Chicken Piccata - In Snack Form

My friend Eadie loves chicken piccata, so I make it for her fairly often. It is one of those dishes that feels a little fancy but is really just chicken wearing a very good lemon-butter sauce.

This time, however, I decided to tamper with a classic.

I had found a recipe for chicken piccata meatballs and thought they would be perfect for Eadie to try as a snack. No knife required. No large plate. Just a tender little chicken meatball with plenty of lemon, garlic and capers.

That was the plan, anyway.

By the time I finished making the sauce and smelled the garlic, butter, lemon and wine bubbling together, the idea of treating these strictly as a snack seemed unnecessarily restrictive. I put mine over a bed of rice and spooned plenty of sauce over everything. They would be equally good over pasta or mashed potatoes, both of which have the excellent quality of soaking up every last bit of piccata sauce.

The meatballs are lightly mixed with breadcrumbs before they are browned, which gives them a delicate crust and helps them hold up in the sauce. They finish cooking right in the pan, absorbing all that lemony, buttery flavor.

If you are not fond of capers, you can use fewer, but I would not leave them out entirely. Their salty little bite is what keeps the sauce from tasting like lemon butter alone. Rinsing them first removes some of the sharper brininess.

You can use chicken broth instead of wine, although I used wine because I had some open.(That’s my story and I’m sticking to it). These really can be served as an appetizer or snack. Put them in a shallow serving dish with a little of the sauce and provide toothpicks. But if, like me, you find yourself standing over the pan wondering why dinner should have to wait, make some rice, pasta or mashed potatoes and call the experiment a complete meal.

Chicken Piccata Meatballs

INGREDIENTS

1 pound ground chicken

1 egg

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon paprika

5 garlic cloves, divided

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil, divided

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

Kosher salt and black pepper

Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed

2 tablespoons butter or ghee

2 large lemons, one zested and both juiced

1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken broth

1/4 cup capers, drained and rinsed

METHOD

In a medium bowl, combine the ground chicken, egg, Italian seasoning, paprika, two minced garlic cloves, half of the basil and the breadcrumbs. Add about 1/2 teaspoon each of kosher salt and black pepper, along with a small drizzle of olive oil. Mix gently until everything is combined.

Heat about 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the meatballs in a single layer, leaving a little room between them. Work in batches if necessary.

Cook the meatballs for about 3 minutes per side, turning until they are golden brown. They do not need to be cooked completely at this stage. Transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate.

Leave the browned bits and any remaining chicken drippings in the skillet. Add another 3 tablespoons of olive oil and the butter or ghee. When the butter has melted, add the remaining three minced garlic cloves and cook briefly, just until fragrant.

Add the lemon juice, white wine or chicken broth, and the capers. Taste and add salt if needed. Bring the sauce to a boil, scraping up the flavorful browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

Reduce the heat to low and return the meatballs to the skillet. Spoon some of the sauce over them, cover the pan and simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through and reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Sprinkle with the lemon zest and remaining basil. Serve hot as an appetizer or spoon the meatballs and plenty of sauce over rice, pasta or mashed potatoes.

I confess that whenever I make any Piccata, I double the sauce ingredients. Certainly not necessary, especially if you’re serving these as a snack, but if you’re serving them with something that soaks up the sauce, you’ll be happy you did.

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