These Lemony Chicken Piccata Meatballs Are Weeknight Easy and So Delicious

It's time to reimagine the classic Italian dish.

Published on September 15, 2025

Credit:

Carson Downing

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Classic chicken piccata is made with thinly pounded boneless, skinless chicken breasts that are lightly floured and pan-fried until golden. The dish is finished with a buttery lemon and caper sauce. It's a bright, flavorful main course that's best served with pasta, rice, or potatoes for soaking up every last bit of the sauce. Here we've kept the beloved flavors but transformed the dish into a weeknight-friendly meatball recipe. Serve with a thick ribbon pasta like pappardelle and plenty of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

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Ingredients

  • Cooking spray

  • 1/2 cup panko (Japanese-style breadcrumbs)

  • 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

  • 1/4 cup half-and-half

  • 2 oz. pre-grated Parmesan cheese (about 1/2 cup)

  • 1 large egg, beaten

  • 2 large garlic cloves, grated (1/2 tsp.)

  • 3 Tbsp. drained capers, chopped

  • 4 tsp. grated lemon zest (from 2 small lemons)

  • 1 tsp. kosher salt

  • 1/2 tsp. black pepper

  • 1/2 tsp. onion powder

  • 1 lb. ground chicken (light and dark meat)

Directions

  1. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil; lightly coat with cooking spray. Stir together panko, parsley, half-and-half, Parmesan, egg, garlic, capers, lemon zest, salt, black pepper, and onion powder in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined. Add chicken to panko mixture and stir or mix gently with your hands until just combined.

  2. Shape chicken mixture into 20 (about 1 1/2-inch) meatballs (about scant 2 tablespoons each). Arrange meatballs evenly spaced apart on prepared baking sheet. Chill 10 minutes.

  3. Meanwhile, preheat broiler with rack in middle position. Broil meatballs in preheated oven until lightly browned and an instant-read thermometer registers at least 165°F, 8 to 12 minutes.

Credits

Recipe developed by Elizabeth Mervosh.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

399 Calories
21g Fat
15g Carbs
37g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 4
Calories 398.8
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 21.4g 27%
Saturated Fat 8g 40%
Cholesterol 189.3mg 63%
Sodium 1122.1mg 49%
Total Carbohydrate 15.1g 6%
Dietary Fiber 1.3g 5%
Total Sugars 1.1g
Protein 37.4g 75%
Vitamin D 0.4mcg 2%
Vitamin C 10mg 11%
Calcium 271.3mg 21%
Iron 2.5mg 14%
Potassium 902mg 19%
Fatty acids, total trans 0.3g
Vitamin D 15.5IU
Alanine 1.9g
Arginine 2.2g
Ash 5.6g
Aspartic acid 3.2g
Caffeine 0mg
Carotene, alpha 0.1mcg
Choline, total 110.8mg
Copper, Cu 0.2mg
Cystine 0.4g
Energy 1667.8kJ
Fluoride, F 0.2mcg
Folate, total 33.6mcg
Glutamic acid 6.4g
Glycine 1.5g
Histidine 1.1g
Isoleucine 1.7g
Leucine 3g
Lysine 3g
Methionine 0.9g
Magnesium, Mg 53.6mg
Manganese, Mn 0.2mg
Niacin 9.1mg
Phosphorus, P 476.5mg
Pantothenic acid 1.9mg
Phenylalanine 1.6g
Phytosterols 5.6mg
Proline 2.1g
Retinol 83.8mcg
Selenium, Se 32.4mcg
Serine 1.8g
Starch 8.1g
Theobromine 0mg
Threonine 1.5g
Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) 0.8mg
Tryptophan 0.4g
Tyrosine 1.5g
Valine 1.9g
Vitamin A, IU 739.4IU
Vitamin A, RAE 106.9mcg
Vitamin B-12 1.1mcg
Vitamin B-6 0.7mg
Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 87mcg
Water 102g
Zinc, Zn 3.7mg

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.