Healthy Ground Chicken Meatloaf with Vegetables

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Healthy ground chicken meatloaf with vegetables is not your grandma’s average meatloaf recipe! It's a deliciously moist and juicy comfort food that's sure to please your entire family. Baked to perfection in just about an hour with a flavorful ketchup glaze on top, its a unique spin on a classic dish!

A dinner plate filled with mashed potatoes, green beans, and 3 slices of ground chicken meatloaf. — Healthy ground chicken meatloaf is perfect as a complete meal with a side of potatoes and steamed vegetables.

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📋 About the Recipe
🛒 Ingredients
📓 Instructions
⁉️ Substitutions and Alterations
❄️ How to Store
🔍 FAQs
💭 One More Tip
🍴 Related Recipes
📖 Recipe
💬 Reviews

📋 About the Recipe

This simple homemade meatloaf is made light and healthy with the use of ground chicken and the addition of fresh vegetables. The added carrots and celery provide flavor and extra nutrition to the overall dish.
The interior of the meatloaf is moist and juicy with a nice firm texture from the added vegetables. It is topped with a subtly sweet ketchup glaze which really takes this dish from great to unbelievable. You definitely don't want to skimp on the ketchup glaze!
If you're looking for a kid friendly dinner to feed to your whole family - this is it! Kids (and adults!) love the basic chicken base, as well as the other sweet and tangy flavors, just like in these ground chicken sloppy joes. Meanwhile, parents also enjoy that their kids are getting a small helping of vegetables at the same time, as well.
This ground chicken meatloaf recipe is a quick and easy dinner that can be made any day of the week. In just over an hour, you'll have a delicious meal on the table. Pair with homemade mashed potatoes and a bright green vegetable on the side.
This unique meatloaf will soon be your go-to crowd pleaser recipe. It's great to keep in your weekly dinner rotation for those nights when you simply just don't know what to make.

🛒 Ingredients

A few notes about the ingredients:

Ketchup - When purchasing ketchup, look for one with very few additives. Ingredients should mainly read as: tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, salt, onion, and spices. Anything else is unnecessary and often not good for you. I like to use Heinz Simply Tomato Ketchup.
Brown sugar - the addition of brown sugar adds a subtle sweetness to the meatloaf. It helps the ketchup turn into a glaze on top and truly makes this a kid favorite!
Worcestershire sauce - Worcestershire sauce can be found in the condiment aisle of the grocery store. It is a fermented liquid condiment, which lends unique flavor and acid to the meatloaf. It is made mainly of vinegars, molasses, garlic, onion, anchovies, and seasonings. There are many off-brand Worcestershire sauces with “fake” ingredients that try to mimic the true flavor of the sauce. Opt for brands like Lea and Perrins to maintain the best, most authentic flavor.
Onion, garlic, carrots, celery - these are the components of the vegetable mixture added to the meatloaf. Onion and garlic add flavor, while the carrots and celery add a natural sweetness, as well as bring extra vitamins and minerals.
Breadcrumbs - breadcrumbs help the meatloaf keep it's shape. They work with the wet ingredients to keep the meat from falling apart.
Milk, eggs - these are the wet ingredients added to the breadcrumbs. They too keep the meat from falling apart by keeping the meatloaf nice and moist.
Ground chicken - ground chicken is a lean, very neutral tasting meat. The milk, eggs, and breadcrumbs prevent it from drying out, while the other ingredients give it great flavor.

📓 Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare a loaf pan by either inserting a sheet of parchment paper that covers the bottom and sides or spraying it with nonstick spray for easy removal. Set it aside.

Ketchup topped with brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce in a glass bowl. — Mix ketchup, brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce to create the glaze.

2. In a small mixing bowl, combine ketchup, brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce. Set it aside.

Shredded carrots, celery, onions, and garlic cooking in a metal skillet. — Sauté the vegetables before adding them to the ground chicken.

3. Place a skillet over medium heat. Drizzle the olive oil on the bottom of the skillet and allow it to heat up before adding onions, garlic, grated carrots and celery. Stirring frequently, cook until the onion turns soft and translucent.

Shredded carrots, celery, onions, and garlic seasoned with salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. — Season the vegetables after sautéing.

4. Season the carrot-onion mixture with salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce. Remove from heat, set aside, and allow to cool.

Beaten eggs topped with breadcrumbs in a glass bowl. — Combine egg, egg white, and breadcrumbs.

5. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat the egg and egg white before adding in the breadcrumbs and milk.

Breadcrumbs soaked in eggs and milk in a glass bowl. — Allow the breadcrumbs to soak up the egg and milk.

Ground chicken mixed with eggs, breadcrumbs, milk, ketchup, and vegetables in a glass bowl. — Mix it all together in a big bowl.

6. Allow the breadcrumbs to soak up most of the moisture. Add in the ground chicken, carrot-onion mixture, and half of the ketchup mixture (about ½ cup). Mix to combine.

Raw ground chicken mixture spread evenly in a metal loaf pan. — Spoon and smooth everything out into a loaf pan.

7. Spoon the ground chicken mixture into the prepared loaf pan and smooth it out until it fills the pan from edge to edge.

