Chicken Piccata Meatballs with Zucchini Noodles
Happy Monday! I hope everyone is still making it through the COVID/2020 shenanigans. As mentioned before, I've been trying to keep entertained by more cooking, which I love! I absolutely love anything piccata style, but sometimes it's a bit too heavy. I started thinking - what if I could do meatballs instead? I started looking around online, and there were several recipes out there for just that! I used the Taste of Home recipe as a base and just adjusted some of the measurements. I served this with zucchini noodles which was delicious - enjoy!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup bread crumbs (I used the seasoned ones)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 pound ground chicken (or you could use turkey)
2 tb vegetable oil, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup chicken broth (low sodium) - I added another dash of this so probably closer to 1/2 cup
1/4 cup white wine - I added another dash of this so probably closer to 1/3 cup
1 jar (3 1/2 oz) capers, drained
1/2 lemon, juiced (this was a large lemon, so if it's small, I'd use the whole lemon)
2 tb butter (I used the olive oil variation)
1 tb fresh parsley, chopped
grated parmesan, for garnish
Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients. I like to put just a dab of olive oil on my hands before mixing the chicken so it doesn't stick to you. Add the chicken and mix well, but lightly. Shape into ~ 1 inch balls. Mine made about 16-18 meatballs. In a large skillet, heat 1 tb oil over medium heat. Brown the meatballs in batches on all sides, and drain on paper towels on a sheet pan. Heat the remaining oil for the rest of the meatballs and brown on all sides. Set aside with the others and keep warm in the oven. Add garlic to the skillet and cook for 1 minute over medium heat. Add the broth, wine, and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook for 1 minute and scrape up the browned bits from the pan. Add the capers and lemon juice and bring to a low boil. Add the the meatballs back into the skillet (they should all fit at this point). Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the parsley. If using zucchini noodles, I threw these into the skillet and stirred them with the sauce and meatballs. Serve with parmesan cheese, if desired.