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 section for other people’s stories about their family city chicken recipes.
You might also like my low carb city chicken in the air fryer!
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. It’s really pork and or veal cubes breaded and fried to resemble a chicken legs. 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!
What is city chicken?
My father in law went on to say that back his day fresh chicken was more expensive than pork and veal in grocery stores. So people made city chicken which is essentially cubes of pork and veal on a stick that is breaded to act as a fried chicken leg or chicken drumstick.
It’s a regional dish and very popular here in Pittsburgh. And from my readers comments below, it is also very popular Ohio, Michigan and parts of New York. To learn more, check out this article about city chicken.
Recipe ingredients and what type of meat to use.
All you need to make this simple recipe is pork or veal cubes, eggs, seasoned breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, salt, black pepper, paprika and vegetable oil.
Classic city chicken is usually made with a mixture of lean pork and veal and not chicken. However sometimes I just use pork because it’s cheaper and easier to find. 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 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 made up of a combination of pork and veal cubes ready for you to assemble.
If your grocer does not carry these, do not despair. Just find some wooden skewers and a nice piece of boneless pork and/or veal and cut it into pork cubes yourself.
Sometimes I just use boneless country pork ribs and since they are already cut into thick strips it’s very easy to cut them into cubes. And while it a bit more expensive than country ribs you can also use pork tenderloin which is more tender.
How to make city chicken.
Learn how to make city chicken on a stick which I learned from my mother. You can make this dish many different ways and if you check the comments section you will learn how other people do it.
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the cubes of meat on the wooden skewers.
Step 2: Get out a shallow dish for the beat egg and one for the breading (dry bread crumbs, paprika and parmesan cheese). Dip the pork skewer in a beaten egg mixture or egg wash and then the seasoned bread crumbs. Do this with all of the pork skewers and place on plate and season with salt and black pepper on both sides.
Step 3: Get out a large skillet like a cast iron skillet so you can place it in the oven as well. Or if you don’t have an oven safe skillet, you can also use a baking dish in the next step.
Add the vegetable oil and heat to medium high heat. When the oil is sizzling turn down the heat to medium and fry until golden brown on both sides of the city chicken skewers. This should take just about 2-3 minutes per side.
Step 4: Finally transfer the skillet to the oven and bake them for 20-25 minutes until they are cooked through. Baking time may vary but the internal temperature should be at least 145°F.
If you don’t have an oven safe skillet, you can transfer the browned meat skewers to a pyrex baking dish and then bake them. Make sure to spray the baking dish with cooking spray first.
Step 5: Take out of the oven and place the city chicken skewers on a plate or platter. We usually don’t use gravy but many people do. You can use the same skillet with the brown bits to make a brown gravy if you want.
Store leftovers in an airtight container. (Please scroll down to view the printable recipe card.)
If you read the comments below you will see LOTS of ways other people make city chicken and hear about some of their fond memories of this delicious dish.
The final result is tender and juicy city chicken. I have made 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.
My low carb gluten free version.
Because I am mostly a low carb blogger I of course had to make a gluten free, low carb city chicken version that you can see below. The breading is made with a blend of almond flour and a few other ingredients. You can see it pictured below.
I made it in the air fryer and it was fantastic. My family liked it just as much as my mom’s recipe. If you are on a low carb or gluten free diet this might be a good recipe to check out.
To make city chicken in the air fryer.
- Prepare the skewers with the chunks of meat just like above. Preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes then spray the basket with nonstick cooking spray.
- Place the skewers in the basket and spray those with cooking spray too.
- Cook in the air fryer at 390°F for 12-15 minutes until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145°F. You can flip them half way as well if you want.
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 recipe for city chicken. It’s delicious comfort food for me and we really like it.
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 and it’s nostalgic comfort food for us and many people if you read the comments below. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
How to make city chicken low carb or gluten free?
I have a low carb city chicken recipe but basically you just use a combination of almond flour, parmesan cheese and spice. You can also try crushed pork rinds for the breading.
Where can I buy the wooden skewers or sticks?
Many grocery stores will have the sticks but you can also try Asian grocery stores or they are on Amazon.
What kind of meat is best for city chicken?
It was originally made from pork and veal but I just use pork because it’s easier to find and less expensive. I like to use boneless pork loin country ribs.
