These light and lemony chicken meatballs and sauce are grain-free and dairy-free, making them Whole30 compliant! They cook up quickly in the oven for mess-free cleanup and are delicious on their own or served over noodles.
Where my Whole30 ladies and gents at!?
I’ll admit I’m not one to diet or detox even if it is really, really good for you, lol. But that doesn’t mean I’m not beyond proud of you hard workers!!!! Any change is a challenge and breaking food-based habits can be especially tough, so I really do feel for you. But thank gosh for mouthwatering, Whole30 compliant recipes like this one to get you through the month!
What is Whole30?
Whole30 is a 30-day elimination diet that avoids all grains, legumes, dairy, alcohol, artificial and added sugar meant to reduce inflammation, improve gut health and reduce food cravings. Many people partake in Whole30 in the month of January following the typically indulgent holidays!
How is this recipe Whole30 compliant?
Most meatball recipes use some sort of breadcrumb to help the meat adhere and shape into balls, and many recipes include cheese as well. This recipe is Whole30 approved because we’ve replaced breadcrumbs with Whole30 compliant almond flour and we’ve omitted all dairy. We are also using Whole30 approved ghee for the base of the piccata sauce in lieu of butter.
What if I’m not participating in Whole30?
These meatballs are prepared quickly, are a lighter variation to other recipes and pack TONS of flavor into each small bite! Whether or not you’re on the Whole30 diet, you will absolutely eat these up!
Now let’s talk about these meatballs! Chicken piccata, a lemon & caper-based Italian dish typically drenched in butter, gets a lightened up makeover in these light-as-air meatballs that are packed with herby deliciousness. You’ll combine the ingredients for the chicken meatballs together before forming and shaping into meatballs, then they’ll cook in the oven while you make the simple ghee and caper sauce stovetop. Voila – dinner is ready in less than 30 minutes!
What to serve Chicken Piccata Meatballs with:
- Great on their own with sauce overtop
- Over mashed potatoes or mashed cauliflower (both Whole30 compliant)
- Over hearts of palm noodles, zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash noodles (all Whole30 compliant)
- Over chickpea linguini or regular semolina wheat pasta if not adhering to Whole30
I think you’ll love these meatballs on Whole30 or not! Please enjoy and keep up the great work 🙂
Find more Whole30 compliant recipes here:
- Whole30 Coconut Red Curry Ramen
- Whole30 Taco Salad
- Whole30 Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai
- Mustard and Sage Roasted Pork Tenderloin
- Stuffed Bell Pepper Soup
- Fall Harvest Kale Salad
- Creamy Butternut Squash, Carrot and Ginger Soup
- Pan Seared Halibut with Herby Pesto
- Spaghetti Squash Shrimp Scampi
- Low Carb Dan Dan Noodles
- ... and many more recipes here!
Looking for more meatball recipes? Check these out!
- Lightened Up Swedish Meatballs
- Coconut Red Curry Chicken Meatballs
- Feta-Stuffed Greek Meatballs
- Baked Asian Glazed Meatballs
- Skinny Buffalo Chicken Meatballs with Greek Ranch Dip
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Whole30 Chicken Piccata Meatballs
Equipment
- 1.75-2" cookie scoop can use round tablespoon measurement instead
Ingredients
for chicken meatballs
- 1 lb. ground chicken thigh
- 1 egg
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- zest from 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- avocado oil cooking spray
for sauce
- 3 tbsp. ghee divided
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
- juice from 1/2 a lemon
- 2 tbsp. capers
- 2 tsp. arrowroot powder can sub cornstarch if not Whole30
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375º.
- For meatballs: in a mixing bowl, combine egg, minced garlic, salt, pepper, lemon zest and chopped parsley together with a fork. Add in ground chicken and almond flour and mix to combine – try not to over-mix!
- Line a baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with avocado oil cooking spray. Using cookie scoop, scoop out meatball mixture and form meatball. Continue to make 17-18 meatballs.
- Spray tops of meatballs with a little more cooking spray then place into oven. Cook for 18-20 minutes or until cooked through & no longer pink.
- In a small bowl, combine arrowroot powder with 2 tbsp. chicken broth and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- While meatballs cook, heat 2 tbsp. ghee in a skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute before adding in chicken broth, lemon juice and capers. Lower heat to simmer then whisk in arrowroot/chicken broth slurry. Let sauce thicken over low heat then add last tbsp. of ghee in before adding meatballs.
- When meatballs finish cooking, place them in sauce to serve. Add more chopped parsley over top! Can serve alone or with sauce over mashed potatoes, zoodles or hearts of palm noodles!