Chicken Francese Meatballs
These chicken francese meatballs are the epitome of the classic dish, made with ample amounts of lemon zest and served in a creamy, tangy sauce.
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced or grated
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan
- 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 tbsp lemon zest
- 1/4 cup parsley, finely minced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- a nice drizzle of olive oil
For the sauce
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp flour
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 cup sweet vermouth
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- salt and pepper, to taste
- capers, to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine all meatball ingredients and mix with your hands until well combined. Use a small scoop or roll by eye into small meatballs, about 1 inch in diameter.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil. Cook the meatballs until browned and cooked through, turning every 5-7 minutes to evenly brown them.
- Remove the meatballs from the pan and set aside, but keep all the browned bits in the pan. Add the garlic to the pan and cook about 1 minute. Then add the butter and flour to the pan and cook until the flour is slightly browned, 2 minutes.
- Add the vermouth to the pan. Cook, scraping up all the browned bits stuck to the bottom, about 2 minutes. Then add the chicken stock and lemon juice to the pan. Cook, stirring, until the sauce is thickened, 5 minutes.
- Add the cream and capers (as many as you like depending on how much you like capers) and stir, cooking one minute more. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
- Remove the pan from the heat. Add the meatballs back to the pan and toss in the sauce.