Chicken and bacon meatloaf is made by combining ground chicken with layers of ham and cheese, before rolling in bacon. The savoury flavours of the ham and cheese perfectly complement the more subtle taste of the chicken, while the crispy bacon provides a salty flavour and crunchy texture.
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A juicy tender chicken meatloaf
Chicken and bacon meatloaf stuffed with ham and cheese is a delicious and hearty dish that is perfect for a family dinner or a cosy night in. This meatloaf is made with a mixture of ground chicken, egg, breadcrumbs, and spices, and is then filled with a layer of succulent ham and melted cheese. To finish, the meatloaf is rolled in crispy bacon, which adds a crunchy texture and a salty flavor to the dish.
This recipe is easy to prepare, and can be customized to suit your taste preferences. You can swap out the spices used in the meatloaf mixture, or add different ingredients such as finely chopped onions. The ham and cheese filling provides a melty, salty contrast to the tender and juicy meatloaf, while the bacon adds a smoky and crispy element to the dish.
Served with a side of roasted vegetables and potatoes, or a fresh salad, this chicken and bacon meatloaf is a complete meal that will leave you feeling satisfied and happy. Whether you are cooking for a family gathering or a weeknight dinner, this dish is sure to impress and be a hit with everyone at the table.
What’s more, thinly sliced leftover chicken and bacon meatloaf makes the most delicious sandwiches, which are perfect for packing into a lunch box.
Let’s have a look at how easy this chicken and bacon meatloaf is to make.
What you will need
Equipment
I use a food processor to grind the chicken. If you don’t have one, you can ask your butcher to mince the chicken for you.
The only other equipment you will need is a baking sheet for baking the meatloaf on. Make sure it’s large enough to hold the roll of chicken meatloaf, and it should have a rim around the edge to prevent the juices from running off.
Ingredients
This recipe will make a meatloaf large enough to feed 4 people, and depending on your family’s appetite you should end up with a few leftovers for sandwiches. If you want to make a smaller meatloaf, you can simply halve the ingredients.
**You can get the complete list of ingredients and full instructions for making a chicken and bacon meatloaf on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**
Chicken breasts – this is a very economical recipe and 2 chicken breasts will be more than sufficient for 4 people. My chicken weighed 400 grams (which is about 14 ounces).
Bacon – I used unsmoked streaky bacon. Streaky bacon is better to use than back bacon as the rashers tend to have more fat, which not only helps to flavour the chicken, but also crisps up nicely in the oven. I used an entire 225-gram (8-ounce) pack with 16 slices.
Ham – this is just normal sandwich ham that you probably keep in your refrigerator for sandwiches.
Cheese – cheddar, or any cheese that you can grate, is fine.
Breadcrumbs – these are used to bind the ground chicken. I like to use Panko breadcrumbs because they are super absorbent and hold the meat together beautifully. If you don’t have Panko breadcrumbs you can just grate some day-old bread instead. You don’t need to soak the breadcrumbs in milk before adding them – the ground chicken has more than enough moisture in it.
Egg – used with the breadcrumbs to bind the chicken and stop it from falling apart after it has been cooked.
Mixed herbs (or Italian herbs) – for extra flavour. You can leave these out or substitute them with something else such as paprika if you prefer.
Salt and black pepper – for seasoning. A word or warning here, bacon is inclined to be salty, and the juices from the bacon will get absorbed into the chicken as it bakes, so be careful that you don’t oversalt the chicken.
What to do
This is an easy recipe to make. Once you’ve assembled the meatloaf and put it into the oven, it cooks itself.
Make the filling
Place all the ingredients (except the bacon, ham and cheese) into a food processor. If you don’t have a food processor, you can chop the chicken finely by hand, or ask your butcher to mince it for you.
Pulse the chicken for a few seconds until it is finely minced and all the ingredients are combined.
Spread the minced chicken onto a piece of baking parchment (to prevent it from sticking to your work surface) and press it out into a rectangle approximately 8 inches by 10 inches in size.
Cover the chicken with slices of ham.
Sprinkle the ham with grated cheese. Leave about an inch uncovered down one of the long edges.
Using the baking parchment to help you, roll the chicken into a sausage shape from the long edge towards the uncovered edge.
Assemble and bake
Spread a sheet of tinfoil onto your work surface and arrange the bacon rashers into a rectangle as wide as the chicken roll.
Transfer the chicken roll from the baking parchment onto the bacon. Place it across the rashers.
