Chicken Meatloaf With Vegetables – Moist & Nutritious
“Loved this meatloaf! Thank you, kooks! My family ate it up and wants me to make it again. It was so easy. More recipes like this please!” Vlad
Rest assured, this chicken meatloaf recipe with vegetables is anything but dry or boring. It’s tender, super moist, and packed with hidden nutrition from onions, carrots, and spinach – a lighter take on a family favorite.
What to expect
Moist and flavorful: Ground chicken stays juicy thanks to added veggies and a light breadcrumb-milk mix. No dry loaf here.
Nutritious comfort food: Carrots, onions, and spinach add color, moisture, and a boost of vitamins without changing the familiar meatloaf flavor. Using chicken instead of beef makes it lighter – about 300 calories for a thick slice.
Simple prep: After a quick chop and sauté of the vegetables, everything mixes in one bowl, bakes in under an hour, and slices cleanly for easy serving. The loaf also freezes well – before or after baking – for convenient meal prep.
Ingredients – Tailored To Your Taste
- Ground chicken: Use ground dark chicken meat, a blend of white and dark, or all white meat.
- Vegetables: I use carrots, onions, and spinach (see substitutes, but don’t leave out the onions).
- Fillers:
- Glaze: I used a very simple balsamic-ketchup glaze (ketchup + balsamic vinegar)
Substitutes
- Chicken: Use ground turkey instead
- Veggies: Mushrooms, zucchini, red peppers, broccoli or kale.
- Ketchup: Try BBQ sauce or even tomato sauce.
- Milk: Instead, use broth, tomato juice or even a splash of white wine.
- Balsamic vinegar: Swap with cider or red wine vinegar with a pinch of sugar. Some people use Worcestershire sauce instead of the Balsamic Vinegar.
Variations
- Classic meatloaf sweet ketchup glaze: Mix ⅓ cup (75 g) ketchup, 2 Tbsp brown sugar, and 1 Tbsp mustard.
- Cheesy twist: Add ½ cup shredded mozzarella or cheddar into the mixture.
- Herb boost: Stir in chopped fresh parsley, basil, or Italian seasoning for extra flavor.
- Mini loaves: Shape the mixture into two smaller loaves or divide into muffin tins. They bake in about 25–30 minutes and freeze beautifully.
- Spicy version: Add ½ tsp chili flakes or a spoon of hot sauce to the glaze.
Step-by-step instructions
Tips
- Keep it moist: If using all white meat with low fat, add 1-2 extra teaspoons of oil when sautéing the vegetables to help prevent a dry meatloaf.
- Cook off moisture: Make sure the water evaporates when sautéing the veggies to avoid a mushy meatloaf.
- Add mushrooms for flavor: Some chefs swear by mushrooms to boost tenderness and umami flavor.
- Taller loaf: Because fewer breadcrumbs are used (for a less dense texture), the mixture is quite loose and doesn’t lend itself to a taller loaf unless you use a 5-inch-tall loaf pan.
- Enjoy leftovers: They make fantastic sandwiches or pan-seared meatloaf the next day for a quick dinner redo.
Shortcuts
- Faster chopping: To speed things up, use a processor to finely chop the onions, carrots, garlic, and fresh spinach.
- No-glaze option: Simply brush the top with olive oil before baking for a glossy finish without the glaze.
- Shorter bake time: Making a flatter loaf about 2 inches/5 cm tall cuts the baking time to only 30 minutes. For an even quicker option, bake in greased muffin tins for >>>
What to serve with chicken meatloaf
Some excellent sides for chicken meatloaf are Butternut Squash With Warm Cinnamon Dressing, Grilled Coleslaw (or any coleslaw), Root Vegetable Mash, Basic Mashed Potatoes and Mashed Potato Pancakes (especially if you have leftover mashed potatoes hanging around).
What to do with chicken meatloaf leftovers: Here are some great ways to use leftover meatloaf. Chicken meatloaf of course can easily be substituted for beef meatloaf.
Recipe FAQs
Lots! Chicken meatloaf can be used anywhere you’d use leftover beef meatloaf. Try:
– Slicing it for sandwiches or sliders with a bit of BBQ sauce or mayo.
– Pan-frying slices until crisp on the edges.
– Crumbling it into pasta sauce, tacos, or stuffed peppers.
– Chopping and adding it to a grain bowl or salad for easy meal prep.
It keeps well for 3–4 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer.
Yes. Assemble it up to a day in advance, cover, and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before baking. You can also freeze the uncooked loaf (well-wrapped) for up to 3 months, then thaw overnight and bake as usual.
Use all dark meat or a blend of white and dark ground chicken. Avoid overmixing. The vegetables sautéed in a touch of oil help retain moisture (add a little extra oil if using all white meat). Bake the loaf only until the center reaches 160F(71C) – it will rise to 165F (74C) when resting for 5 minutes.
Looking for more low-calorie dinners?
Check out our Delicious meals under 400 calories. Light, satisfying dishes that prove light doesn’t mean sacrificing flavor.
If you loved this chicken meatloaf recipe, you might want to try our meatloaf with mushroom gravy – also packed with veggies. Or browse our collection of best comfort foods for more cozy and old-fashioned recipes.
Please leave a 5 star rating ***** with a comment in the recipe card below if you like the recipe, Thank you so much!
Chicken Meatloaf With Vegetables
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds ground chicken, Note 1
Vegetable Filling
- 1/4 large sweet onion
- 3 small carrots, peeled, Note 2 (or 1 medium-large)
- 2 cups packed fresh baby spinach
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder)
- 2 teaspoon vegetable or olive oil
Breadcrumb & Seasoning Mixture
- 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs (I use a bit less)
- 5 tablespoon milk (broth, tomato juice or wine can be used instead)
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon Ketchup (or BBQ sauce)
- 1 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar – good quality (or cider or red wine vinegar with a pinch of sugar.
