Garlic Parmesan Chicken Meatloaves are mini meatloaves made with ground chicken, lots of garlic, freshly grated Parmesan and parsley, baked in a muffin tin until they reach 165°F. Each one gets a spoonful of warm garlic Parmesan cream sauce at the table. Two pounds of chicken makes 10 meatloaves in about 40 minutes.
How to make them: Mix ground chicken with onion, garlic, bread crumbs, an egg, parsley, Parmesan, salt and pepper just until combined. Scoop the mixture into a greased muffin tin and bake at 375°F for 22 to 25 minutes, until the centers read 165°F. While they rest, make the sauce: cook garlic in olive oil, whisk in a little flour and then cream, and finish with Parmesan and parsley.
Why You’ll Love Them
- Individual portions: a muffin tin shapes 10 even mini meatloaves.
- Faster than a big loaf: they bake in about 25 minutes.
- Garlic twice: in the meatloaves and in the cream sauce.
- No ketchup glaze: a savory Parmesan cream sauce takes its place.
Ingredient Notes
Ground chicken: 2 pounds makes 10 mini meatloaves.
Onion and garlic: half a yellow onion, diced (about 1/2 cup), and 8 to 10 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced. Three more cloves go into the sauce.
Bread crumbs and egg: 3/4 cup bread crumbs and 1 large egg bind the mixture. Two slices of dense bread, crumbled, can replace the crumbs.
Parmesan: 3 ounces, freshly grated, for the meatloaves and another 3 ounces for the sauce. A little extra on top of the meatloaves is optional.
Parsley: 3 tablespoons minced in the meat mix and 1 tablespoon in the sauce.
Salt and pepper: 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper in the meatloaves; 1/4 teaspoon salt in the sauce. Adjust to taste.
For the sauce: 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour and 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream.
Ingredients
For the meatloaves
- 2 pounds ground chicken
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced (about 1/2 cup)
- 8 to 10 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 3/4 cup bread crumbs (or 2 slices dense bread, crumbled)
- 1 large egg
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
- 3 ounces Parmesan cheese, freshly grated (plus a little extra for the tops, optional)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly cracked
For the garlic Parmesan sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 3 ounces Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
How to Make Garlic Parmesan Chicken Meatloaves
1. Heat the oven. Heat the oven to 375°F and lightly grease a muffin tin with cooking spray or oil.
2. Mix the meatloaves. In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, onion, garlic, bread crumbs, egg, parsley, Parmesan, salt and pepper. Mix just until everything is evenly combined; overworking the mixture can make the meatloaves tough.
3. Scoop and shape. Use an ice cream scoop to portion the mixture into 10 even amounts. Shape each into a ball and press it gently into a muffin cup. Sprinkle a little extra Parmesan on top if you like.
4. Bake. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until a thermometer in the center of a meatloaf reads 165°F.
5. Rest. Let the meatloaves rest in the pan for 5 minutes.
6. Cook the garlic and flour. In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute to form a light roux.
7. Add the cream. Lower the heat to medium-low. Pour in the cream slowly, whisking constantly so the sauce stays smooth, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until slightly thickened.
8. Finish the sauce. When the cream mixture is hot but not boiling, whisk in the Parmesan and salt until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth. Stir in the parsley and take the pan off the heat.
9. Serve. Plate the meatloaves and spoon the warm sauce over each serving. Garnish with extra parsley or Parmesan if you like.
How to Keep Chicken Meatloaves Tender
Ground chicken is lean, so a few habits make the difference between tender and tough:
- Mix gently. Stir just until everything is combined. Overworking the mixture makes the meatloaves tough.
- Portion evenly. An ice cream scoop gives 10 matching portions that bake at the same speed.
- Press lightly. Set each ball into its cup with a gentle press rather than packing it in.
- Use a thermometer. Clear juices and a golden top aren’t reliable signs. Ground chicken is done at 165°F in the center.
- Let them rest. Five minutes in the pan helps the juices redistribute so they stay moist.
How to Keep the Cream Sauce Smooth
Cook the garlic until fragrant, then whisk in the flour and let it cook for a minute. Turn the heat down to medium-low and pour the cream in slowly while whisking the whole time, so no lumps form. Once the sauce is hot and slightly thickened, but not boiling, whisk in the Parmesan until it melts. Stir in the parsley off the heat and spoon it over the meatloaves right away.
Muffin Tin or Baking Sheet?
