I’m always on the lookout for delicious mid-week meals that don’t take too much effort to pull together. Because even though there are times when I really don’t feel like cooking, sometimes I just have to because I’m an adult and reaching for cereal isn’t going to cut it. Enter, these Buffalo Chicken Meatloaves. They’re a combination of two of my favorite things, meatloaf and buffalo wings. It’s the best of both worlds and when served with mashed potatoes and a vegetable or salad, it makes for a complete meal that you can feel good about. If you’re looking for more meatloaf inspiration, might I recommend these meatloaf meatballs? They’re really good.
Set a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the butter and the onion, celery, carrot and garlic. Sauté, stirring often, until softened, about 10 minutes. Remove from the stove and allow to cool.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground chicken, breadcrumbs, eggs, hot sauce, ranch seasoning, salt, pepper, and cooled vegetables until just combined.
**Tip: Try not to overwork the mixture as it’ll get tough and dry if you do. Only mix until just combined.**
Divide the mixture into six even portions and then shape into small meatloaves. Make sure they are about the same size so they cook at the same time. Place them on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
In the meantime, in a small saucepan, combine the hot sauce, butter, honey and black pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly reduced and thickened, about 10 minutes.
**Tip: If you want to cut through some of the spiciness/heat from the hot sauce, you can do equal parts hot sauce and ketchup and add a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar. Cook it down until reduced and slightly thickened as directed.**
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and baste the meatloaves with the sauce until fully coated. Return to the oven and continue to cook until the internal temperature of the meatloaves reach 165°F, about 20 minutes longer.
Continue to brush the meatloaves with the sauce every 5 minutes. Remove from the oven once done and garnish with scallions and blue cheese (or feta).
**Note: I’m not a fan of blue cheese so I always use feta instead. It’s a good substitute if you’re like me and don’t like stinky cheese.**
I like to serve this meatloaf with mashed potatoes and green beans or broccoli. It would also be great with a salad or roasted potatoes. It’s the perfect dinner! These would also make for a delicious sandwich.
If you’re a fan of buffalo wings, then you’ll love this meatloaf. If you make this or any other recipe from the site, be sure to let me know what you think below. As always, thank you so much for reading and following along. Your support means a lot!
Buffalo Chicken Meatloaves
Equipment
- Sauté Pan
- Mixing Bowl
- Baking Sheet
- Saucepan
- Basting brush
Ingredients
Meatloaves:
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 1/2 medium yellow onion finely diced
- 2 small carrots peeled and finely diced
- 2 small ribs of celery finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 pounds ground chicken
- 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup Frank's redhot sauce
- 2 tablespoons ranch seasoning
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse black pepper
Sauce:
- 3/4 cup Frank's redhot sauce
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Garnish:
- 3 scallions thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese or feta
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Set a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the butter and the onion, celery, carrot and garlic. Sauté, stirring often, until softened, about 10 minutes. Remove from the stove and allow to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground chicken, breadcrumbs, eggs, hot sauce, ranch seasoning, salt, pepper, and cooled vegetables until just combined.
- Divide the mixture into six even portions and then shape into small meatloaves. Make sure they are about the same size so they cook at the same time. Place them on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, in a small saucepan, combine the hot sauce, butter, honey and black pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly reduced and thickened, about 10 minutes.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and baste the meatloaves with the sauce until fully coated. Return to the oven and continue to cook until the internal temperature of the meatloaves reach 165°F, about 20 minutes longer. Continue to brush the meatloaves with the sauce every 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and garnish with scallions and blue cheese (or feta). Serve immediately and enjoy!
what a clever swap for ketchup! Or, whatever is usually paired with meatloaf, and chicken too, but more so on the Frank’s hot, great idea, thank you!