Buffalo Chicken Meatloaf
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Make the BEST Buffalo Chicken Meatloaf with this easy recipe! This meatloaf is juicy, tender and so incredibly flavorful. It’s got a kick of heat from the buffalo sauce and spices, but is cooled down with creamy blue cheese on top. It’s simple to swap out one ingredient to turn this meatloaf into an easy keto meal.
Table of contents
When it comes to meatloaf, I’m totally a convert. I was never really a fan of it growing up, but now that I’ve put my own twists on the dish, I absolutely love it! From Mexican Meatloaf, to Italian Meatloaf, to this delicious Buffalo Chicken Meatloaf, I’m all about the simple comfort food meal.
For this meatloaf recipe, I combined both ground chicken and pork with the delicious flavors of buffalo sauce and blue cheese. The result is a moist and flavorful meatloaf that pairs perfectly with these Buffalo Blue Cheese Mashed Potatoes. Because what’s a special meatloaf without a special side of mashed potatoes to go with it?
Ingredients
- Ground chicken – generally found with the other cuts of chicken at the grocery store on the meat aisle.
- Ground pork – also found near the other cuts of pork on the meat aisle. While you can use all ground chicken, I do recommend the combination of pork and chicken because the pork adds more fat to the mixture, which makes the meatloaf juicy and tender.
- Onion – I prefer a yellow onion in this recipe for it’s nice, neutral flavor.
- Celery
- Carrots
- Garlic – I always recommend fresh minced garlic for the best flavor.
- Breadcrumbs – traditional or panko bread crumbs can be used in this recipe. To make it keto, use pork panko.
- Parmesan cheese – this ingredient is used as a binder, and to add salt and flavor to the meatloaf.
- Blue cheese – either purchase crumbles, or crumble a block of blue cheese yourself at home. Not a fan of blue cheese? You can substitute in pepper jack (for more spice) or cheddar cheese.
- Buffalo sauce – I’ve tried many brands of buffalo sauce over the years, but Frank’s is still my favorite!
- Egg
- Chili powder
- Paprika
- Olive oil – another vegetable oil will also work for this recipe.
Instructions
I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions, recipe video and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Cook the veggies. Drizzle olive oil into a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Add diced onions, celery and carrots. Cook for 4-5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
- Make the buffalo chicken mixture. In a large bowl combine the chicken, pork and cooked veggies. Add the chili powder, paprika, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, egg and ½ cup buffalo sauce.
- Combine well. Use a spatula to stir everything together while scraping the sides. Make sure all of the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. Lightly mix in ¼ cup blue cheese crumbles.
- Start to bake. Coat a 9 inch x 5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Add the meatloaf mixture to the pan and place it in the oven. Cook at 375°F for 25 minutes.
- Cover with sauce and cheese. Carefully remove the meatloaf from the oven, drain any liquid, then brush the top of the meatloaf with additional buffalo sauce. Top with ½ cup blue cheese crumbles.
- Finish baking. Return the meatloaf to the oven and bake for 20 more minutes, or until the internal temperature in the middle of the meatloaf registers 165°F on an instant-read thermometer.
- Let it rest. Wait 15-20 minutes for the meatloaf to cool before removing it from the loaf pan and slicing. This will prevent the meatloaf from falling apart when slicing into it. Optionally garnish with fresh chopped cilantro, or green onions, before serving.
Frequently asked questions
- Do you have to cook onions before putting them in meatloaf? While it isn’t absolutely necessary, it is highly recommended to cook onions, or any other veggies, before mixing them into a meatloaf. If you don’t pre-cook the veggies, they won’t be as tender and it will affect the texture of the meatloaf.
- Do you have to use blue cheese in this recipe? If you’re not a fan of blue cheese, you can leave it out of this recipe. If you’d still like to top the meatloaf with another cheese, I recommend either shredded cheddar, pepper jack or mozzarella cheese.
