Okay, so first of all these are the cutest little meatloaves I've ever seen 🙂 Second of all, Eric (my hubby's) favorite meal is chicken parm. He could eat it for dinner every night if he had the choice. Third, that is why I figured why not health these babies up a bit so that he doesn't have to feel guilty eating them at least twice a week :0 In the place of regular chicken, I used ground chicken.
Also, I refer to them as mini and they are actually mini, but they are nothing compared to something as small as a mini muffin. One of these is pretty filling, even for a grown man! One pound of ground chicken makes four mini meatloaves. So, I'd say that just about covers most American households for all to have one meatloaf. If your family is more than four then just buy another pound of the ground chicken and double the recipe.
When purchasing your ground chicken look for 90% lean meat because some ground chicken can have as much fat as ground beef, so make sure you are looking at your labels. You can also choose the organic option, as well. Chicken, in general, is just better for you over beef because of the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol.
If you're wondering how to form these perfect little loaves, I actually invested in mini meatloaf pans. They are the cutest little dishes and I got four of them for only $5.99 at Homegoods or I found a set of 3 at Amazon for only $7.29.
Non-Stick Mini Loaf Pans - Set of 3!
Ingredients to make this dish
You will need 1 pound ground chicken, 1 egg and 1 egg white, ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs, ¼ tsp. dried basil, ¹⁄8 tsp. dried thyme, ½ tsp. oregano, 2 garlic cloves, minced, 1 small onion, diced, ¹⁄8 tsp. himalayan salt, ¹⁄8 tsp. ground black pepper, ½ cup grated parm cheese, ¾ cup low-sodium marinara sauce, ¾ cup reduced fat shredded mozz, and coconut or avocado cooking spray.
How to make mini chicken parm meatloaf
First, preheat oven to 350° and spray mini meatloaf pans with coconut or avocado cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, egg, egg white, breadcrumbs, basil, thyme, oregano, garlic, onion, salt, pepper, and parm cheese. Mix until combined.
- Disperse evenly among the mini meatloaf pans.
- Add the low-sodium marinara sauce to each meatloaf.
- Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes. Top each meatloaf with the shredded cheese and return to oven for 3 more minutes until the cheese is melted.
Mini Chicken Parm Meatloaf
Equipment
- large mixing bowl
- mini loaf pans
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1 egg
- 1 egg white
- ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ tsp dried basil
- ⅛ tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp oregano
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 small onion diced
- ⅛ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ¾ cup low-sodium marinara sauce
- ¾ cup reduced fat shredded mozzarella
- coconut or avocado cooking spray
Instructions
- First, preheat oven to 350° and spray your mini meatloaf pans with cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine ground chicken, egg, egg white, breadcrumbs, basil, thyme, oregano, garlic, onion, salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese. Mix until combined.
- Disperse evenly among the mini meatloaf pans.
- Add the low-sodium marinara sauce to each meatloaf.
- Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes. Top each meatloaf with cheese and return to oven for 3 more minutes until the cheese is melted.
This recipe is delicious. I did make it with chicken sausage that I used instead of ground chicken. It made 3 mini pans which is plenty. This was moist and so good. My husband loved it.
Hi Susan,
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Chicken sausage was a good idea. I think I’ll have to try that next time 🙂
I love these mini chicken parm loaves! They're so easy to make and my husband, mother in law and stepson love them too! Do you know if you can freeze them?
Hi Annette,
I’m so glad to hear that you love this recipe 🙂 It’s a favorite of mine too. You can freeze them, but I would advise freezing them before adding the sauce and cheese topping. That way they won’t become soggy.