Fold the rashers of bacon up around the chicken to enclose it. Turn the roll so that the bacon joins are underneath.
Transfer the chicken roll (still on the tinfoil) onto a baking tray.
Bake the chicken roll (uncovered) for 35 minutes at 200C / 400F until the bacon is crispy and the chicken is cooked through.
The internal temperature of cooked chicken should register 75C / 165F on a digital probe thermometer. If you don’t have a thermometer, cut the meatloaf in half. The chicken should be white with no pink showing.
What can I serve with chicken and bacon meatloaf?
I like to serve this dish with a side dish of potatoes and cover it with a sauce.
Here are some potato and sauce recipes you may enjoy:
- Saute potatoes
- Boulangere potatoes
- Crispy smashed potatoes with rosemary
- Barbeque sauce
- Hunter’s sauce
- Honey mustard sauce
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Chicken and bacon meatloaf FAQ
I’ve never frozen the cooked meatloaf (it always gets eaten too quickly 🙂 ).
However, you can definitely freeze the assembled meatloaf. Once you have wrapped it in bacon, fold the tinfoil around the meatloaf and wrap it in one or two layers of plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 3 months.
When you are ready to cook the meatloaf, let it defrost in the refrigerator overnight and cook it as per the recipe instructions.
You can store the cooked meatloaf for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
I like to keep it in a tupperware box (in the fridge) and cut thin slices off for sandwiches when I need them.
Save for later
If you would like to make this chicken and bacon meatloaf why not save the recipe to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it easily? Just click on the image below.
Alternatively, you can save the recipe by clicking on the floating heart icon on the right-hand side of the screen.
Other recipes
Perhaps you’d also like to try some of my other easy chicken recipes:
- Crispy fried chicken tenderloins with mash and gravy – succulent strips of chicken fried coated in spicy flour and pan-fried until crispy.
- Easy chicken cordon bleu – chicken fillets stuffed with ham and cheese and wrapped in bacon
- Oven-baked peri-peri chicken (just like Nandos) – tasty chicken thighs, marinated in a spicy peri-peri sauce and oven baked until golden.
- Chicken satay skewers – chunks of chicken marinated in a tasty satay sauce before being threaded onto skewers and cooked on the grill.
The recipe
Chicken and bacon meatloaf with ham and cheese
(Click the stars to rate this recipe)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 14 ounces / 400 grams chicken breast
- 8 ounces / 225 grams streaky bacon 16 rashers
- 6 – 8 slices sandwich ham
- ½ cup / 65 grams grated cheddar cheese
- 1 cup / 125 grams Panko breadcrumbs or grated bread
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons mixed herbs / Italian herbs
- ½ teaspoon salt (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F
- Place all the ingredients (except the bacon, ham and cheese) into a food processor. If you don't have a food processor, you can chop the chicken finely by hand, or ask your butcher to mince it for you.14 ounces / 400 grams chicken breast, 1 cup / 125 grams Panko breadcrumbs, 1 large egg, 2 teaspoons mixed herbs / Italian herbs, ½ teaspoon salt (optional), ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Pulse the chicken for a few seconds until it is finely minced and all the ingredients are combined.
- Spread the minced chicken onto a piece of baking parchment (to prevent it from sticking to your work surface) and press it out into a rectangle approximately 8 inches by 10 inches in size.
- Cover the chicken with slices of ham.6 – 8 slices sandwich ham
- Sprinkle the ham with grated cheese. Leave about an inch uncovered down one of the long edges.½ cup / 65 grams grated cheddar cheese
- Using the baking parchment to help you, roll the chicken into a sausage shape from the long edge towards the uncovered edge.
- Spread a sheet of tinfoil onto your work surface and arrange the bacon rashers into a rectangle as wide as the chicken roll.8 ounces / 225 grams streaky bacon
- Place the chicken roll on top of the bacon, going across the rashers.
- Fold the rashers of bacon up around the chicken to enclose it. Turn the roll so that the bacon joins are underneath.
- Transfer the chicken roll (still on the tinfoil) onto a baking tray.
- Bake the chicken roll (uncovered) in the preheated oven for 35 minutes until the bacon is crispy and the chicken is cooked through.
- Serve with a potato dish, fresh vegetables and a sauce of your choice.
Notes
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
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I made this recipe but doubled up on the ham.It satisfied everybody’s taste with a big thumbs up from my 12 YO granddaughter,who is a fussy eater at best.It is on my repeat list. Thank you VJ.
Thanks for the comment. Glad you enjoyed it!