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Chicken Piccata Meatballs
Servings
22 servings (22 meatballs)
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Calories
70
Author:
Giada De Laurentiis
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup torn, soft white bread, crust removed
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
-
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
-
2 tablespoons chopped capers*
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest, from 1 lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
- 1 pound ground chicken
-
2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 1/2 teaspoons all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, from 1/2 a lemon
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained
- 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
- Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, to serve
*Chef’s note: If using salt-packed capers, rinse them thoroughly before using. If using brined capers, drain and rinse.
For The Meatballs:
For The Sauce:
Instructions
- Preheat the broiler to high and position a rack in the top third of the oven. Drizzle a straight sided baking sheet with 2 teaspoons oil and set aside.
- In a medium bowl combine the torn white bread, milk, parmesan cheese and egg. Using a rubber spatula or your fingers, stir together the ingredients to evenly coat the bread in the milk and egg and mash it slightly to form a paste. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes. Add the shallot, capers, lemon zest, salt and parsley to the bowl and stir to combine. Add the chicken. Using your hands gently mix the ingredients until just combined. Using damp hands, form the mixture into 1 1/2 tablespoon size balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Broil the meatballs until golden brown, about 7 minutes. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat a medium straight sided skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and heat until the oil moves freely, about 30 seconds longer. Add the shallots and the salt and cook, stirring often until fragrant, about 1 minute. Sprinkle in the flour and whisk until smooth. While whisking, add the chicken broth and lemon juice and stir until smooth. Bring to a simmer and reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Stir in the capers and allow the sauce to simmer for 5 minutes. Add the meatballs to the sauce and stir to coat them in the sauce. Cover the pan with a lid and allow the meatballs to simmer in the sauce for another 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley. Serve with more freshly grated parmesan if desired.
Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 22 servings (22 meatballs)
- per serving
- Calories
- 70
Amount/Serving
% Daily Value
- Fat
- 4.3 grams
- 7%
- Saturated Fat
- 1.3 grams
- 7%
- Trans Fat
- 0 grams
- Cholesterol
- 31 milligrams
- 10%
- Sodium
- 135.4 milligrams
- 6%
- Carbs
- 2.2 grams
- 1%
- Fiber
- 0.3 grams
- 1%
- Sugar
- 0.7 grams
- Protein
- 6 grams
- 12%
26 reviews & comments
I do not have a broiler, can they be baked?
This is so easy to make and so ridiculously good. My family was not so crazy about it until they tasted it. They ate it like vultures! And they are fairly picky eaters.
I’m making this for a friend who is gluten free. Substitutes for flour & bread? (Without having to buy a whole big bag of almond flour? Or a big package of gluten free bread.)
Hi Kelly! Try replacing the bread with gluten free panko breadcrumbs!
For the sauce, it does not need the flour but it won’t be as thick and creamy without it. Try adding a teaspoon of corn starch instead to help with the thickness!
Absolutely delicious! Served with angel hair pasta with the pan sauce and a spinach tomato saute. My daughter who normally eats 2 meatballs had 5 of these!! A big win at our house.
@Anita—a combination is great!
Do you use all white meat, all dark or a combination of the two? I’m thinking a combination for moisture…thank you, can’t wait to try
Just made this and it’s delicious! Made without flour or bread. I used pork rind crumbs. Didn’t have chicken stock, so used beef stock. It kinda tastes like french onion soup with meatballs! SO GOOD!
these are so very good! i made a big batch and froze them. tonight, we had them with spaghetti squash.
@Maureen you can, but it may make the meatball drier!
Are you able to substitute the white bread with dry bread crumbs?
This was absolutely delicious. I served it over farro with a side of arugula salad and very much enjoyed this dish. Highly recommend!
Thank you for sharing your beautiful recipe I am making it tonight and taking it with me to the hospital to treat my husband to a nice meal it’s cooking already and it smells amazing not sure what to serve it with but I’m thinking just a salad will be fine.
I made these tonight and they were amazing! I ended up doing a second batch with ground turkey to have enough to last the week and it was just as good. I served over angel hair pasta.
I served these at a bookclub get-together and everyone loved them and wanted the recipe. I will definitely make these again and again. I will add a bit more flour next time to the sauce … while delicious, I think it having some “heft” could only improve it.
@Marie you can absolutely remove the shallots to make it allium free!
This looks wonderful! I cannot have alliums (i know…. I know….). Thoughts on removing the shallots? Alliums are the entire onion and garlic family :-(
Hi @Hillary! Really any pasta shape would be wonderful! You could do a longer pasta, like spaghetti or fettuccine, for a fun play on spaghetti and meatballs, or use a shorter pasta shape if that is your preference. We have tons of pasta shapes to explore on our website if you’re looking for inspiration!
@Jennifer—You could serve these with pasta, rice, farro, or just some crusty bread! Giada’s Lemon and Chive Risotto (on the site!) would also be great. Hope this helps!
@Roxanne—Definitely! For the best results, freeze the meatballs in a freezer safe container without the sauce! When you’re ready to eat, defrost them, and then make the sauce. Hope this helps!