- Why does my meatloaf fall apart when I cut it? If you do not use enough eggs or breadcrumbs, your meatloaf will likely fall apart. Also make sure to allow the loaf to rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing. I also highly recommend using a meatloaf pan with an insert (as seen in the video at the bottom of this post). This makes it so easy to lift the meatloaf out of the pan and cut it into even slices without trying to cut it directly in the pan.
- How do you make meatloaf without a loaf pan? Just freeform the meatloaf into a loaf shape, then place it on a foil lined rimmed baking sheet. Follow the other instructions as listed in this recipe.
How to make it gluten free and keto
To make this meatloaf recipe gluten free, substitute in gluten-free breadcrumbs. Always make sure the buffalo sauce used is gluten free. Frank’s RedHot, as seen in this post, is gluten free!
To make this recipe low carb and perfect for those on a keto diet, substitute in pork panko for the breadcrumbs. This will reduce the total carbs per serving from 16 grams, down to 7 grams and the net carbs down to 5 grams per serving.
Storage and reheating
Stored in an airtight container, leftover buffalo chicken meatloaf will last in the fridge for up to 5 days.
To reheat slices of the meatloaf, place a slice of meatloaf on a plate and microwave for 2 minutes. Or pan fry a slice of meatloaf in a skillet on the stove over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes per side, or until heated through.
To reheat a whole meatloaf, or half of the meatloaf, instead of slices, place it on a baking sheet and loosely cover with foil. Reheat the meatloaf in a preheated 350°F oven for 15-20 minutes, or until heated through.
What to serve with meatloaf
No matter what you serve it with, this buffalo chicken meatloaf is guaranteed to be your new favorite meatloaf recipe! It’s juicy and saucy served right out of the oven, but you can also serve it with buffalo sauce, blue cheese dressing or ranch dressing on the side for dipping.
For side dishes, I created these Buffalo Blue Cheese Mashed Potatoes to go specifically with this dish. They’re a match made in buffalo sauce heaven, but you could also serve it with any of these easy side dish recipes.
More recipes with buffalo sauce
Can’t get enough of the best sauce ever? Keep up the buffalo sauce party with these amazing recipes!
Buffalo Chicken Meatloaf
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup onion, diced
- ½ cup celery, diced
- ½ cup carrots, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 egg
- ¾ cup buffalo sauce, divided
- ¾ cup blue cheese crumbles, divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add the diced onions, celery and carrots, cook 4-5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.
- Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.
- In a large bowl combine the chicken, pork and cooked veggies.
- Add the chili powder, paprika, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, egg and ½ cup buffalo sauce.
- Combine well.
- Lightly mix in ¼ cup of the blue cheese crumbles.
- Place the mixture in a loaf pan coated with cooking spray.
- Bake for 25 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, drain any liquid, brush with the additional buffalo sauce.
- Top with the remaining ½ cup blue cheese crumbles.
- Place back into the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the meatloaf reaches 165°F using an instant-read thermometer.
Notes
- To make this meatloaf recipe gluten free, substitute in gluten-free breadcrumbs. Always make sure the buffalo sauce used is gluten free. Frank’s RedHot, as seen in this post, is gluten free.
- To make this recipe low carb and perfect for those on a keto diet, substitute in pork panko for the breadcrumbs. This will reduce the total carbs per serving from 16 grams, down to 7 grams and the net carbs down to 5 grams per serving.
- If you’re not a fan of blue cheese, you can leave it out of this recipe, and replace it with either shredded cheddar, pepper jack or mozzarella cheese.
- To make the meatloaf without a loaf pan, freeform the meatloaf into a loaf shape, then place it on a foil lined rimmed baking sheet. Follow the other instructions as listed in this recipe.
- Stored in an airtight container, leftover buffalo chicken meatloaf will last in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- To reheat slices of the meatloaf, place a slice of meatloaf on a plate and microwave for 2 minutes. Or pan fry a slice of meatloaf in a skillet on the stove over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes per side, or until heated through.
- To reheat a whole meatloaf, or half of the meatloaf, instead of slices, place it on a baking sheet and loosely cover with foil. Reheat the meatloaf in a preheated 350°F oven for 15-20 minutes, or until heated through.
Nutrition Facts
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