Creamy Lemon Chicken Piccata Meatballs are outrageously good! This sauce is luscious and creamy but not too rich, with the subtle zing of lemon and pops of capers providing a beautiful freshness. Combined with plump juicy chicken meatballs, this gives the classic chicken piccata a serious run for its money!

Serve this easy chicken meatball recipe with Homemade Garlic Bread and an Easy Italian Salad for the perfect meal!

Creamy Lemon Chicken Piccata Meatballs in a pot with a spoon

A Favorite Reinvented

I love putting creative spins on favorites, and this is my creamy meatball version of the classic Chicken Piccata. And I have a theory that everything is better in a mini form…and who doesn’t love a good meatball recipe?

This idea came to me one evening as I stared at a packet of ground chicken and was completely uninspired. This “happens” to food bloggers all the time. When you’ve been cooking all day on the job, it comes to dinner time and all the creative juices have been sucked out of you.

My fruit bowl was dismally scant, and the only thing of any interest in it was a lemon.

And that’s all it took.

Just a lemon. Well, and some cream. :-) But it was that single lemon that inspired this recipe!

Creamy Lemon Chicken Piccata Meatballs on a bed of noodles with a fork

How to Make Lemon Cream Sauce

This recipe is made with pantry staples. Though cream may not be a pantry staple to some – and it’s not for me – the beauty of this recipe is that it’s still super made with milk. YES, you can make this with just milk, no cream. :-) It’s healthier and still super tasty, the sauce just isn’t as rich.

The base recipe I’m sharing today is made with cream, though I’ve shared my tips for making this with milk in the notes. And yes, this sauce is a bit indulgent. But that lemon…that fresh burst of lemon is everything! The flavor of this sauce is going to blow you away. :-)

I call this a Creamy Lemon Chicken Piccata Meatballs because I happened to have capers on that evening I made it. I really like the extra pops of freshness they bring to the sauce. But you can totally skip it, it’s not essential.

This recipe makes plenty of sauce, ideal for tossing through pasta. DELICIOUS!!!

Creamy Lemon Chicken Piccata Meatballs in a pan with lemon wedges

I use chicken for the meatballs in this recipe but it’s also great with turkey meatballs.

More Easy Dinners

image of Everyday Comfort cookbook by Holly Nilsson of Spend With Pennies plus text
Creamy Lemon Chicken Piccata Meatballs in a pot with a spoon
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Creamy Lemon Chicken Piccata Meatballs

A creamy meatball version of the classic Chicken Piccata! The sauce is so good, you’ll want it on tap!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 4 -5 servings
Author Nagi
buy hollys book

Ingredients  

Meatballs

  • 1 pound ground chicken
  • 1 egg
  • ¾ cup bread crumbs
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • salt and black pepper

Sauce

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • ¼ – ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice adjust to taste
  • ¼ cup capers drained
  • salt and black pepper

Instructions 

  • Place Meatball ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine. If it’s too wet to form balls, add a touch of extra breadcrumbs or refrigerate.
  • Scoop up a heaped tablespoon and with slightly wet hands, roll into balls.
  • Heat oil in a non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add half the meatballs and cook for 4 minutes, browning all over but still raw inside. Remove onto a plate, repeat with remaining meatballs.
  • Wipe skillet clean with paper towel. Reduce heat to medium.
  • Melt butter in skillet, then add flour. Mix and cook for 1 minute, then add lemon juice, chicken broth and cream.
  • Bring to simmer then add meatballs. Simmer for 5 minutes or until sauce thickens and meatballs are cooked through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  • Stir through parsley and capers. I like serving this with pasta with more parmesan cheese!

Notes

 To make this with milk instead of cream, just add an extra 1 tablespoon of flour into the butter, plus add 2 tablespoons of grated parmesan into the sauce. This will thicken the sauce nicely, it will taste fantastic and is a healthier option!
4.93 from 77 votes

Nutrition Information

Calories: 640 | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 49g | Saturated Fat: 25g | Cholesterol: 253mg | Sodium: 1042mg | Potassium: 774mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1640IU | Vitamin C: 11.1mg | Calcium: 246mg | Iron: 2.8mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Dinner
Cuisine American, Italian

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About the author

Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. With a passion for nostalgic flavors and simplified techniques, Holly helps busy home cooks create delicious meals that always work. She is also the author of “Everyday Comfort,” which promises to inspire even more hearty, home-cooked meals.
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Comments

  1. I made this dish for a gathering with a gluten-free guest and it turned out great! I substituted the regular breadcrumbs with a gluten-free version and used 1/2 tablespoon of cornstarch instead of flour. To add more flavor, I sautéed some mushrooms and mixed them into the cream sauce. I baked the meatballs in the oven and was able to combine them with the sauce, keeping everything warm for 45 minutes before serving without any issues. Served over creamy Parmesan polenta, it was a total hit!5 stars

  2. I am still making this I don’t know how many years later. I add a grated zucchini to the mix. I cut back on the cream with more broth. Make a double batch – your future self will thank you! This sauce would be good – well on most anything but I have served it with sliced chicken and linguine with veg.5 stars

  3. DELISH! I made this last night and it was so good. I did bake the meatballs in the oven as another reviewer did, other than that I stuck to the recipes as printed. I served it on a bed of egg noodles with a nice salad on the side. This recipe is a keeper.5 stars

  4. While the sauce was very good, the meatballs were far too bready for our taste. I will try this recipe again reducing the amount of bread crumbs considerably. DEEEELICIOUS sauce!3 stars

  5. As soon as I saw this recipe I knew I was making it tonight and it came out AMAZING!! I doubled the recipe very easily. I may consider mixing some capers into the meatballs next time because this is def getting made again! Def serve over pasta or rice – YUM!!5 stars

  6. the parsley is under meatballs but not under sauce as the directions say. which is it? or both? the result was really good regardless of where the parsley goes but not as great a presentation.4 stars

    1. I add parsley in the meatballs and then additional parsley as garnish for the sauce. I hope this helps Karen.

  7. I add quartered artichoke hearts (instead of capers) to make it more like the piccata I “grew up on”, but this dish is delicious and I love it.5 stars

  8. Loved this recipe! I doubled it and it turned out perfect. I added one half cup grated Parmesan to the sauce and i baked my meatballs at 400 degrees for 15 minutes with a little olive oil mixed with paprika on top. The recipe forgot to detail some chopped parsley for the sauce. But i caught it in time and added to the sauce. I served it over angel hair pasta with a side salad. Delicious! Thank you for posting this recipe. Next week I will be trying the Salisbury steak meatballs. Looking forward to it!5 stars

    1. I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure Jill. It will change the flavor of the dish but I think it would work. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!

    1. Hi Cristy, we have never tried finishing this recipe off in a slow cooker but would love to hear how it turns out for you. I would probably prep the meatballs up to step 3 and then switch to the crockpot to let them simmer if you prefer.

  9. I made the piccata meatballs and they were a hit. I made them into meatball sliders as an appetizer platter. Everyone wanted the recipe.