Chicken Meatloaf

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A twist on a classic comfort recipe, this Chicken Meatloaf is the easiest weeknight dinner recipe! Made with ground chicken instead of beef and with pantry staples, this ground chicken meatloaf is packed with flavour.

Moist, tender, and flavourful, this chicken meatloaf recipe comes together in a flash. Prepared like a traditional meatloaf with breadcrumbs and dried herbs then topped with a sweet ketchup glaze, this is a recipe that the whole family will love.

A plate with two slices of chicken meatloaf with mashed potatoes and broccoli.

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Why You'll Love This Chicken Meatloaf Recipe
Ingredients You'll Need
How To Make Chicken Meatloaf
Recipes Variations
Tips and Notes
Recipe
More Recipes You May Like

Why You'll Love This Chicken Meatloaf Recipe

It leans heavily on pantry staples. The ingredient list may seem long but you should already have most of these ingredients. I use a lot of dried herbs and seasonings to make this chicken meatloaf recipe flavorful and you more than likely have onions, breadcrumbs, milk, and tomato paste lying around the pantry!
It's a pretty hands off recipe. Most of the work is done in the oven without you having to do much.
You can easily customize this. Want it more garlicky? Add more garlic! Want more cheese? Stuff it with cubed mozzarella! Top it with cheese! The possibilities are for this ground chicken meatloaf recipe are endless.

Overhead view of three plates, with slices of chicken meatloaf and sides.

A plate with two slices of chicken meatloaf with mashed potatoes and broccoli with a fork lifting a bite.

Ingredients You'll Need

Ingredients needed for a chicken meatloaf.

For the Chicken Meatloaf:

ground chicken
white onion — you can use yellow or sweet onion as well.
breadcrumbs — you can use regular breadcrumbs or panko breadcrumbs.
Parmesan cheese — it's ideal if you grate your own parmesan. It'll melt better.
milk — the milk adds moisture to the chicken meatloaf.
egg — again, this adds moisture and helps bind the meatloaf.
Worcestershire sauce — this adds a nice depth of flavour to the meatloaf due to its strong umami flavor.
tomato paste — again, this adds flavour.
seasoning — I use salt, dried basil, dried oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes.

For the Glaze:

ketchup — for the best flavour, use regular ketchup and not the no-sugar added ones.
brown sugar — you can use light or dark brown sugar.
Worcestershire sauce

How To Make Chicken Meatloaf

Ingredients for chicken meatloaf in a bowl.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9x5 loaf pan. Line with parchment paper, leaving about an inch of overhang on both sides. This will help to easily remove the meatloaf from the pan.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together the ground chicken, onion, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, milk, egg, Worcestershire sauce, salt, basil, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, and red pepper flakes.

Mix up the glaze in a small bowl by whisking together the ketchup, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce.

Glaze added to the bottom of a parchment lined baking sheet.

Chicken mixture being added to the baking dish.

Spoon a couple of tablespoons of the glaze into the bottom of the pan.
Add the meat mixture into the prepared pan. Bake in the 350F oven for 45 minutes.

Glaze added to the top of a baked chicken meatloaf.

Brush the glaze over the hot meatloaf.
Increase the oven temperature to 400F and bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until the meatloaf reaches an internal temperature of 165F.
Cool 10 minutes before slicing.

Baked chicken meatloaf in a baking dish.

Recipes Variations

Add cubed mozzarella inside of the chicken mixture in the baking dish to have some melty cheese inside of the chicken meatloaf.
Mix together panko breadcrumbs, melted butter, parmesan cheese, and fresh herbs together and add to the top of the meatloaf 10 minutes before you're finished baking for an extra buttery crunch.
Don't have ground chicken? Try this with ground turkey instead.

Tips and Notes

When adding the meatloaf to the loaf pan, gently pat down the meatloaf mixture. If you pack it in too firmly, the chicken meatloaf will be dense and tough.
Similarly, do not over-mix the ground chicken mixture or it'll be dense and tough as well.
To check for doneness for this ground chicken meatloaf recipe, use a meat thermometer. The internal temperature should be internal temperature should be at 165F/74C.
If the parchment paper won't stay in the loaf pan while you work with it, use blinder clips to keep it in place!
I love serving my chicken meatloaf with mashed poatoes.

A chicken meatloaf being sliced on a plate.

Close up of two slices of chicken meatloaf with mashed potatoes and broccoli.

How do I store this?

Meatloaf leftovers should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Try to only slice what you plan on eating so it doesn't dry out in the fridge and upon reheating.

Can I freeze this?

Yes, you can freeze this meatloaf with ground chicken. Tightly wrap the meatloaf in plastic wrap, then a layer of tin foil, to help prevent freezer burn, and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight when ready to eat and reheat it in the oven or microwave.

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