Chicken & Apple Meatloaf

The only meatloaf I ever ate growing up was made with ground beef and was always served with mashed potatoes and peas.

Traditionally meatloaf is made with what’s commonly called a meatloaf mix—a mix of equal parts ground beef, pork and veal. Replacing the usual suspects with ground chicken (or ground turkey) lightens this meatloaf and by incorporating a few key ingredients you won’t sacrifice any flavor.

First, chopped onions, Granny Smith apples and dried sage are sautéed just until the onions and apples begin to soften. Don’t worry about them being too crunchy. They’ll continue to cook and soften as they’re baked with the other ingredients.

Sautéing the apples mellows their tartness a bit, but they’re still a nice complement to the chicken and sage. Most meatloaf recipes include fresh or dried breadcrumbs and you can use those here if that’s what you have on hand, but to add even more flavor try seasoned, dried stuffing instead. Be sure to grab the crumbs and not the stuffing cubes. They’re difficult to crush and the large cubes won’t blend well with the ground chicken.

Chicken & Apple Meatloaf

Serves 4 – 6

For Meatloaf:

2 teaspoons olive oil

½ cup chopped onions

½ cup peeled, chopped Granny Smith apples

1 teaspoon ground sage

2 pounds ground chicken

1 large egg

½ cup stuffing or bread crumbs

Salt

Pepper

For Sauce:

½ cup ketchup

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons light brown sugar

Prepare meatloaf:

Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Lightly spray a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Heat olive oil in a small sauté pan over medium high heat. Add the onions, apples and sage and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions and apples soften, about 3 minutes. Be careful not to brown them. Remove them from the heat and set aside to cool.

Combine the sautéed vegetables with the remaining meatloaf ingredients in a large bowl. Use your hands or a wooden spoon to mix until well-combined. Gently press the chicken into the loaf pan, smoothing the top.

Place the pan in the center of the oven and bake for 45 – 50 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in the center of the loaf reaches 165° Fahrenheit.

Prepare sauce:

While the meatloaf bakes, prepare the sauce.  Whisk all of the ingredients together in a small sauce pot over medium high heat, just until the sugar dissolves.

Brush half the sauce over the meatloaf during the last 15 minutes of cooking. Serve the remaining sauce alongside the meatloaf.