The muffin tin gives neat, round meatloaves and a 22 to 25 minute bake. You can also shape the mixture into 6 to 8 small oval loaves on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet, leaving a little space between them. They take about 25 to 30 minutes at 375°F. Either way, check for 165°F in the center.
Variations
- No sauce: skip the cream sauce and sprinkle extra Parmesan over the tops for the last 5 minutes of baking.
- Italian seasoning: add 1 teaspoon of dried Italian seasoning to the meat mix.
- Mozzarella: top each meatloaf with a little shredded mozzarella for the last 5 minutes.
- Fresh bread instead of crumbs: crumble 2 slices of dense bread into the mix.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerator: Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days. Store the sauce separately.
Freezer: Freeze the meatloaves without the sauce for 3 to 4 months; cream sauces separate and look curdled after thawing. Make fresh sauce when you serve them. Thaw in the refrigerator, or reheat from frozen, which takes about 1 1/2 times as long.
Reheating: Reheat the meatloaves covered until they reach 165°F. Bring any leftover sauce to a rolling boil. Don’t reheat leftovers in a slow cooker.
What to Serve With Them
Mashed potatoes and a vegetable are the natural partners. Try garlic Parmesan mashed potato cups or baked garlic Parmesan potato wedges, with roasted asparagus and carrots or roasted garlic-Parmesan zucchini, squash and tomatoes.
For a beef version, see Parmesan meatloaf. For another creamy garlic chicken dinner, make creamy garlic chicken.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you give me a recipe for chicken meatloaf?
This one mixes 2 pounds of ground chicken with onion, garlic, bread crumbs, an egg, parsley and Parmesan, bakes it as 10 mini meatloaves in a muffin tin at 375°F to 165°F, and tops them with a garlic Parmesan cream sauce.
What are the ingredients in a creamy garlic Parmesan meatloaf?
Ground chicken, onion, garlic, bread crumbs, egg, parsley, Parmesan, salt and pepper for the meatloaves; olive oil, garlic, flour, heavy cream, Parmesan, parsley and salt for the sauce.
How do I know when chicken meatloaves are done?
A thermometer in the center of a meatloaf should read 165°F. Don’t go by clear juices or color.
How do I keep them from turning tough?
Mix the meat just until combined, press it gently into the cups and don’t bake past 165°F.
Can I freeze them?
Yes, without the sauce, for 3 to 4 months. Make the sauce fresh when you serve them.
Final Notes
Mix gently, bake to 165°F and spoon on the garlic Parmesan sauce, and you have tender little meatloaves in about 40 minutes. If you try them with mozzarella on top, tell me in the comments how you liked them.
Garlic Parmesan Chicken Meatloaves
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Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground chicken for the meatloaves
- 1/2 yellow onion diced, about 1/2 cup diced
- 8 to 10 cloves garlic pressed or minced, for the meatloaves
- 3/4 cup bread crumbs or 2 slices of dense bread, crumbled
- 1 egg large
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley minced, for the meatloaves
- 3 ounces Parmesan cheese freshly grated, for the meatloaves; a little extra for the tops is optional
- 1 teaspoon salt for the meatloaves; adjust to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper freshly cracked, for the meatloaves
- 2 tablespoons olive oil for the sauce
- 3 cloves garlic pressed or minced, for the sauce
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour for the sauce
- 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream for the sauce
- 3 ounces Parmesan cheese freshly grated, for the sauce
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley minced, for the sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon salt for the sauce; adjust to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 375°F and lightly grease a muffin tin with cooking spray or oil.
- In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, onion, garlic, bread crumbs, egg, parsley, Parmesan, salt and pepper. Mix just until everything is evenly combined; overworking the mixture can make the meatloaves tough.
- Use an ice cream scoop to portion the mixture into 10 even amounts. Shape each into a ball and press it gently into a muffin cup. Sprinkle a little extra Parmesan on top if you like.
- Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until a thermometer in the center of a meatloaf reads 165°F.
- Let the meatloaves rest in the pan for 5 minutes.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute to form a light roux.
- Lower the heat to medium-low. Pour in the cream slowly, whisking constantly so the sauce stays smooth, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until slightly thickened.
- When the cream mixture is hot but not boiling, whisk in the Parmesan and salt until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth. Stir in the parsley and take the pan off the heat.
- Plate the meatloaves and spoon the warm sauce over each serving. Garnish with extra parsley or Parmesan if you like.
