I love meatloaf, but sometimes you want something just a little lighter … and that is why I decided to opt for a chicken loaf.
Chicken loaf can be notoriously dry, and a little bland, so to brighten it up and add more flavour I have added fresh herbs, feta, cream (for fat) and capers, and for more colour I have added a handful of spinach leaves too … I LOVE spinach!
This loaf can be served hot or cold so is great for a picnic, and leftovers are delicious for sandwiches the next day.
If you are going to serve it cold allow it to cool for 30 minutes, then wrap in Alfoil and put into the fridge to cool completely. Leave sealed until you are ready to serve.
To make this gluten free use gluten free bread for your breadcrumbs, or packaged rice breadcrumbs (available under the Orgran Brand in Health Food shops and the “healthy” section of supermarkets), or quinoa flakes. I would suggest using the same weight of ingredients (200g) in each case. I haven’t tried this myself, but I believe it would work very well.
The spicy sauce is drizzled over the loaf before baking to add flavour and colour, and there will be a little extra leftover to serve with the cooked loaf. However, this loaf can easily be served with any combination of sauces, and here are some suggestions:
- Basil and Parsley Pesto ( see here ) stirred through some sour cream or plain yoghurt, and seasoned with a little extra salt and pepper
- Green Pea Guacamole ( see here ) with sour cream on the side
- Avocado Chimichurri Sauce ( see here ) or …
… even simple sour cream with sweet chili sauce stirred through would be lovely too.
- 3 tbls tomato paste
- 3 tbls balsamic vinegar
- 3 tbls pure maple syrup
- 2 tsp Sriracha Chili Sauce, or sweet chili sauce for mild flavour
- 1 tsp sea salt flakes, or ½ tsp fine sea salt
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 200g bread of choice, preferably a little stale, cut into chunks (I used spelt sourdough)
- 3 small to medium garlic cloves, peeled (if large use only 2)
- 4 spring onions, trimmed and chopped into chunks
- Zest of 1 lemon (keep juice for later)
- 20g fresh basil leaves
- 20g fresh parsley
- 60g fresh baby spinach leaves
- 2 whole eggs
- 100g full fat cream
- 50g lemon juice (from the lemon you have zested)
- 1 kg chicken mince
- 2 tbls capers (pitted olives or gherkin would work well too)
- 200g feta cheese, crumbled into large pieces
- 2 tsp sea salt flakes
- freshly cracked pepper
- Mix all the ingredients together in a glass bowl … some will be drizzled over loaf before baking, and store unused portion in the fridge to use later.
- Grease the ends of a loaf tin (I used one with a 21cm x 11cm base measurement) and place a piece of baking paper across the middle allowing the ends to extend beyond the rim of the tin (this will make it easier to remove when it is cooked) … place onto baking sheet ready for the oven
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees fan forced and place rack into middle of oven
- Make the spicy sauce if you haven’t already done so … put aside
- Place bread into TM bowl and chop 10 seconds / speed 8
- Set aside in a large mixing bowl, do not clean TM bowl
- Place garlic, spring onions, lemon zest, basil and parsley in TM bowl and chop 3 seconds / speed 7
- Add to bread mix, do not clean TM bowl
- Place spinach in TM bowl and shred 1-2 seconds / reverse / speed 5 (check after a second and repeat if you wish it to be finer but you do want some length in the shreds for colour in the loaf)
- Add to bread mix, do not clean TM bowl
- Place eggs, cream and lemon juice to TM bowl and mix 4 seconds / speed 4
- Add to bread mix along with chicken and capers and lightly mix through (use your hands to mix together, being careful not to squeeze or overwork the mix, allowing some chunks to remain)
- Add the feta and seasoning and again mix lightly through chicken (leaving chunks though the mix)
- Place mixture into loaf tin pushing it into the base and sides, and level the top
- Drizzle over some of the spicy sauce mix and bake for 1 hour (cooking time will depend on the size of your tin, and therefore the depth of your loaf … so check it after 50 minutes … if you have a food thermometer you are looking for an internal temperature of 65C degrees … it took exactly 1 hour in my oven)
- Remove from oven and allow to rest for 30 minutes before cutting and serving, or allow to cool for 30 minutes before wrapping in Alfoil if serving cold later.
If you are going to serve it cold allow it to cool for 30 minutes, then wrap in Alfoil and put into the fridge to cool completely. Leave sealed until you are ready to serve.
The spicy sauce is drizzled over the loaf before baking to add flavour and colour, and there will be a little extra leftover to serve with the cooked loaf.
Hi Gina,
I’m so glad you posted this recipe as I have a1kg of chicken mince in my freezer & wasn’t sure what to do with it.
Is there a difference between quinoa flakes and the regular stuff?
As I of over east this Tuesday I will make it on my return.
I love your web site so much. I just wish my husband loved food as much as me!
Love Debxx
Well I made this and it was delicious and it made a much bigger meat loaf than I expected. (My neighbors were some of the benificiories). I think next time I will will add a little umph. I might replace the capers with jalapeños or add some chilli flakes. I’m a sucker for a bit of spice. Great recipe. Thanks Gina.
Deb … I am so thrilled you liked the loaf … and to be honest I like a lot of umph too! You have very lucky neighbours … but I am sure they know that already!!!!! xo Gina
Absolutely delicious! Our family loved this loaf – full of flavour and nice and light. Perfect with a garden salad. The loaf is massive so it’s also very economical dish as you will get at least 2-3 family servings depending on size of family. Thanks for another fabulous recipe Gina.
Sash … thank you so much for your feedback … it means so much! We also love this loaf, but what I like most about it, is that it is just as nice hot as it is cold so it is very adaptable, and leftovers are never wasted! Love it too! xo
Hi Gina, I made this last night, and it was a winner. I’m on a very low carb diet, (zero gluten/sugar) so I made a few changes, but there were zero leftovers for my family of 6! I made it without the sauce or breadcrumbs and it was perhaps a bit more dense than your original recipe but the flavour was great. I used 40g olives, and 20g basil, which was perfect. Another easy recipe for the dinner menu!
Tamarra … it is so good of you to let me know … it is great to hear of changes that others make to allow for their particular dietary restrictions as it helps others too when they are looking for options. I am so glad that it all went in one sitting, as that tells me it was enjoyed!! We love this loaf as well, and it is equally delicious cold as well as hot so when summer comes it might also be one to remember for a family picnic. Thanks of taking the time to touch base xo Gina