey and plenty of flavor. This White Chicken Chili, cooks quicker due to rotisserie chicken. We love these Almond Flour Chicken Tenders, ready in just 30 minutes.

A white bowl of meatballs over rice with some lemon slices and a striped towel.

Chicken Piccata Meatballs

Tangy, buttery chicken piccata meatballs make a great weeknight meal. And they get bonus points (on top of being delicious) for cooking all in one pan!

The meatballs themselves end up with a delicate crust from being quickly seared, but are still super tender on the inside. They complete the cooking process in a sauce that is zingy from the lemon but with saltiness from pickled capers.

We love it served over rice or on top of mashed potatoes and delicious veggies like baked asparagus.

Above view of a black skillet filled with baked meatballs with lemon slices and a striped towel in the background.

What is Chicken Piccata?

Well, chicken piccata is typically a thin piece of chicken that is dipped in flour, then pan fried in a lemon white wine sauce. These meatballs are a twist on the classic, still chicken just in a different form. And still made with a lemon and butter sauce. Try it in hamburger form in lemon piccata burgers!

Chicken Piccate Meatball Ingredients

Ground Chicken: You will want one pound of ground chicken. 90/10 is good here because a little fat will help keep the meatballs a little more juicy.
Cheese: Freshly grate the block of parmesan cheese for best results.
Seasonings: The seasonings you will need are Italian, salt, and pepper.
Garlic: Fresh garlic, that is finely minced. You can adjust the amount you use to suit your needs. We use 3 garlic cloves in this recipe.
Egg
Breadcrumbs: In this recipe, we use panko breadcrumbs, but regular breadcrumbs will work also if that is what you have on hand.
Oil: Olive oil or a good vegetable oil will work.
Shallot: Very finely minced.
Chicken Stock: I like to use unsalted chicken stock or chicken broth, so that I can adjust the salt in the recipe as needed.
Lemon: Fresh lemon juice will give the best flavor. You want that zing from a real lemon, so try to skip the bottled stuff if you can. You’ll need juice from about 2 lemons.
Capers: These add a bit of salted pickled flavor to the dish. You can skip them but I highly recommend keeping them. You can also chop up green olives for a similar flavor profile.
Butter: Unsalted butter will be used for the sauce.
Parsley: A sprinkling of chopped Italian parsley adds a pretty pop of green, this is optional.

All of the ingredients needed to make these meatballs.

How to Make Chicken Piccata Meatballs

Here are the basic instructions to make these meatballs. For the full instructions and full ingredients check out the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Step one is mixing all the ingredients together to make the meat mixture and form into meatballs. — **STEP 1:** In a large mixing bowl mix the chicken, cheese, seasoning, salt, pepper, garlic, egg, and breadcrumbs. Roll the meat mixture into 18-19 equally sized meatballs, a little more than 1-inch in size.

Step two is searing the meatballs in a skillet. — **STEP 2:** Add oil to a skillet, place over medium heat. Once oil is hot, add in the meatballs.

Step three is turning the meatballs to sear all sides. — **STEP 3:** Cook on each side until browned but not cooked through. Move meatballs to a clean plate or surface.

Step four is sautéing the shallot. — **STEP 4:** In the skillet, add in the shallot over medium heat and cook for about 2 minutes stirring frequently.

Step five is adding in the lemon juice and broth to the pan. — **STEP 5:** Stir in the lemon juice, chicken stock, and capers. Simmer the sauce. Add the meatballs back in and spoon the sauce over the meatballs. Cook until the meatballs reach an internal temperature of 165°F.

Step six, add the meatballs back in and melt butter in the hot pan. — **STEP 6:** Remove from heat and place pieces of butter all around the meatballs until it melts. Stir in butter.

Cooking Tips and Tricks

Don’t over mix the meat mixture, only combine until everything just comes together or it can make the meatballs tough.
If you want a thicker sauce: in a small bowl, mix together one tablespoon of cornstarch and one tablespoon of chicken stock. Add this into the skillet when making the sauce.
Serve on top of rice or orzo, alongside mashed potatoes or roasted veggies, or make into an appetizer by poking each meatball with a toothpick and serve with the sauce.

Recipe Variations

Mix in a tablespoons of freshly chopped herbs like dill or basil.
Add a splash of half and half to the finished sauce to make it extra creamy.
Add red pepper flakes to the meat mixture to make them a little spicy.

A super up close image of the meatballs with a slice of lemon.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can ground turkey be used in place of ground chicken? Yes, ground turkey will also work in these meatballs.

Can I make these meatballs gluten free? Yes, just use gluten free breadcrumbs instead of the panko breadcrumbs.

How to Store & Reheat

How to store it? Let the meatballs cool and put in an airtight container. They should last about 2-3 days in the fridge.

How do you reheat it? Re-heat on the stove with a little broth or in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time until heated through.

How to freeze it? Let cool completely before putting into an air tight, freezer safe container. can be frozen for 3-6 months, just be sure to label with the recipe and date. Thaw frozen cooked on a plate in the refrigerator overnight until defrosted.