This easy ground chicken meatloaf is inspired by the flavors of our favorite Chicken Parmesan recipe.
Seasoned ground chicken is stuffed with mozzarella cheese and nestled under a zesty tomato sauce and cheese topping.
This meatloaf makes a great dinner and leftovers are perfect tucked in a hamburger bun!
In this recipe, we swap up our usual beef meatloaf for chicken and add in the zesty cheesy flavors of chicken parmesan! It’s the best of both worlds!
Ingredients
This meatloaf starts with ground chicken of course! It will work well with ground turkey or almost any other lean ground meat in place. The meat mixture is generously seasoned with parmesan cheese, parsley, and Italian seasoning.
We add a mozzarella cheese filling to this loaf. I find cheese strings have just the right amount of melt, some brands of mozzarella cheese can melt too much and leak out once you cut the loaf.
The meatloaf is topped with marinara for baking and finally cheese and breadcrumbs for that classic chicken parmesan topping.
How To Make Chicken Meatloaf
- Mix ground chicken with the other ingredients per the recipe below.
- Place 2/3 of the chicken mixture on a parchment lined and gently press the cheese on top. Top with the remaining meat mixture and form a loaf.
- Top with marinara sauce and bake. Add cheese and breadcrumbs during the last 15 minutes of cooking time.
Allow the loaf to rest for a good 10 minutes to ensure it holds together when slicing (and this helps keep the cheese in the middle in tact. To make the cooking time faster, make chicken parmesan mini meatloaf, using your muffin tins or shaping into patties on a cookie sheet.
What to Serve With Chicken Meatloaf
Savory chicken parm meatloaf is a major hunger buster, especially because it’s the foundation for a balanced meal of meat, starch, and vegetables.
- Potatoes – Consider yummy fondant potatoes, garlic mashed potatoes or Dutchess potatoes. Sweet potato casserole would taste amazing with this meaty entrée as well. Such dishes always favor a little sweetness on the side!
- Sauce – Serve with extra marinara sauce, or a simple béchamel flavored with Italian herbs and parmesan for drizzling over slabs of meatloaf.
- Vegetables – Roasted vegetables can cook at the same time the chicken meatloaf is baking, and both will be ready to serve at about the same time! Season with Italian herbs to complement similar seasonings in the meatloaf.
To Make Ahead
For make-ahead convenience, prepare your loaf and refrigerate for no more than a day ahead of time. Or, provided the ground chicken has not been previously frozen, you can freeze, without the topping, for cooking at a later time. It will keep up to four months in the freezer.
Be sure to label it, and thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before cooking. If cooking from frozen, cook time may need to be increased slightly.
Can You Freeze It?
Leftovers can be frozen and will keep up to four months. I like to wrap slices individually in foil and then pack in a freezer bag for easy removal and re-heating. No need to thaw in advance.
Delicious Meatloaf Options
- Delicious Turkey Meatloaf – zesty & moist!
- Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf – homemade comfort food
- The Best Meatloaf Recipe – tender & juicy!
- Mini Meatloaf Muffins – perfectly portioned
- Crockpot Meatloaf – set it and forget it!
Did your family love this Parmesan Chicken Meatloaf? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Parmesan Chicken Meatloaf
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ⅓ cup finely diced onion
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 pounds ground chicken
- ½ cup seasoned bread crumbs
- 2 teaspoons milk
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 mozzarella cheese strings cut into 1/2" slices
Topping
- ½ cup marinara sauce
- 2 tablespoons Panko bread crumbs
- 1 ½ tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.
- Cook onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until softened. Cool completely.
- Mix all meatloaf ingredients in a large bowl just until combined.
- Place the mixture on the loaf pan and form into an 8"x4" square.
- Top with marinara sauce and bake 45 minutes.
- Combine bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, butter, and parsley.
- Top meatloaf with mozzarella and bread crumb topping. Bake an additional 15-20 minutes or until the center of the loaf reaches 165°F.
- Cool 10 minutes before slicing.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Chicken, Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
This recipe is absolutely delicious and the meatloaf just melts in your mouth. My baby and toddler also enjoyed it, and asked for more! Loved it!
I NEVER comment on recipes but this is incredible! And I don’t even like meatloaf— I make it for my husband and kids! I left out the garlic and onions and used GF panko, otherwise followed exactly! Making again asap!
So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Jenny!
I made this for dinner last night, and it was delicious! I omitted the onion and garlic due to sensitivities, and replaced them with 1/3 cup of chopped leeks (didn’t bother sautéing in olive oil first). I also used gluten-free bread crumbs, buffalo mozzarella (which is lactose free), pecorino Romano instead of Parmesan (as I prefer a sheep’s milk, cheese), almond milk, and Miyoko’s creamery vegan butter, as I have to be very careful with not overdoing dairy products. For the marinara sauce, I used Rao’s sensitive marinara, which does not contain onion or garlic, and served extra sauce on the side.
Thanks so much for sharing this great recipe… I will definitely be making this again!
So happy you enjoyed this recipe, Shelly!
Wow! I got a few pounds of ground chicken in a food pantry box. I needed to find a recipe to use some of it up. I’ll be trying this one for sure. Thanks!
If anyone is challenged to keep feeding your family-please consider a local food pantry. The volunteers are so cheerful & understanding. There is no shame or guilt. My PSA.
Really good, moist and easy to make!
Loved the flavors that came together in this meatloaf. The breadcrumb topping really finished it off! I used a light string cheese in the center and it didn’t melt. Next time I would use shredded mozzarella or omit entirely.