You’re gonna wanna lotta this “chicken” Piccata!
Vegan “chicken” Piccata meatballs are so flavorful, moist but firm, healthy and so delicious you may weep from joy. Especially since they are so dang easy. The “chicken” is chickpeas with poultry seasoning. Then the “meatball” is seasoned with all the things you would find in a chicken Piccata. The chickpea balls have garlic, lemon zest and juice, parsley and of course capers. One of these little “chicken” Piccata meatballs tastes like an entire meal in one bite!
These “chicken” Piccata meatballs can easily be made gluten free and the sauce can easily be made oil free if either of those things are your thing! The bread crumbs can be replaced with gluten free bread crumbs, and the oil in the sauce can be replaced with more veggie broth!
The “meatballs” are so incredibly easy! Everything is thrown into a food processor and pulsed a bit. Remember, we are not making hummus here. So, you still want some texture. Then the meatballs are baked, making this even healthier. However, it is still so comforting of course.
The Piccata sauce takes no time at all, and like I said even though it starts with vegan butter and olive oil, you can just start with a few tablespoons of veggie broth if you prefer. Then some white wine is cooked down, then lemon juice, veggie broth, and sooooo many capers. I love me some capers. The salty brine of capers is something I crave. I promise you will be craving these vegan “chicken” Piccata meatballs all day, everyday!
Chickpea meatballs seasoned with poultry seasoning and filled with all the classic Piccata ingredients. Capers, lemon, and parsley!
- 15 oz. Can Chickpeas(Garbanzo beans)
- 1 1/2 C. Panko bread crumbs, divided
- 2 Tbsp. Capers, chopped
- 1 tsp. Lemon zest
- Juice of 1 Lemon
- 2 Cloves Garlic, chopped
- 4 Tbsp. Flax meal
- 6 Tbsp. Water
- 1 tsp. Poultry seasoning*
- 1 tsp. Salt
- 1/4 tsp. Black pepper
- 2 Tbsp. Vegan butter, I used Earth Balance
- 2 Tbsp. Olive oil
- 1/3 C. White wine
- 1/4 C. Lemon juice
- 1/4 C. Capers, drained
- 1 1/2 C. Vegetable broth
- 1/4 C. Nutritional yeast
- 1/4 C. Fresh Parsley, chopped
Make the "meatballs" first. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Drain the chickpeas and add them to a food processor. Pulse once to break down the chickpeas a bit.
Now in a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flax meal and water(flax eggs). Set aside to thicken for a minute.
Then, add 1 cup of panko bread crumbs, capers, lemon zest, lemon juice, and garlic to the food processor. Then add in the flax eggs to the food processor. Then add the poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Pulse a few times until everything is combined and looks like ground meat. Don't over process, we are not making hummus. Make sure it has some texture.
Next, spray a baking sheet with non stick spray.
Place the remaining 1/2 a cup of panko in a small bowl. Then taking about 1-1 1/2 tablespoons of the chickpea mixture roll into a ball, roll into panko to coat the outside, then place on the baking sheet. Repeat until all the chickpea mixture has been made into meatballs. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes, flipping half way through. They are done when when they are brown and firm.
While the meatballs are baking, make the sauce. In a large skillet heat the vegan butter and olive oil on medium high. Then whisk in the white wine. Reduce heat and simmer for about 3-4 minutes to start to cook off the strong wine flavor.
Then add the lemon juice and capers. Simmer for a minute, then add the veggie broth and nutritional yeast. Simmer on low for another 3-5 minutes until the flavors have developed and the strong wine flavor is gone. Turn the heat off and add the chopped parsley.
Once the meatballs are done, I recommend serving with pasta, then drizzle the sauce all over the pasta and meatballs. Serve immediately.
If you don't have a food processor, just mash the chickpeas with a fork, then chop everything fine and mix together in a bowl.
You can make this gluten free by using gluten free bread crumbs.
You can make this oil free by using a few tablespoons of veggie broth to start the sauce instead of vegan butter and olive oil.
*Poultry seasoning is not actual poultry. It is a spice blend that is called poultry seasoning because that is customarily what it is used for. It is generally thyme, garlic, celery salt and so on. *
Wow! I have been craving chicken piccata since I turned vegan…. going on 5 months now. Chicken piccata has been the go to comfort food at our house, so one can imagine the feeling. But now, I have come across this recipe and am singing with joy! I will try this as soon as I can… thanks for posting this. Looks super amazing btw…
It will definitely satisfy those cravings!! I hope you like it!
I tried making “Chicken Picatta” with tofu instead of chicken, and it didn’t turn out so great. I love the “meatball” idea. They’re SO good. They are the first vegan balls that have actually held together extremely well. Love love love this recipe!
I made this “chicken” piccata last night. I added chopped parsley to the meatballs and skipped the zest as I was out of fresh lemons. I sauteed some shallots for the the sauce. I didn’t serve mine over pasta as I have been trying to cut back on my carbs. This sauce was creamy and delicious. The meatballs were packed with flavor and the texture was great! I highly highly recommend these.
soo delicious! i love the flavors, it’s perfect for the warmer weather. i ate mine with couscous instead of pasta. can’t wait to make this again already!
This recipe was a lot of firsts for me. First time cooking with panko bread crumbs, first time using capers, and first time trying to make a piccata sauce! I’ve made vegetarian and vegan meatballs before but these definitely stuck together the best. I paired it with pasta as suggested but added some zoodles and sauteed spinach to add some green. Will definitely be making these again.