Creamy Lemon Chicken Piccata Meatballs

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!

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!

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!!!

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

More Easy Dinners

• Chicken Piccata – Classic Italian. Great over pasta!
• Salisbury Steak Meatballs – Easy and creamy, serve with mashed potatoes.
• Easy Beef Stroganoff – Rich and delicious, serve over egg noodles!
• Homemade Spaghetti Sauce – Quick stovetop recipe, the perfect spaghetti topper.
• Easy Chicken Marsala Recipe – Family favorite, great over long pasta or angel hair.
• Baked Ziti – A complete meal unto itself.

4.93 from 79 votes

Author Nagi

Creamy Lemon Chicken Piccata Meatballs

Author Nagi

Servings 4 -5 servings

A creamy meatball version of the classic Chicken Piccata! The sauce is so good, you’ll want it on tap!

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Servings 4 -5 servings

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

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Ingredients  

1x2x3x

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 79 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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