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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!
looking for more piccata recipes? try these!
whole30 skillet chicken piccata
the best sheet pan chicken piccata
Chicken Piccata Meatballs
Ingredients
For the Meatballs:
- 1½ pounds ground dark meat chicken
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1/4 cup gluten-free panko breadcrumbs
- 1 egg yolk
- zest of 1/2 lemon
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
For the Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (sub vegan butter for dairy-free)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoons cassava flour (or all-purpose flour)
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves, plus more for serving
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 1/2 large lemon)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 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 the heat to medium-low and melt the butter. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, and cassava flour. Stir, toasting the flour, for 1 minute.
- While whisking, pour the wine into skillet to combine. Add the chicken broth, whisking constantly, until well combined. Add the capers, parsley, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine, then increase heat to a rapid simmer.
- Reduce the 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.
- Garnish with additional parsley, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
Freezer Tips:
- To freeze, let the meatballs cool completely, then transfer it to airtight containers or freezer bags, leaving some space for expansion. Label and date the containers before placing them in the freezer.
- To thaw, place the container in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat in the oven by placing the meatballs and sauce in an oven-safe dish, covering with foil, and baking at 350°F for about 20-25 minutes, or until heated through. Tossing occasionally to ensure even heating.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography and styling by Eat Love Eats.
This meal has been a staple in my home. As others have mentioned it also freezes so well. I have also used as a meal drop off for friends several times. Highly recommend!
Super delicious! Freezes and reheats beautifully!
Hi Alex. I want to make this as a freezer post partum meal since I’m due with our second baby in a couple of weeks. Do I freeze meatballs with the sauce? Or just make and cook meatballs and then cook sauce when we’re ready to eat the meal? Thanks for the help.
I had the same question. Did you end up freezing them in the sauce? Thanks!!
Yum – these were amazing! We ground chicken thighs as that’s what we had in the fridge and served the dish over bow tie noodles. A bit spicy for my kiddos – but hubby and I adored the heat. Will be adding this to the rotation.
I make this once a week!! We love to serve it over bowtie noodles or medium shells.
Glad you love it!
These were really good with some noodles on the side-great leftovers too! Kids loved them. Just might become part of my rotational menu items. Thanks for sharing!
Is there a gluten free substitute I can use for cassava flour? Tapioca starch or corn starch? I don’t want to make a special trip for cassava.
Tapioca flour works here!
This is my favorite spring and summer meatball recipe! It is so flavorful and comes together really quickly. I use 1lb of ground turkey instead of 1.5lbs of ground chicken just based on my personal preference and it works perfectly. It is a regular in our dinner rotation, and I have made it for friends and family who all rave about it. Thank you so much for such a delicious recipe!
Where do you find dark ground chicken meat? I’m having a hard time finding some.
They usually have it at my Central Market, they also have it at Whole Foods and it looks like this. You can also ask your butcher to do ground chicken thighs for you- or simply get dark meat ground turkey, which is typically easier to find.
If taking these to someone who had a baby, what reheating instructions would you give?
I would just tell them to reheat on the stovetop, covered on medium low heat, until reheated all the way through, about 8 mins or so to ensure the meatballs are nice and hot in the center.