Chicken Parmesan Meatloaf:
1 lb. ground chicken
1 (16 oz). mozzarella block
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/8 cup milk
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
Meatloaf Topping:
1 1/2 cups jarred marinara sauce, divided
1/3 cup bread crumbs
2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp butter, melted
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Slicing lengthwise, cut off a third of the mozzarella block. If using fresh mozzarella, I recommend that you wrap both pieces in a couple layers of paper towel then weigh them down with a heavy object to extract liquid. Refrigerate the weighed cheese for one hour. There is no need to press the cheese if using low moisture mozzarella.
In a large mixing bowl, add 1/2 cup bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Blend. Add chicken, garlic, onion, egg, and milk. Combine. Mixture will be sticky. Transfer mixture onto a large, greased plastic wrap. With greased hands, flatten and shape mixture into a 7 x 9 inch rectangle. It just needs to be slightly longer and wider in circumference than the larger block of cheese. Place the block crosswise in the center of the meat mixture. Lift the plastic wrap on one end and fold the meat over the mozzarella. Press gently to adhere. Repeat on the other side. Keeping the plastic wrap on, gently press and roll to form a log. Seal ends. It is important that there are no holes in the meat mixture and that the cheese is completely encapsulated to prevent oozing during baking.
On a platter, combine 1/2 cup bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Drizzle in melted butter. Use a fork to work the butter into the crumbs to obtain wet sand consistency. Unwrap and slide the loaf onto the platter and completely coat with crumb mixture. Use spatulas to transfer onto greased baking sheet. Bake for 35 minutes on middle rack. Loosely cover the upper rack with aluminum foil if top browns quickly during this time period.
Remove loaf from oven. Spoon a 1/2 cup marinara over the top. Cut the small block of mozzarella into 1/8 inch slices. Place on top of marinara. Bake, unfoiled, for 20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F. Serve immediately with the remaining heated marinara sauce.
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