Chicken Meatloaf With Vegetables
Rest assured, this chicken meatloaf recipe with vegetables is anything but dry or boring. It's tender, moist, and packed with hidden nutrition from onions, carrots, and spinach - a lighter take on a family favorite.
Servings (change as needed): 5 (8-9 slices)
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
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.
Video
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.
Calories: 304kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 151mg | Sodium: 553mg | Potassium: 1022mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 7641IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 2mg