What to serve with city chicken?
Plenty of people make a gravy with the pan drippings and serve with mashed potatoes. Really you would treat this as any meat main dish. We eat it with a hearty side dish like mashed potatoes and green beans.
PS Please read through the comments below. I guess this dish is a beloved recipe of people in this area and many people have variations on the recipe that you may remember or enjoy. And if you have any questions, please just ask.
City Chicken Recipe
My mom's recipe for city chicken was a family favorite growing up. It's an easy to make weeknight meal using simple ingredinets.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds city chicken (boneless pork or veal pieces cut into cubes)
- salt and pepper
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup vegetable oil
For Gravy
- ½ cup chicken stock, broth or water
- 1-2 tablespoons flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Add eggs to a shallow bowl and beat.
- In a separate bowl add dry breadcrumbs, paprika and Parmesan cheese.
- If the pork and veal cubes are not already placed on skewers, do so by alternating pork and veal pieces. Place the skewers of chunks of meat on a plate and season with salt and pepper.
- Dip the skewered meat in the egg and then the bread crumbs. Set aside and finish the rest of the meat.
- Heat a large skillet to medium high and once hot, add your oil.
- Once the oil is hot, place your meat in the pan and turn the skillet down to medium heat. Brown skewered meat on all sides. About 2-3 minutes on each side.
- Once the meat is browned, place in a baking dish and loosely cover with aluminum foil.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until the pork is no longer pink inside.
- To make the gravy turn the skillet on to medium heat.
- Add the broth or water to the skillet and break up all the browned bits.
- Add the flour a little at a time and whisk well so there are no lumps.
- Pour over cooked meat. (this did not make much gravy for me but it was tasty.)
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 5 Serving Size: 1 skewerAmount Per Serving: Calories: 593Unsaturated Fat: 0g
Michelle Carson says
Thank you for your recipe! I never had this dish my whole life. Asked my husband what he wanted for his Birthday dinner. “City Chicken” was his reply. I have to say, I am not known for my cooking abilities. But the look on his face when he replied, “You nailed it!” Was music to my ears!!
Denise says
Aw thanks Michelle! That made my day. 🙂
Hop says
Hi Denise, thank you for sharing your families story & recipes. My husband introduced me to Lampert’s many years ago. He grew up close to there & I’m from the other side of Pittsburgh & Irwin area that never heard of Lampert’s.
He bought me a beef tenderloin so I can make my Beef Wellington for Christmas. He’s been bringing 5lbs+ every year. This morning he went there to buy City Chicken & I’m on here trying to find a good recipe & I found yours which sounds a lot like my moms.
A good old fashioned meal on a frigid Saturday like today sounds good. Can’t wait to make dinner tonight.
Denise says
Hi, I need to tell Lampert’s to read some of these posts because so many people love that place! Thanks for sharing your story.
mary says
In eastern PA in the hard coalfields city chicken was served at weddings, especially the Polish,Hungarian or Ukrainian ones. Big roasting pans overflowed. Now I live in Honolulu,Hawaii and will introduce it here. Mary
Denise says
Hi Mary, how interesting about the weddings! I hope all the Hawaiians love it as much as we do!
Carol says
Wow! It was great reading these comments. I too grew up in the 50’s in Northern Indiana eating city chicken. I lived in TN until the late 90’s before returning to Indiana. I was then able to buy it once again at Eby’s Old Fashioned Meat Market. I made city chicken about 20 years ago for my father but my mother had different instructions than you. Ingredients look to be the same as are the directions up to putting in casserole pan. My mother would put water at the bottom and set the pan fried city chicken on a rack. She then covered it with a lid. I did not have a rack so I made one out of a shredded head of lettuce and put that over the water. The city chicken was deliciously crisp. I think she did that to keep the meat moistened?
After reading all the comments nobody complained about dry meat. I can no longer find the recipe that adds water to the pan. I will be preparing city chicken in a few days but do i need to add water?
I am confused because I want these to be delicious. Thank you for letting me leave a comment.
Denise says
Hi Carol, I have never heard of that way of making city chicken but I imagine her intent was to keep it moist. I think the type of pork you use will by nature be a drier meat. I would be nervous about using the lettuce because it might make the chicken soggy. Maybe you can use a plate or something that would elevate the meat? I’m sorry I’m not much help as I’ve never added water.
