Ground Chicken and Zucchini Breakfast Loaf with Thyme
A savory loaf of ground chicken, grated zucchini, and chopped bacon baked with thyme, chilled overnight so it slices without crumbling, then eaten cold in hand or warmed in a pan.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
I make this on a Sunday night, let it cool on the counter while I clean up the kitchen, and put it in the refrigerator uncut. By Monday morning it has firmed up enough to slice without crumbling, and from then until Thursday breakfast is two slices, eaten cold at the counter or wrapped in parchment and carried out the door. It is the closest thing to a breakfast sausage that does not involve standing at a stove, and because it bakes in one pan there is almost nothing to wash afterward. If you have ever wanted breakfast to be something you take rather than something you make, this is where I would start.
Ground chicken on its own bakes into something dry and faintly grainy, so this loaf is built around three things that fix that. The grated zucchini is salted and squeezed hard in a towel first, which is the step people skip and then wonder why the middle came out wet, and what is left gives its moisture back slowly through the bake. The chopped bacon melts and leaves fat behind in every slice. And grating the onion rather than dicing it matters more than it sounds like it should, since grated onion disappears into the meat and seasons it evenly while diced onion leaves holes that make a slice break apart in your hand.
Do not slice it hot. A loaf straight from the oven crumbles under the knife because the juices have not settled, and what you get is a tray of rubble. Let it rest twenty minutes in the pan, cool it all the way down, chill it overnight, and cut it with a serrated knife in the morning. Cold, the slices are firm and savory, flecked green from the zucchini, and they hold together well enough to eat with your fingers on the way to the car. Warmed two minutes a side in a dry skillet, the cut faces crisp and it eats like something you cooked that morning.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb ground chicken, dark meat if you can get it
- 2 medium zucchini (about 3/4 lb), coarsely grated
- 4 slices bacon, finely chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion, grated on the large holes of a box grater
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, plus a few sprigs for the top
- 3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt, divided
- 1 tbsp olive oil, for the pan
Instructions
- Heat the oven and prepare the pan: Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Rub a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan with the olive oil, corners included, and line the long sides with a strip of parchment that hangs over the edges so you can lift the finished loaf straight out.
- Grate and squeeze the zucchini: Grate the zucchini on the large holes of a box grater, toss it with a quarter teaspoon of the salt, and let it drain in a sieve for 10 minutes. Gather it into a clean towel and wring it out hard over the sink. It should come out as a dense ball about half the volume it started at.
- Mix the loaf: Grate the onion on the same holes. Put the ground chicken in a large bowl with the chopped bacon, squeezed zucchini, grated onion, garlic, thyme, parsley, pumpkin puree, vinegar, and the remaining salt. Mix with your hands for about a minute, until no streaks of pumpkin remain, and then stop, since overworking it makes the loaf springy.
- Press and shape: Pack the mixture into the loaf pan, pressing it firmly into the corners and smoothing the top with wet fingers so it bakes flat rather than domed. Lay a few thyme sprigs across the top if you have them.
- Bake: Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the top is browned, fat has pooled at the edges, and the center reads 165°F (74°C) on a thermometer. If the top colors faster than the middle cooks, lay a piece of foil loosely over it for the last 15 minutes.
- Rest, chill, and slice: Let it rest in the pan for 20 minutes, then lift it out by the parchment onto a rack and cool it completely. Wrap it and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, cut the loaf into 8 slices with a serrated knife, using a sawing motion rather than pressing down.
Variations
- Rosemary loaf: Swap the thyme for a tablespoon of finely chopped fresh rosemary for a more resinous, wintery slice.
- Beet and chicken: Use grated raw beet in place of half the zucchini for a deeper color and an earthier, sweeter loaf.
- Mushroom loaf: Cook 8 ounces of finely chopped mushrooms until the pan is dry and fold them in for a darker, more savory result.
- Turkey and leek: Use ground turkey and swap the onion for a finely chopped leek softened in a little olive oil.
