Chicken piccata is a classic Italian American dish made from pan-fried chicken cutlets, lemon, capers and parsley with a rich buttery sauce. The bold flavors are zesty and bright, but often the sauce is fatty, with some recipes calling for multiple sticks of butter, olive oil and even heavy cream.
This good and good-for-you redo swaps baked ground chicken meatballs for fried chicken breasts. As an alternative to the indulgent lemon sauce, made with less fat and fuss, the meatballs are cooked on thin slices of lemon for a burst of citrus flavor and then topped with a drizzle of high-quality extra-virgin olive oil.
It’s key to slice the lemons as thin as possible. Once cooked, they mellow and soften and are served as part of the dish, offering tart citrus flavor with every bite. Two additions of parsley, both in the meatballs and as a garnish, give the dish a vibrant, grassy feel. It’s the flavor of chicken piccata but with a lighter, leaner and lemony twist.
Chicken Piccata Meatballs
As an alternative to pasta, serve the meatballs and lemon slices over mashed cauliflower and potato. Simply cook equal parts cauliflower and potato in salted water, drain and mash. The combination is nearly indistinguishable from traditional mashed potatoes but higher in fiber, lower in calories and perfect for catching the delicious lemony juices and buttery-rich olive oil.
- 1 large lemon
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 2 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley, plus 1/4 cup leaves, loosely packed, for garnish
- 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 cups cauliflower-potato mash, for serving (see note)
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a nonstick silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- Zest the lemon and place the zest in a medium bowl. Using a very sharp knife, thinly slice the lemon crosswise into 16 slices, not more than 1/8-inch thick each, and remove the seeds. Place the slices in rows on the prepared baking sheet.
- To the bowl with the zest add the ground chicken, garlic, parsley, capers, red pepper flakes and freshly ground pepper. (No additional salt is needed as the capers are salty.) Stir with a rubber spatula to thoroughly combine.
- Use a 1-ounce scoop to form 16 meatballs. Place 1 meatball on each lemon slice. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and cook until the meatballs are firm and the internal temperature reads 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven. Divide the cauliflower-potato mash among 4 shallow bowls. Top each serving with 4 meatballs and lemon slices. Garnish with whole parsley leaves. Drizzle each serving with 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin oil and serve immediately.
Serves 4.
Per serving: 291 calories (percent of calories from fat, 69), 20 grams protein, 2 grams carbohydrates, trace total sugars, 1 gram fiber, 23 grams total fat (4 grams saturated), 98 milligrams cholesterol, 123 milligrams sodium.
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