Chicken Piccata Meatballs with Orzo

Chicken Piccata Meatballs with orzo – this delicious chicken meatball recipe will tantalize your taste buds with its zesty lemon caper sauce. A wonderful one-pot meal that’s both hearty and healthy, not to mention simply bursting with flavor.

Love meatballs? Give Marry Me Chicken Meatballs a try!

I love the combination of capers and lemon in the classic Italian piccata sauce. In fact I love lemon and capers in pretty much anything – like my popular Greek Potato Salad recipe. I can guarantee that our pantry is never without a jar of capers, I am so obsessive about them.

Chicken Piccata is a beloved recipe in which floured thin chicken pieces are cooked in a sauce which combines lemon, capers, butter, virgin olive oil and white wine. In this piccata recipe variation, I am cooking chicken meatballs and orzo in the classic sauce.

I am sure you will enjoy this recipe as much as we all did – it is comes together in about 30 minutes and is beyond delicious!

Here’s What You’ll Need

• Ground chicken (chicken mince) – is finally widely available but you can also use ground turkey if you like
• Breadcrumbs and one egg help bind the meatballs – make sure you mix the ingredients really well.
• Onion and garlic powder, salt, pepper, dried parsley and lemon zest
• Grated Parmesan – you can use boxed grated Parmesan in the meatballs and save the freshly grated to garnish the dish with
• Olive oil and butter
• White wine and chicken broth (chicken stock)
• Lemon juice – fresh lemon juice is an essential element of this recipe but you can adjust how much to add depending on your personal taste
• Shallots and plenty of minced garlic
• Orzo pasta – by cooking the orzo in the sauce we infuse it with all the flavors of the piccata sauce
• Capers – my favorite type is French nonpareils which are small and firm
• Fresh parsley or lemon thyme to garnish

If the mixture feels too wet to shape: don’t add more dry panko – it keeps releasing moisture as the meatballs cook. The reliable fix is to swap in a handful of fresh breadcrumbs soaked briefly in milk and squeezed out, which binds the mixture far better. Chill the shaped meatballs for 20–30 minutes before cooking so they hold their shape.

How to Make One Pan Chicken Meatballs with Orzo

Prepare the Meatballs

Sear the Meatballs

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pan and sear the meatballs, in batches if necessary, for about three minutes per side until nicely golden. You don’t need to cook the meatballs through at this stage. Transfer the meatballs onto a plate and set aside.

Make the Piccata Sauce and Cook

1. Add the white wine to the hot pan and scrape any browned bits loose with a wooden spoon. Cook until the wine is reduced by about half then transfer into a bowl to use later.
2. Melt butter in the pan, add the shallots and garlic and sauté over medium-low heat for about seven minutes. Add the orzo and stir to coat it in the butter.

1. Add the lemon juice and half of the chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Stir in the capers, remaining broth, reserved wine and the meatballs. Cook on a low simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 15-18 minutes or until the orzo is cooked to your liking.

1. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning and lemon juice as needed. Sprinkle with the thyme or chopped parsley and a grating of Parmesan. Absolutely delicious!

Recipe Notes and Tips

• Don’t crowd the meatballs when searing them as they will steam rather than brown. You might need to cook them in batches to allow them some space to get that beautiful golden sear!
• I added orzo to make this a one-pot meal. If you would prefer to cook the chicken picatta meatballs on their own you can skip the pasta altogether. You will need to add less broth to make the sauce (see notes in the recipe card).
• Do give the orzo a good stir once in a while to check it is not sticking to the bottom of the pan. You might need to add a little hot water or extra broth if needed.
• Store leftovers in the fridge for up to three days. Add a splash of water when reheating – the orzo will absorb all of the sauce!
• Serve with a slice of my Air Fryer Garlic Bread or how about this Easy Sourdough Focaccia.

Related Recipes

• Italian Meatballs Recipe
• Butter Chicken Meatballs
• Keftedes – Greek Meatballs
• Albóndigas – Spanish Meatballs in Rich Tomato Sauce
• Tuscan Chicken Meatballs With Gnocchi