a savory loaf

Who would have thought that I would be making a ground chicken loaf... on JUNE 1st??? Normally June is a month full of salads - but the month of May has been a cold one... so I thought I would warm myself up (and my week) with my version of a meat loaf - using ground chicken.

Using the chicken and keeping the ingredients fresh makes this a light version of the original meat loaf. So although this isn't a traditional "summer" dish - it hits the spot! Serve with fresh veggies from the market, and then you'll get the best of both worlds.

Chicken Loaf
ingredients:
1 lb (450g) ground chicken
2 celery stalks, finely diced
2 sm. onions, finely diced
1 green pepper, diced
2 large tomatoes, cut, seeded and diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
cumin powder
cayenne pepper
red pepper flakes
cinnamon
salt and pepper
hot sauce (I used Nunavut - again from Stone Faced Dolly's)
1 egg white

Preheat your oven to 350 F.

Prepare all your veggies. Now heat your pan over medium high. Add your celery, onions and peppers to the pan and cook for a few minutes. Your base should get soft - that's when you'll add the garlic and all the spices - use all of these spices to your liking. Once everything is well blended together, remove the pan from heat and put everything in a large bowl. Allow to cool for about 2 minutes.

Add the ground chicken, hot sauce (as much as you like), egg white and the seeded diced tomatoes to the large bowl. Combine everything really well.

Place the mixture into your loaf pan. You'll want to cook this in your oven for about 40 - 50 minutes (depending on your oven).

I LOVE how the cinnamon plays off the hot sauce - it lends an almost sweet taste to the poultry. Again - most of this was inspired by looking at my spice rack and seeing what would work when combined. I hope you are inspired to try making this ol' classic a little differently. Enjoy!