These chicken piccata meatballs are a tasty spin off the classic chicken breast version. – made entirely in one skillet and incredible piled over hot angel hair pasta!
A big bowl of cozy meatballs is always in style. These winners here today tick just about every box!
What’s chicken piccata? Basically it’s just a pan-seared chicken breast cutlet simmered in a white wine lemon caper sauce and traditionally served over hot pasta.
We’re BIG chicken piccata lovers around here so these meatballs were an instant dinner favorite!
If you’re looking for the easiest way to make a holiday dinner a little more fancy and relatively mess-free, these meatballs are the answer!
They even transport amazingly if you’re bringing a dish to pass!
These Chicken Piccata Meatballs feature…
- A juicy, tender chicken meatball flavored with garlic and parsley
- Lemony, flavorful white wine lemon caper sauce
- A bed of warm angel hair pasta for serving meatballs and sauce on top of
Making the Chicken Piccata Meatballs
(scroll down to the bottom of post for the full recipe)
Ingredients You Will Need
- Ground chicken
- Panko breadcrumbs
- Garlic
- Parsley
- Egg
- Lemon
- Capers
- White wine
- Olive oil
- Unsalted butter
- Chicken broth
- Angel hair pasta
Tips for Perfect Meatballs
- Lightly fold meatball “dough” – use a light hand when mixing the meatball ingredients – overmixing may lead to a tough meatball.
- Pan sear meatballs – we recommend using either a stainless steel or cast iron skillet for searing and a combination of olive oil + unsalted butter.
- Make sauce in same pan – remove the meatballs from pan and now we’re going to build the lemon white wine caper sauce in the same pan – less dishes!
- Simmer meatballs in sauce – this final simmer will finish cooking the meatballs. Arrange meatballs in the sauce, cover pan, and let simmer 5-10 minutes over medium heat until meatballs register 165F.
- Fold butter, lemon juice, zest, and parsley into skillet – gently toss ingredients around in the sauce until evenly combined. This adds one last little punch of flavor!
Recipe Variations
There are several different directions you can go with this recipe! Check out our favorites –>
- Try another meat – ground turkey or beef can easily be swapped in for the chicken.
- Skip the white wine – just use extra chicken broth in place of the white wine.
- Keep meatballs warm in crockpot – once the meatballs are finished cooking, simply transfer everything to a slow cooker to keep warm for several hours.
What to Serve with Meatballs
We love serving these meatballs with a mess of hot angel hair pasta best, but check out these other options!
- Your favorite pasta shape – fettuccine, penne, etc.
- Hot steamed rice
- Another cooked grain such as quinoa
The meatballs are seriously SO juicy and tender, you guys. And when they soak up all that rich lemon caper sauce and are piled high over a mountain of hot angel hair? Dinner goals.
Whether you serve them for a nicer holiday dinner or just a casual weeknight, I promise there’s no going wrong here!
Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram with #wholeandheavenlyoven.
More meatball recipes to try next time!
- Mongolian Beef Meatball Vegetable Stir Fry
- Instant Pot Beer French Onion Soup Meatballs
- Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
Chicken Piccata Meatballs
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Ingredients
Chicken Meatballs
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 medium clove garlic, minced
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Lemon Sauce
- 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup white wine
- 2 tablespoons capers, finely chopped
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
- Hot angel hair pasta for serving
Instructions
Chicken Meatballs
- In a large bowl, combine ground chicken, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, parsley, garlic, and egg. Scoop mixture into 1-in meatballs and place on a baking sheet.
- In a large stainless steel or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, heat olive oil and butter and swirl pan to evenly coat. Add meatballs to pan and sear on all sides, turning occasionally with a tongs until meatballs are golden brown. Transfer meatballs to a clean plate and set aside.
Lemon Sauce
- Heat same pan over medium heat. Add garlic and saute in remaining pan drippings until just fragrant (about 1 minute) Add wine and capers to pan and use a wooden spoon to scrape up browned bits on the bottom of pan. Simmer wine until reduced in half.
- Add chicken broth and meatballs to pan, cover, and let simmer in sauce over medium heat until meatballs register 165F and sauce is slightly thickened, about 5-10 minutes of cooking. Add butter and swirl pan to incorporate butter until melted.
- Squeeze lemon juice over top of meatballs and gently fold into sauce. Sprinkle lemon zest and parsley over top. Serve meatballs and sauce over hot angel hair pasta. Enjoy!
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