chicken piccata meatballs

• servings: MAKES 4 SERVINGS
• active time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

FOR THE MEATBALLS

1½ pounds ground dark meat chicken or turkey

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves

¼ cup gluten-free panko bread crumbs

(I use Aleia's brand)

1 egg yolk

Grated zest of ½ lemon

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

FOR THE SAUCE2 tablespoons unsalted butter (sub vegan butter for dairy-free)

3 garlic cloves, minced

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon cassava flour

¼ cup dry white wine

1¼ cups low-sodium chicken broth

2 tablespoons capers, drained

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 lemon)

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions

Chicken piccata is one of my absolute favorite go-to dinners. I mean, what is not to love about chicken drenched in a luscious white wine sauce that's brightened even more by lemon juice? I have a more traditional version of chicken piccata in my first book, but this meatball rendition has slowly become the fan favorite at my house and on my blog! This is an absolute crowd-pleasing dinner that you can serve however you please. Our favorite way? Over some brown rice linguine pasta!PREPARE THE MEATBALLS: In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, parsley, panko, egg yolk, and lemon zest and mix well. Form the mixture into 1½-inch meatballs, dampening your hands as needed to make it easier to work with the mixture.

IN a large deep skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Working in batches as needed, add the meatballs in a single layer and brown them on all sides, about 3 minutes per side. The meatballs do not need to be cooked all the way through, as they will finish cooking in the sauce. Set the browned meatballs aside on a plate.

MAKE THE SAUCE: In the same skillet, reduce the heat to medium-low and melt the butter. Add the garlic, pepper flakes, salt, black pepper, and cassava flour and whisk to combine, toasting the flour for 1 minute.

Continue whisking and pour the wine into the skillet. Rapidly whisk until the sauce is smooth and thick. Whisk in the broth until well combined. Stir in the capers and lemon juice and increase the heat to a rapid simmer.

REDUCE the heat to a light simmer and nestle the meatballs back into the sauce. Cover and cook until the meatballs are cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the parsley and serve with lemon wedges.