I found a website where they suggest using crumbled aluminum foil if you don’t have a rack.https://polishhousewife.com/city-chicken-a-polish-american-recipe/
Good luck!
Kimble says
I have Czech, Hungarian roots and I am pleased to see so many family recipes online. My grandma made it with pork and veal per the recipe. She stacked them on a rack with water on the bottom of the pan and covered them with foil. She cooked them for a long time. i think it was to tenderize the pork meat. Then she removed the foil and crisped them up again. I skipped the steam step by using pork tenderloins. Some day I will do it both ways to compare. I didn’t see anyone mention how delicious they are cold. I made them for my cousin and me on a trip to the Grand Canyon years ago. We sat on the edge, admiring the view and eating our city chicken. I think I even prefer them cold.
Denise says
Thanks for sharing Kimble!
Beverly Leszczynski says
I put some water and little rack, but I will try shredded head of lettuce . Meat doesn’t stick to the bottom. Very moisten and delicious
lisa says
My mom has always used water!
Judy says
I always use water and cook on the stove.
Vickie Davt says
My mom did the same.. she assembled them straight up in the pot added water and cooked on low till meat was tender
She did add additional water when needed
Am making them tomorrow bought a crockpot to make them in
Mary Lou says
I make my city chicken just like this except for the Parmesan cheese. I make it just like my mother did. I grew up in Detroit but my mother was born in Latrobe Pennsylvania and move to Detroit when she was about 12. I never knew this was a Polish-American dish and wondered why so many of my friends did not know what I was talking about. I’ve introduced it to several people who loved it. In fact I’m making it tomorrow for my brother and his wife. I can’t wait!
Denise says
How nice! Latrobe is not to far from me. My nephew moved to Orlando and wanted to make pork and sauerkraut for New Years and everyone thought he was nuts. That’s another dish that I think is a local thing. Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Brennan Lucas says
was born in Pittsburgh but grew up in Erie. city chicken was definitely in a regular dinner rotation at my house. my mom used poultry seasoning egg wash and flour. no bread crumbs. I use bread crumbs and Lowrys. the only thing I wish I had was her electric skillet. whenever that came out I knew dinner was gonna be good. I’ve been craving this. and am making it tonight. my g.f. never had it before me but she now loves it. I live in Pittsburgh again now. it amuses me when I post about city chicken for dinner and no one outside the rust belt has any idea what I’m talking about. I always thought it was common everywhere growing up. like everyone in the comments I have very fond memories of city chicken. I saute onions down and use them and beef broth under them in the oven. make gravy with that. not for the city chicken, that’s weird to me but I serve it with mashed potatoes and creamed corn. thanks for the memories
Denise says
It truly is a unique recipe! Thanks for commenting and sharing your story and tips. Some many people make this is a slightly different way but I’m sure they are all good. Take care, Denise
Gayle Murphy says
My mom always made gravy when we had city chicken and mashed potatoes. It was never used on the meat – only on the mashed potatoes. I had a taste for city chicken not too long ago (I live in Arizona) but I couldn’t find a butcher who knew what city chicken was. Finally found one who said he had a piece of veal that he could cut in chunks for me but I would have had to get second mortgage to afford it.
Denise says
Hi Gayle, I have seen city chicken in the grocery stores here but most of the time I just use country boneless ribs and cut them into cubes and use that. I’m not that partial to veal anyway. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your story!
Skip says
Your pork and sauerkraut is what we have every New Year. My wife’s grandmother said it was good luck. And we make it without fail. We are from Pittsburgh and my wife’s grandmother also made the City Chicken. Since I’m the cook in my family, I make it now. My side of the family never heard of it. We come from Iowa. We’re big on Pork Tenderloin sandwiches 🙂
We’re in CA and know one has heard of City Chicken.
Denise says
My husband lived in CA after college and he too said no one every heard of pork and sauerkraut on NYE nor city chicken. Also things like brick cheese, chipped ham, etc. LOL. Thanks for stopping to comment. I love hearing all these stories!
Joan Cote says
My Mom made city chicken every once in a while, we all loved it. Troy, