City Chicken Recipe

My mom’s city chicken recipe was a family favorite growing up. It’s an easy to make weeknight meal. The crazy thing is that it doesn’t have any chicken in it! Check out the comments for other peoples comments on their family’s city chicken recipes.

I grew up eating city chicken a lot as a child and never once did I wonder why it was called that seeing as there’s no chicken involved. Recently my father in law, who used to be a butcher, explained this mock chicken to me.

City chicken is one of his favorite dishes so I wanted to make this regional meal for him and thought I’d share it with you because it’s easy and tasty!

city chicken recipe

Mom’s City Chicken Recipe

city chicken recipe

My mom’s city chicken was a family favorite growing up. It’s an easy to make weeknight meal.

Prep: 30min

Total: 50min

Serving Size: 1 skewer

Nutrition Facts: calories 593 calories, servingSize 1 skewer, unSaturated Fat 0 grams unsaturated fat

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 lbs city chicken (pork or veal pieces cut into cubes)
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock, broth or water
  • 1-2 tablespoons flour

Instruction:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Add your eggs to a shallow bowl and beat
  3. In a separate bowl add your breadcrumbs, paprika and Parmesan cheese.
  4. If your pork and veal are not already placed on skewers, do so by alternating pork and veal pieces.
  5. Sprinkle the chunks of meat with salt and pepper.
  6. Dip the skewered meat in the egg and then the bread crumbs. Set aside and finish the rest of the meat.
  7. Heat your skillet to medium high and once hot, add your oil.
  8. Once the oil is hot, place your meat in the pan and turn the skillet down to medium. Brown skewered meat on all sides. About 2-3 minutes on each side.
  9. Once the meat is browned, place in a baking dish and cover with aluminum.
  10. Bake for 20 minutes or until the pork is no longer pink inside.
  11. To make the gravy turn the skillet on to medium heat.
  12. Add the broth or water to the skillet and break up all the browned bits.
  13. Add the flour a little at a time and whisk well so there are no lumps.
  14. Pour over cooked meat. (this did not make much gravy for me but it was tasty.)

City Chicken (Best Recipe)

city chicken recipe

This city chicken recipe is as good as it gets! Learn how to make the Polish-American dish, plus, find out what to serve with it to make a wonderful meal.

Prep: 20min

Total: 1h15min

Yield: 7

Nutrition Facts: calories 369 cal

Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds boneless pork, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Seasoned salt, to taste
  • 4 eggs
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • 2 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 cups vegetable oil, for frying
  • 14 (4-inch) skewers
  • (9×13-inch) baking dish
  • Wire rack

Instruction:

  1. Thread 2 to 3 pork cubes onto the skewers. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and seasoned salt on all sides. Set skewers aside.
  2. In a shallow bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. In a separate shallow bowl, pour in the seasoned bread crumbs. Set a wire rack in the baking dish. Pour water into the dish, making sure it doesn’t touch the wire rack.
  3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Preheat vegetable oil in a deep-fryer or large, heavy-bottom saucepan to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  4. Dip the skewers into the egg mixture, then in the bread crumbs. Repeat the step so each skewer gets coated twice.
  5. Gently lay the skewers into the deep-fryer and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side.
  6. Place cooked skewers on the wire rack. Cover the dish with aluminum foil.
  7. Bake the dish for 20 minutes, or until the pork is no longer pink in the center. Remove the foil and bake for 10 more minutes to crisp up the crumb coating. Serve and enjoy!

City Chicken Recipe – Mock Chicken Drumsticks Made with Pork

FAQ

What meat is City Chicken made of?

Traditionally, city chicken consists of cubes of pork, veal, or both, which are threaded onto skewers, battered with flour and breadcrumbs, and baked or deep-fried to tender perfection. Cooks often shape the skewered meat to mimic chicken drumsticks, and the dish indeed tastes like chicken.

Why do they call City Chicken?

It was called chicken during the Depression because it was one of many mock-chicken products that was more affordable. To be fair, city chicken is also known in Pittsburgh and other parts of Pennsylvania, Michigan and New York that have deep Polish and Ukrainian roots.

What cut of pork is City Chicken made from?

You might be surprised that City Chicken, (also known as mock chicken), is not actually chicken at all. It’s a regional dish that is made from pork sirloin cubes (or sometimes a combination of pork and veal) that have been thread onto skewers, browned, then slow braised.

Is City Chicken a Pittsburgh thing?

Dating back to the turn of the previous century, City Chicken, a Polish-American recipe, has roots in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Cleveland, Ohio and spread to Great Lakes cities such as Detroit, Michigan and Buffalo, New York.

About the author

Helen is an author and editor at helenbackcafe.com, who has a passion for writing about recipes. She loves to experiment with different ingredients and cooking techniques to create delicious and unique dishes.

Among all the foods, pizza holds a special place in her heart, and she loves exploring different variations and toppings to create the perfect slice. Through her writing, Helen hopes to inspire others to get creative in the kitchen and share their love for food with the world.

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