Uncooked meatloaf in a loaf pan topped with a ketchup glaze before going in the oven. — Top meatloaf with ketchup glaze from edge to edge.

8. Smooth the rest of the ketchup mixture over top.

9. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake uncovered another 30 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken meatloaf registers 165 degrees F.

10. Allow the ground chicken meatloaf to cool slightly before removing from the pan, slicing, and serving.

Sliced healthy chicken meatloaf on a cooling rack. — Allow chicken meatloaf to cool slightly before slicing and serving.

⁉️ Substitutions and Alterations

Instead of ground chicken: you can substitute for ground turkey instead. I do not recommend ground beef for this recipe.

Instead of breadcrumbs: if you don't have breadcrumbs, you can use crushed crackers, unsweetened cereal, or blended oats to help bind the meat.

Instead of ketchup: you can use BBQ sauce instead. Depending on the kind you use, it'll lend a smokier, sweeter flavor to the dish.

Milk substitutes: I used unsweetened almond milk for this recipe. However, you can use any flavorless milk you have on hand. Cow's milk, soy milk, oat milk, rice milk, and cashew milk are all great alternatives. You can use coconut milk, but it may add a slight coconut flavor to the meatloaf.

❄️ How to Store

Allow to cool completely before storing.

To store: This healthy ground chicken meatloaf can be stored in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to 4 days.

To freeze cooked meatloaf: Wrap the whole meatloaf tightly in a layer of plastic wrap, then a layer of foil before placing it in the freezer. Cooked meatloaf will last 3 to 4 months in the freezer.

You can also try freezing individual slices, but they may dry out faster than if the meatloaf is frozen whole.

To reheat cooked meatloaf: Allow meatloaf to defrost in the refrigerator overnight before heating and serving. Place whole meatloaf on a baking sheet and warm it in a 250 degree F oven for 20-30 minutes or until the center is warmed through.

To freeze raw meatloaf: Place prepared meatloaf mixture in a freezer safe loaf pan or loaf-sized tin. Cover it tightly with both plastic wrap, then foil. Raw meatloaf will last 3 to 4 months in the freezer.

To cook frozen meatloaf: It is recommended that you thaw your meatloaf overnight by placing it in the refrigerator until ready to cook. Once thawed, cover the pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake uncovered another 30 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken meatloaf registers 165 degrees F.

If you cook the meatloaf while still frozen, the cook time may increase to about 90 minutes. Uncover the meatloaf for the last 30 minutes of cooking and check the internal temperature to make sure it is cooked through before serving.

🔍 FAQs

What keeps a meatloaf from falling apart?

In meatloaf recipes, you'll often find a combination of breadcrumbs, eggs, and milk. This combination helps to bind the meatloaf and prevent it from falling apart.

Additionally, overcooking the meatloaf may cause it to become dry and fall apart as well. So be sure to check the internal temperature and take it out of the oven as soon as it reaches 165 degrees F.

It is also important to use a recipe that includes the proper amount of fat to prevent the loaf from becoming crumbly.

And lastly, when the meatloaf comes out of the oven, you should allow it several minutes to rest before cutting into it. This will allow all of the different components to bind back together as the meatloaf gradually cools down.

What is the secret to moist meatloaf?

For a moist meatloaf, you need the perfect combined ratio of fat, breadcrumbs, milk, and eggs. Altering the ratio will greatly affect the texture of the meatloaf.

With decent fat content, the meatloaf should stay moist. However, with too much fat, it'll become greasy and fall apart.

As well, the milk helps in softening the breadcrumbs, forming a paste to keep it all together. Add too much milk and the meatloaf becomes too watery, but add too many breadcrumbs it'll be dry and crumbly.

What makes ground chicken meatloaf healthy?

This meatloaf is healthy because it substitutes ground chicken for the traditional ground beef. Chicken is a leaner protein, so it contributes less added fat to the meal.

The use of ground chicken keeps the overall taste and integrity of a classic meatloaf, keeping it light and flavorful without the greasy, heavy beef.

As well, the addition of fresh carrots, celery, garlic, and onions allows you to add a variety of vitamins and nutrients, improving the flavor and texture as well.

💭 One More Tip

Loaf pans come in different sizes. For this recipe, I used a standard US size of 8 ½ x 4 ½ x 2 ½ inches. Sizes of pans can affect the cook time.

If your meatloaf is made in a longer pan, it may take less time to cook since the meat will be spread thinner, while a meatloaf cooked in a smaller, shorter pan might take slightly more time and provide a thicker loaf.

The material your pan is made of also makes a difference. I used a metal pan, whereas glass or silicone pans may cook differently.

This is just something to keep in mind as your prepare this dish and you may need to adjust accordingly. For more information, check out this helpful guide to learn when to use each kind of pan.

A closeup view of ground chicken meatloaf on a dinner plate with green beans and mashed potatoes. — The vegetables in the meatloaf provide extra flavor and texture.

Share your cooking with me! If you make this recipe, I'd love to know! Tag @yourhomemadehealthy on Instagram or leave a comment with a rating and some feedback at the bottom of this page!

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