Meatloaf is usually baked in a loaf pan. That’s how the dish probably got its name. But I wanted something different so I baked my chicken meatloaf in empty tin cans.
Empty tin cans? Take a tall tin can of, say, evaporated milk or tomato sauce. Cut out the top and bottom and you have a tube, right? That’s what you can use. But. BUT. Don’t use an old tin can which may have the first signs of rust. The cans I used were opened just a few minutes before I stuffed the meatloaf mixture inside them. Just plan everything ahead of time so that when you cook a dish that requires you to use anything in a can, you can make your meatloaf at the same time. At any rate, meatloaf keeps well in the freezer.
So, did I really say chicken meatloaf? Chicken? Yes, chicken. You can buy ground chicken meat in the supermarket, didn’t you know? There’s ground chicken breast meat and ground chicken thigh meat. I prefer ground thighs because the fat keeps the chicken meatloaf moist.
- 200 to 300 grams ground chicken
- 2 slices day old bread
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 1 small carrot peeled and chopped
- 2 small (or 1 big) green bell pepper, cored, seeds removed and chopped
- 1 small onion peeled and finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish drained well
- 4 eggs beaten
- salt
- pepper
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Tear the bread into small pieces, place in a bowl and pour in the milk. Mix and soak for about 10 minutes. Squeeze out the excess milk.
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Mix the bread with the rest of the ingredients. Season with about a teaspoonful and a half of salt and half a teaspoonful of pepper.
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(You may optionally spray or brush the inside of the tin cans with a little oil. The oil will make it easier to remove the chicken meatloaf after it has cooled.)
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Stand the prepared tin cans on a baking tray. Stuff them with the meatloaf mixture, pressing down with a spoon to make sure the mixture is compact. Cover the top of the cans with pieces of aluminum foil. Bake in a 180C oven for 30 minutes. Cool before removing from the cans.
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To remove, run a long thin knife around the cans and lightly push one end of the meatloaf with the back of a spoon.
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You can steam your meatloaf instead of baking them but you may need to cover BOTH ends of the cans with aluminum foil.
