Hi! I have just finished licking my plate after eating these delicious chicken piccata meatballs, cauliflower mash and steamed green beans. No shame in my game, they are delicous. I had bookmarked the original recipe by Little Spice Jar months ago and finally decided to give it a go. You should too! Marzia’s recipe was used as a guide here, because I’m currently following a ketogenic way of eating and wanted to reduce the amount of carbs. Making a few swaps didn’t take too much effort and allowed us to enjoy a keto-friendly meal with all the flavor of the original. Serve it with my double parmesan cauliflower mash and steamed green beans or whichever green vegetables are in season or available to you. It’s an easy, fuss-free meal perfect for weeknights! I hope you give these keto friendly chicken piccata meatballs a try, and if you do please tag me @thedaleyplate on Instagram so that I can share it with everyone else!

A few notes:
When cooking with herbs, always opt for fresh instead of dried. the flavor just carries through so much better.

In her blog post on this recipe, Marzia mentions combining seasonings in the mixing bowl prior to adding the ground chicken. This way the spices are already combined and you will not have to overwork the chicken, which sometimes causes the meatballs to be dense.

I have found that sour cream is a great ingredient to use instead of eggs or bread crumbs when trying to combine ground chicken. It works well if your meat is very cold and you work quickly - The meatballs, just like my popular lemon chicken patty recipe, stay delicously juicy because of the sour cream addition.

You’ll notice that I use cornstarch in this recipe. One tablespoon of cornstarch = 9g of carbs, and I use one teaspoon which divided between four people shouldn’t affect your daily carb limit too drastically. If you prefer, use 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum instead (Update: I tried xanthan gum recently and honestly the cornstarch is the best option here).

Keto Friendly Chicken Piccata Meatballs
Prep time: 5-10 minutes | Cook time: 30 minutes | Serves: 4

Meatballs:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
zest of 1 medium lemon + set the juice aside for sauce
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 teaspoon Cavender’s Greek Seasoning (Trust me on this)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tbsp sour cream
1 lb package ground chicken

Sauce:
4 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (reserved from earlier)
2 tablespoons capers
To serve: chopped parsley

Method:

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

For the meatballs, combine all ingredients except sour cream and ground chicken in a medium mixing bowl. Use a whisk to combine. Add sour cream, followed by ground chicken and use a fork to mix until just combined. Roll chicken mixture into balls that are about 1 1/2 tablespoons each, then add to skillet. Cook for 6-8 minutes, turning every 2 minutes to ensure an even color. I like to gently shake the pan so that they roll around instead of me having to flip with a fork. Transfer meatballs from skillet to a plate and tent with foil while finishing the sauce.

With the same skillet still over medium heat, add butter and garlic. Sauté until fragrant (1 minute), using a wooden spoon or whisk to scrape the golden chicken bits from the bottom of the skillet.

In a small bowl, combine cornstarch with 1-2 tablespons of the chicken stock until smooth. This is to prevent any lumps from forming since cornstarch reacts differently than flour. Add this to the skillet first and whisk, followed by remaining stock, lemon juice and capers. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, then add meatballs and continue to simmer for another 5 minutes, tossing meatballs to coat with sauce. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve.