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Y’all already know I am a big chicken piccata fan, so I had to turn those wonderfully bright flavors into a skillet meatball. Enter — Gluten-Free Chicken Piccata Meatballs!
What is there not to love about chicken piccata? A luscious white wine sauce that’s brightened even more by lemon juice? Yes, please! For these Gluten-Free Chicken Piccata Meatballs, ground chicken is simply flavored with a few spices, lemon zest, and parsley then formed into meatballs. They are browned to golden perfection then set aside while you make your piccata sauce.
Just like the meatballs, your piccata sauce will come together easily with very few ingredients with all your classic piccata flavors. With a little butter, white wine, fresh parsley, capers, and a few other ingredients, your sauce will be ready in no time to then add your meatballs to it for a quick simmer to finish cooking. And while this sauce does use butter, you could easily substitute it with vegan butter to keep this recipe gluten-free and dairy-free!
Ingredients:
- Ground Dark Meat Chicken
- Salt and Pepper
- Garlic Powder
- Fresh Flat-Leaf Parsley
- Gluten-Free Panko
- Egg Yolk
- Lemon Zest and Juice
- Olive Oil
- Butter
- Garlic
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Cassava Flour
- Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
- Capers
Step-by-Step:
Step One: Make the Meatball Mixture
In a large bowl, mix to combine the ground chicken, salt, pepper, garlic powder, parsley, panko, egg yolk, lemon zest.
Step Two: Form the Meatballs
Once well combined, form into 1 ½-inch meatballs. Damp hands will make this easier as the chicken can be sticky.
Step Three: Brown the Meatballs
In a large deep non-stick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the meatballs in a single layer, working in batches as needed. Brown the meatballs on all sides, about 3 minutes per side. The meatballs do not need to be cooked through as they will finish cooking in the sauce. Once browned, set aside on a plate and continue until all the meatballs are browned.
Step Four: Make the Sauce
In the same skillet, reduce heat to medium-low and melt the butter. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, cassava flour. Stir, toasting the flour, for 1 minute.While whisking, pour wine into skillet to combine. Continue whisking and add the chicken broth until well combined. Add the capers, parsley, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine then increase heat to a rapid simmer.
Step Five: Continue Cooking the Meatballs
Reduce heat to a light simmer then nestle the meatballs back into the sauce. Cover and cook until the meatballs are cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes.
Step Six: Serve and Enjoy!
Serve however you prefer and top with additional parsley!
I know this recipe is going to be a star on your weeknight dinner rotation and I can’t wait to see y’all cook this in your own kitchens!Â
For more piccata recipes…
whole30 skillet chicken piccata
the best sheet pan chicken piccata
Chicken Piccata Meatballs
Ingredients
For the Meatballs:
- 1 ½ pounds ground dark meat chicken
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
- ¼ cup gluten-free panko
- 1 egg yolk
- Zest of ½ a lemon
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
For the Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons butter (sub vegan butter for dairy-free)
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoons cassava flour sub all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- ¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons capers drained
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves more for serving
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice about 1 lemon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Prepare the Meatballs:
- In a large bowl, mix to combine the ground chicken, salt, pepper, garlic powder, parsley, panko, egg yolk, lemon zest. Once well combined, form into 1 ½-inch meatballs. Damp hands will make this easier as the chicken can be sticky.
- In a large deep non-stick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the meatballs in a single layer, working in batches as needed. Brown the meatballs on all sides, about 3 minutes per side. The meatballs do not need to be cooked through as they will finish cooking in the sauce. Once browned, set aside on a plate and continue until all the meatballs are browned.
Make the Sauce:
- In the same skillet, reduce heat to medium-low and melt the butter. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, cassava flour. Stir, toasting the flour, for 1 minute.
- While whisking, pour wine into skillet to combine. Continue whisking and add the chicken broth until well combined. Add the capers, parsley, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine then increase heat to a rapid simmer.
- Reduce heat to a light simmer then nestle the meatballs back into the sauce. Cover and cook until the meatballs are cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Serve with additional parsley.
Notes
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography and styling by Eat Love Eats.
This was sooo delicious! All the flavors of chicken piccata in the convenience of a weeknight dinner! Definitely adding this to my dinner rotation.
Can I cook the meatballs in the air fryer?
yes i am sure you can! I haven’t tried it so not sure the timing, but should work great!
This was soooo tastey! The meatballs were the perfect texture! Definitely will make this again!
Cooked as stated and they were delicious!! Thanks for helping me look good around the dinner table, Alex!
These are amazing!!! So delicious and easy! I accidentally added the oil to the meat mixture one time and they still turned out totally fine haha! I make these almost weekly!!
Is there a decent substitution you would suggest for the white wine?
You can sub in more broth and just bump up the lemon to 4 tbsp!
I’d like to make them as appetizers, so smaller balls. Freeze then day of party fry, but finish in saucepan with the sauce
I’m making so many thugs I’d like not to be frying at last minute.
What do you suggest? Thank you
I think this would work just fine! Meatballs freeze very well, so a very good strategy to save some time.
These meatballs are delicious! I ended up mixing light chicken meat with dark turkey meat and they turned out great. I also doubled the sauce as others did and served over angel hair pasta. Can’t wait to make it again!
So glad you loved these!
Just made these last night and they were incredible. I swapped the cassava flour with arrowroot and panko with almond flour to keep it a little lighter in carbs. Still perfection. Doubled the sauce as some suggested to put on pasta for my husband. I poured sauce over mine and some broccoli rabe. Love how I can make all of these recipes with a few small swaps to accommodate my husband’s and I’d differing food lifestyles. Alex your recipes are always a hit.
Did you use the same measurements the recipe calls for with your arrowroot and almond flour swap?
Hi! Recently made this recipe and LOVED it! Already planning to make it over the holidays. Any chance we could beg you for the crockpot version/technique of these?! Would be so perfect as an app or main over the holidays. Thank you for all of the amazing recipes you provide!
Hi Grace!!
This recipe will be fine if kept warm/finished cooking on low in a crockpot! Similar to the recipe I linked below! You’ll need to brown the meatballs and place them in a crockpot. Then make the lemon-caper sauce, pour over the meatballs. They’ll finish cooking on low and then just keep them warm to serve at a party! I don’t think they’d need much time on low, maybe just 1-2 hours.
https://thedefineddish.com/crockpot-chicken-piccata/