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 tablespoon fresh or Italian seasoning)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (or more to taste unless breadcrumbs or chicken have salt in them)
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Glaze
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1 1/2 tablespoon good quality Balsamic Vinegar
Video
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F/204C. Line a rimmed baking sheet – about 9 x 13 inch (33 x 23 cm) with parchment paper or aluminum foil, sprayed with cooking spray.
- PREPARE VEGETABLE FILLING: Cut onion and carrots in 2 inch pieces. Place in food processor along with spinach and garlic. Process on high for a minute until finely minced. Alternatively, chop all vegetables finely by hand. Heat oil in medium pan. Add vegetables and sauté on medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender and all liquid has evaporated. Set aside.
- PREPARE BREADCRUMB AND SEASONING MIXTURE: In a large mixing bowl, mix bread crumbs and milk together. Let sit for a few minutes. Stir in remaining breadcrumb-seasoning mixture ingredients. Mixture will be pasty.
- MAKE CHICKEN MEATLOAF: Add vegetable and ground chicken meat mixture to bowl. Using clean hands formed into 'claws', use a twisting motion to lightly mix chicken, vegetable and breadcrumb mixture together just until combined (don't over mix). Place mixture on baking sheet and form it into a loaf shape approximately 10-12 X 5 inches (25-30 X 12 cm) and about 2 inches/5cm high. Loaf will be quite wet and sticky.
- BAKE: Combine ketchup and balsamic vinegar in a small bowl. Note 4. Brush glaze on top and sides of loaf. Bake for 30 minutes. Instant thermometer should read 160F/71C. Let sit for 5-7 minutes to keep juices in and for easier slicing. Slice and serve.
Recipe Notes
- Options for ground chicken: ground dark chicken meat, a blend of white and dark chicken meat, all white meat or ground turkey. If you all white meat, add another teaspoon or two of oil when you are sautéing the vegetables to prevent dry meatloaf.
- Vegetable options: instead of carrots and spinach, try mushrooms, zucchini, red peppers, broccoli or kale. Make sure the water evaporates when sautéing. The only vegetable I wouldn’t leave out is the onions.
- Variations:
- Cheesy twist: Add ½ cup (56 grams) shredded mozzarella or cheddar into the mixture.
- Herb boost: Stir in chopped fresh parsley, basil, or Italian seasoning for extra flavor.
- Mini loaves: Shape the mixture into two smaller loaves or divide into muffin tins. Bake about 25–30 minutes.
- Spicy version: Add ½ tsp chili flakes or a spoon of hot sauce to the glaze.
- Glaze alternative: make a classic meatloaf sweet ketchup glaze if you prefer. Mix ⅓ cup (75 g) ketchup, 2 Tbsp brown sugar, and 1 Tbsp mustard.
- Make ahead:
- To store cooked chicken meatloaf: Cover leftovers with foil or a layer of plastic wrap and keep in fridge for up to 3 days.
- To freeze raw: Prepare loaf. Wrap the ground chicken mixture in foil and then in freezer bag. Freeze up to 6 months. Thaw in fridge the night before baking.
- To freeze cooked meatloaf: Cool loaf, then wrap well in foil and freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in fridge.
- To reheat cooked loaf: Set oven for 300F/149C, place thawed loaf in shallow baking dish with a couple tablespoons broth or water (to keep it moist), cover pan tightly with foil and warm for 20-30 minutes.
Finally i cooked something that my entire family loved and loved and loved.. Thank you for this!
A hit with the whole family – we’re honored! Thanks for leaving a comment Dan 🙂
Love this recipe with ground chicken! My husband is looking to eliminate red meat, and this is a GREAT alternative to the chicken breasts I’ve been making.
I hope your husband enjoys it – and you too! 🙂
Loved this meatloaf! Thank you, kooks! My family ate it up and wants me to make it again. It was so easy. More recipes like this please!
Hi Vlad, We are thrilled your family liked the meatloaf so much! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment. Maybe the family would also like a meatloaf with mushroom gravy?
I made yesterday using a seasoned kebab chicken and lot of vegetables aswell. Delicious! Today the leftover will become a chickenloaf wrap arabian style!
Very creative Ana. Thanks for sharing 🙂
The meatloaf was delicious !
I used ground turkey , zucchini, mushrooms, carrots and onion!
Super moist and flavourful !
Perfect for a weeknight dinner.
Love to hear that! Thanks very much for sharing your tweaks 🙂
I made this once… adding red bell pepper and poblano pepper to the mix. I wanted a heavy veggie helping to keep the portions high and the calories low. I also used keto bread that I toasted and pulsed to crumbs to keep the carbs down as much as I could. Excellent. Everyone liked it and there were no leftovers.
I’m making this again… this time putting it on the smoker to add additional flavor.
This was exactly what I was looking for when I was asked to make a veggie heavy chicken meatloaf. Thanks for the great recipe.
Just one question… It says at the top: “And, by the way, it’s a meatloaf recipe without eggs if that’s important to you.”. Yet in the recipe, there’s one egg in the breadcrumb seasoning mixture. I’m not against eggs… It adds even more protein. But why say there’s none when there’s one?
Hi Jim, so glad you liked the recipe. I made it last night and upped the veggies too – same reason – wanted more nutrition and less calories.
Sorry about the egg comment. You are right, there is one egg in the recipe. I am not sure why I put that statement in there – clearly brain fog. I think it was meant for the chicken burgers which have no egg in them. I never want my recipes to mislead or have wrong information. I’ll correct that right away. Thanks for leaving a comment and bringing it to my attention. Much appreciated.