My mom’s city chicken was a family favorite growing up. It’s an easy to make weeknight meal.
You might also like my mom’s unforgettable lasagna!
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 it all to me. Back in the day chicken was more expensive than pork and veal so people made city chicken. So it is essentially cubes of pork and veal on a stick that is breaded to act as chicken.
He’s a big fan so when I had to come up with a regional food to make for this weeks Sunday Supper, my mom’s city chicken was my first choice. Actually it was my third but I wanted to make it for my father in law and I think you are really going to love it.
type of meat to use in City Chicken
True city chicken is usually made with pork and veal. However sometimes I just use pork because it’s cheaper and easier to find. However today I stopped by a great local butcher, Lampert’s, that my friend had told me about. They had great cuts of meat and lots of delicious looking prepared food.
And there in the case was my city chicken already cut and placed on wooden skewers as you can see below. Many grocers in the area carry city chicken packs with skewers and chunks of pork and veal ready for you to assemble.
How to make city chicken
City chicken is made many different ways but the way my mom makes it is to dip it in egg and then seasoned bread crumbs. Brown them in a skillet like this and finally bake them until they are cooked. If you read the comments below you will see LOTS of ways other people make it and hear about some of their fond memories of this delicious dish.
The final result is a tasty breaded pork and veal chop on a stick. I did make a bit of gravy at the end with the pan drippings but my mother never really did and my father in law doesn’t like it that way so normally I would not bother to do that.
Mom’s City Chicken
As they say, pork is the other white meat. You can see above how it does look like breaded chicken. And there you have my mom’s city chicken. It is a nice and easy weekday meal that I’m sure your family will love. At least that’s how we do it in the ‘burgh. Enjoy!
PS Please read through the comments below. I guess city chicken is a beloved recipe of people in this are and many people have variations on the recipe that you may remember or enjoy. And if you have any questions, please just ask.
Mom's City Chicken #SundaySupper
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs of city chicken pork and veal cut in cubes
- salt and pepper
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 cup of seasoned bread crumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon of paprika
- 2 Tablespoons of Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup olive or vegetable oil
- For gravy
- 1/2 cup broth chicken or beef
- 1-2 Tablespoons of flour
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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Add your eggs to a shallow bowl and beat
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In a separate bowl add your breadcrumbs, paprika and Parmesan cheese.
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If your pork and veal are not already placed on skewers, do so by alternating pork and veal pieces.
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Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper.
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Dip the skewered meat in the egg and then the bread crumbs. Set aside and finish the rest of the meat.
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Heat your skillet to medium high and once hot, add your oil.
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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.
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Once the meat is browned, place in a baking dish and cover with aluminum.
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Bake for 20 minutes or until the pork is no longer pink inside.
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To make the gravy turn the skillet on to medium heat.
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Add the broth to the skillet and break up all the browned bits.
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Add the flour a little at a time and whisk well so there are no lumps.
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Pour over cooked meat. (this did not make much gravy for me but it was tasty.)
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And now for some more regional favorites from my friends at Sunday Supper!
Claudette French
I have never eaten this before and I am going to try making it again .I say again because When I was 18 I made this for my new husband and sadly it turned out horrible , I was very disappointed and never tried it again. I am now 72 and will try it again . Wish me luck
Daria Sprague
Claudette, I am sure your new attempt will turn out amazing! My mouth was watering reading the recipe. Good luck!
Daria Sprague
Michael Schneider
Can this recipe be made in an instant pot?
Denise
Hi Michael, I don’t know. I think it would not have any crunch or crust and that really makes the dish in my opinion. Sorry I’m not much help.
Suzanne
My Mom made this all the time with six kids to feed, she would serve with her sweet sour cabbage… They were so good, my mouth is watering…
Denise
Hi Suzanne, I like the idea of sweet and sour cabbage. I can see how that would be so good with City Chicken.
Michelle
I’ve got my meat coated and ready in the refrigerator to brown up. I didn’t grow up eating City Chicken, but my husband did (near Buffalo, NY). It was always his choice when he got to pick what was for dinner on his birthday. He says his mom used saltine crumbs for the breading and used a little poultry seasoning.
Denise
Oh that sounds like a good idea. I’ll have to redo this recipe and take new pictures. I’m always surprised at how many people have fond memories of this dish!
Anthony Morton
City chicken, mashed potatoes and corn were a regular Sunday dinner growing up in Detroit. Nowadays, city chicken is something of a special treat, especially as the older generation is dying and small, family-owned restaurants are losing out to the fast-food chains. You can still get Polish treats in one of Detroit’s suburbs, Hamtramck, but then again, it is becoming a thing of the past as urban blight takes over and it becomes too dangerous to make a trip “just for” Polish food. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Trent okerblom
Try Three Brothers Restaurant in Plymouth Mi. They have good city chicken.
Daren
I like to use Panko rather than breadcrums.
Denise
Hi Daren, I’ll have to try that some time. Thanks for sharing!
valerie potash
Thank you for the recipe and explanation. I remember my mom making a huge pan of city chicken. I thought it was pork and veal but I questioned my memory because of the cost of veal.now… we were not wealthy and she often stretched her grocery dollar to feed 7 of us. I still have her “sticks” so I’m going to make these for our next family gathering.
Denise
It’s really a simple dish but I’m always surprised how many people grew up with it! Hope you like it….check out other peoples comments about their versions as they are very interesting.