Chicken Meatloaf

What can I say about meatloaf that hasn’t already been said a bazillion times?

Well shockingly enough I have opinions about the loaf of meat.  I love meatloaf, it’s super hard to screw up, (bonus!), makes great leftovers, and brings me to a comfortable place of nostalgia which puts a smile on my face, and belly.  Meatloaf is about as American as it gets, better than apple pie.  Confession: I hate apple pie.  I keep calling it meatloaf but really this recipe is chicken loaf, whatever.  The type of meat you use doesn’t matter, it all works the same.

I’ve made a lot of meatloaf in my time, stuffed, used all sorts of different meats, sauces, and fillers.  I even once had a vegan meatloaf, that was a dark period in my life.  Because the mighty meatloaf has been recipe’d to death, I needed to add something to this to crank up the volume to 11.  Looking around my cupboard I was trying to find inspiration to put the funk into the loaf.  I wanted to go sweet, a little salty, sour, and spicy.  Balsamic vinegar, hot peppers, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and molasses would be the arsenal to make it happen.  As I mixed them together in a coffee mug, (do you use a mixing bowl?), I was slightly unsure if my ratios were going to provide the flavor profile I was going for.  To my pleasant surprise it was a winner the first time out of the gate.  Sometimes it just all comes together. Unlike my dang seaweed salad recipe that I have been working on for a freakin’ month, it’s coming, maybe.

So that’s the story of this meatloaf.  If you’re bored by your current loaf recipe, or just want something new, give this a try, you won’t be disappointed.