The other week, Ryan looked at me and said, “We have got to do something about our freezer space.” Ever since I started pumping and storing breastmilk in our freezer, space has become quite limited and we’re now on a mission to use up a bunch of the freezer foods we’ve had chillin’ in the freezer (<—pun intended) for a little too long. (Um, is it totally horrible to mention breastmilk in a recipe blog post? Probably. Talk about unappetizing… Oops!)
In our mission to use up freezer foods, I took a pound of ground chicken out of the freezer and let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator while I started to think about what I wanted to do with it. I initially planned to make buffalo chicken burgers, but Chase ended up napping for longer than anticipated the other week (woo!), so I had a tiny bit of extra time to do something a little more special with the hot sauce and chicken.
Apparently I now think meatloaf is special? Someone send help!
Though the word meatloaf has never sounded appealing to me, the flavor always wins me over. I am a huge fan of many different kinds of meatloaf and now we’re adding this buffalo chicken meatloaf to our list of favorites! I added a ton of vegetables to the ground chicken before baking it in the oven for 45 minutes. Both Ryan and I loved the meatloaf and I actually used ground up leftovers on top of a salad the next day for a lunchtime buffalo chicken salad, too!
It’s a deliciously easy recipe (you only need to use one bowl to make it – limited dishes for the win!) and I think it almost tastes even better the next day! I highly recommend making this one on a Sunday afternoon and reheating it later in the week for a quick weeknight dinner.
Buffalo Chicken Meatloaf
PrintBuffalo Chicken Meatloaf
- Prep Time: 12 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 57 minutes
- Yield: 1 meatloaf 1x
- Category: dinner, recipes
- Cuisine: dinner
Description
This buffalo meatloaf is packed with vegetables and flavor, making it the perfect easy dinner. Prep everything in one bowl and place it in the oven for 45 minutes for a simple, flavorful meal or make it ahead of time on Sunday and reheat later in the week for a healthy and delicious midweek dinner!
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1/3 cup grated zucchini
- 1/3 cup carrots, finely diced
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 2 celery stalks, finely diced
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup old fashioned oatmeal
- 1/4 cup Franks Original Red Hot Sauce (less or more to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a loaf pan with coconut oil, butter or cooking spray.
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and thoroughly mix.
- Press chicken mixture into loaf pan and place in the oven for 40-45 minutes, or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.
- Allow meatloaf to rest for approximately 10 minutes to allow it to soak up the juices before serving.
- Optional: Top with a dollop of Greek yogurt, sour cream or avocado slices and enjoy!
I highly recommend topping it with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt, sour cream or avocado slices for an extra punch of flavor. So good!
If you decide to give this recipe a try, I hope you love it as much as we do in our house!
this sounds like a tasty way to eat meatloaf! I love how you added in lots of veggies yum!
I have never thought of making meatloaf with chicken! Love this idea will have to try this out!
Num! Meatloaf always reminds me of my childhood home. And this is such a fun twist!
I never thought to make buffalo chicken into a meatloaf! Genius 🙂
And for the record, don’t feel like you have to apologize for talking about breast milk!
Yum!! I’ve never made meatloaf (it intimidates me) but your recipe looks easy enough it just might give me enough courage! 😀 Do you think I can use ground turkey meat instead of chicken? (Hard to find ground chicken here in Hungary! 😀 )
What a great idea!! We have two fridges, yet are always at our freezer capacity!
That sounds really good! I made a pumpkin meatloaf last week that was really tasty and moist from the pumpkin and other veggies.
I love anything buffalo chicken. Can’t wait to try it!
I LOVE meatloaf. That recipe sounds delish. I’ll add it to the docket.
This sounds great, and kind of like a “kitchen sick” type meal. Just add I the ingredients you have available (we always have peppers and onions, for example) and you’re off to the races!
Hope you vacation is going off without a hitch!
Such a creative idea! I too don’t like the word or sound of “meatloaf” but would like a chicken version I think.
If you like buffalo chicken, you have GOT to try the Buffalo chicken spaghetti squash casserole from PaleOMG. It’s so delicious!
You mentioned this the other day and I’m so excited you posted the recipe! I love Buffalo chicken anything.
Yum! This sounds really good. I like the ‘end’ pieces of meatloaf, so I might try making it in muffin tins to maximize the ‘edge’ texture. Buffalo Chicken & Vegetable Cups? (like egg cups?)
What a great idea- definitely going to try this!
I love all things buffalo chicken! I might have to add this to the menu this week!
We love your BBQ meatloaf at our house, this sounds like a winner too. And I love when I can sneak extra veggies in everyone!
So weird as I dreamt about meatloaf last night! (Weird dream yes, must have been hungry.) This looks so unique and yummy. All your other recipes are hits at our house, so I’m gonna have to give this one a try. Also thanks for the tip about crumbling leftovers on salad, I haven’t tried that yet.
This sounds so yummy! I need to send the hubby to the store so I can make this tonight. 😛
This may sound crazy, but I’ve made it 19 years without ever having meatloaf! There was something about it that always seemed unappealing. However, this one sounds delicious!
This looks super yummy!
This looks super yummy!
We made this tonight and it was delicious!
I made this last night and it was amazing! Thank you for sharing.
So glad to hear this! Thanks for reporting back!
After trying the chicken chili last weekend, I made this tonight and it is delicious! My daughter loved it too which is always a win. Thanks for some solid recipes that are simple for a busy family ?
I’m so glad it was a hit with you and your family!! <3 Thanks for taking the time to let me know!!