- Muffin tin version: Bake the mixture in a 12 cup muffin tin for 25 to 28 minutes when you want portions that chill and pack faster.
Storage & Leftovers
The loaf keeps in the refrigerator for 4 days, and it keeps best uncut, wrapped in parchment and then sealed in a container, so the cut faces do not dry out. Slice only what you are eating that morning. The overnight chill is not optional, since that is what makes the slices firm enough to hold together in one hand.
Eat the slices cold, straight from the refrigerator, or warm them in a dry skillet over medium heat for about 2 minutes a side, which crisps the cut faces and is the better version. A microwave for 40 seconds warms a slice through evenly, though the surface stays soft and you give up the browning.
It freezes well in slices. Lay them on a tray until firm, then bag them with parchment between the layers for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, or go straight from frozen into a covered skillet over low heat for about 6 minutes, turning once halfway through.
Notes & Tips
- This is a Sunday night job: It bakes for close to an hour and then has to chill overnight, so start it the evening before you want it and do not plan on eating any of it that night.
- How it keeps: Four days in the refrigerator, wrapped whole and sliced only as you eat it. Cut faces dry out, so leaving the loaf intact is what buys you that fourth morning.
- How it reheats: Two minutes a side in a dry skillet crisps the cut faces and is the best version of it. Forty seconds in the microwave warms a slice through without any browning, which is fine on a fast morning.
- Squeeze the zucchini hard: Salt it, drain it, then wring it in a towel until no more water comes out. Skipping this is the single reason a loaf like this turns out wet in the middle.
- Grate the onion: Diced onion leaves holes and crunchy pockets that make a slice break. Grated onion disappears into the meat and seasons every bite of it.
- Use a thermometer: Ground poultry is done at 165°F (74°C) and dry not long past it. The center of a loaf this size gets there between 50 and 60 minutes, and guessing costs you the moisture.
Nutrition & Mindful Eating
- Ground chicken, zucchini, and bacon each do a different job in the same slice. The chicken carries the protein, the zucchini keeps the crumb moist and runs green flecks through it, and the bacon leaves fat behind so a cold slice still tastes rich.
- Ground chicken is mild and fine textured, which is why it takes on the thyme and garlic so completely, and it is a dense source of the protein that holds you through a long stretch of morning.
- Zucchini grated and squeezed still carries plenty of water and potassium into the loaf, and because the skin goes in along with the flesh you get the fiber that sits just underneath it.
- Pumpkin puree binds the loaf and lays a quiet sweetness under everything savory, and it brings the beta carotene your body converts into vitamin A.
- Thyme, garlic, and parsley are doing all of the seasoning here, and thyme in particular holds its flavor through a long bake in a way most soft herbs do not, which is why a slice still tastes seasoned on the fourth day.
- As you eat, taste for the thyme sitting underneath the bacon and notice how a cold slice is firmer and more savory than a warm one, and give it a few minutes of attention rather than eating on the move.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use ground turkey or pork?
Both work. Ground turkey behaves almost identically and needs no other change. Ground pork carries more fat, so drop the bacon to two slices and expect a softer, richer slice. Ground beef makes a heavier loaf that reads more like meatloaf than like breakfast.
What holds it together without eggs?
The pumpkin puree and the meat itself. Meat protein sets as it heats and binds the loaf on its own, and the puree fills the gaps so the crumb is not crumbly. Packing the mixture firmly into the corners of the pan matters just as much as either of them.
My loaf came out wet in the middle.
The zucchini was not squeezed hard enough. Salt it, let it drain for ten minutes, then wring it in a towel until water stops running out. It should come out as a dense ball roughly half the size it went in as.
Does this fit an AIP elimination phase?
It does, with one label to read. There are no grains, dairy, eggs, nuts, seeds, or nightshades in the loaf, and the seasoning is thyme, garlic, and parsley. Bacon is the thing to check, since many cures carry sugar, paprika, or other spices that are not allowed.