Chicken piccata meatballs
Capers in the meatball, a whole lemon in the pan sauce and enough butter to make the two of them friends.
At a Glance
Story
Crumbs soaked in milk are what keep a chicken meatball tender. The soaked bread holds on to its liquid while the meat's proteins tighten in the heat, so the moisture stays inside the meatball rather than running into the pan. Supermarket ground chicken tends to be wet already, though, and with the full half cup of milk the mixture can come out too soft to hold its shape. A third of a cup is enough to soften the panko and leaves the chicken to bring the rest. If yours is coarse and dry from a butcher, go back up to the half cup.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup panko
- ⅓ cup whole milkup to ½ cup if your chicken is coarse and dry
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup Parmesanfinely grated
- 2 tbsp caperschopped
- 1 garlic cloveminced
- ¼ tsp dried oregano
- 1 lb ground chickenpreferably dark meat
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 shallotminced
- 1 cup chicken brothlow-sodium
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 lemonzest and juice
- 2 tbsp parsleychopped
- saltpepper
- lemoncut into wedges, for serving (optional)
- egg noodlespasta or rice, for serving
Method
Piccata is usually a pounded cutlet under lemon, butter and capers. Here the capers go inside the meatball and the sauce is made in the skillet the meatballs just left, so whatever they leave on the pan ends up seasoning it.
The sauce takes the whole lemon, zest and all, and a shallot softened in the fat first.
- Heat the oven to 425°F. In a medium bowl, stir the panko into the ⅓ cup milk and let it sit about 3 minutes, until the milk is absorbed. Add the egg, Parmesan, capers, garlic, oregano, ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper and mix until well blended.
- Add the chicken and mix gently, just until it is evenly through. With wet hands, roll the mixture into 12 equal meatballs. They will be very soft. Ten minutes of freezer time firms them up, or make the mixture a few hours ahead and keep it in the fridge, which makes them easier to shape. Roll them again just before cooking.
- Heat the oil over medium in a large cast-iron or other ovenproof skillet. Brown the meatballs, turning them now and then, until lightly golden all over, about 5 minutes. They will brown more in the oven.
- Move the skillet to the oven and roast about 10 minutes, turning the meatballs halfway, until cooked through, 165°F in the middle. Lift them onto plates.
- Put a towel over the skillet handle before you touch it. It has just left a 425°F oven and will stay that hot long after you have forgotten.
- Set the skillet over medium heat and add the shallot to the fat left in the pan, with a small knob of the butter if it looks dry. Cook about 2 minutes, stirring, until soft and translucent but not browned.
- Turn the heat to medium-high, pour in the broth and bring it to a boil, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom. Let it reduce slightly, about 3 minutes. Add the rest of the butter, the lemon zest and juice and the parsley and stir until the butter melts into the sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
- Spoon the sauce over the meatballs. Serve with egg noodles, pasta or rice, and lemon wedges if you want even more of it.
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