tender chicken meatloaf with rosemary and thyme

Yesterday, I was musing over the two chicken breasts in the fridge. Stir fry? One-pot chicken? Then a longing for tender, moist meatloaf suddenly poked me, and this is the result.

This is the kind of recipe you make in your pyjamas - either late at night, or early in the morning. Mix it up, press into a loaf pan, and place in the fridge until you're ready to bake it, leaving plenty of time for a long hike on snowshoes. Knowing you have dinner premade certainly makes for a hassle-free end of the day.

Serves 4, give or take.

2 T. olive oil

1 T. unsalted butter

1 large onion, chopped

1 large clove of garlic, pressed

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2 T. tomato paste

1/3 cup white wine

1 T. olive oil

1 T. unsalted butter

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1 extra large egg

1/2 t. kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1/3 cup chopped parsley

1/2 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs ( I used a chunk of rosemary bread and grated it)

1 large chicken breast, cut into chunks, then put in a food processor for 4 pulses

(it will be thick and pasty and should be about 1 cup almost-puree)

1 t. dried thyme

1 cup chopped canned plum tomatoes ( save 1/2 cup of the juices to pour on top of the meatloaf)

1 t. dried basil

1 T. fresh rosemary, chopped

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Heat the olive oil and butter in a skillet. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 10 minutes on medium heat. Remove to a medium bowl and set aside.

Heat 1 T. olive oil and 1 T. unsalted butter in the same skillet, then stir in the tomato paste and white wine. Cook for a few minutes, remove from heat, and pour over the onion mixture.

Add to the onion/tomato paste/wine mixture the breadcrumbs, chicken, egg, parsley, salt and pepper, cheese, thyme, tomatoes and basil.

Press the mixture into an oiled loaf pan, then drizzle the half cup of tomato juices over the top. At this point you can either cover it and place in the fridge, or place in a preheated 350F oven. Bake for one hour.

Remove from oven and let sit for 20 minutes, then cut into slices and serve. Instead of ketchup, a few tablespoons of warm tomato juices drizzled on the slices is even better.

Enjoy!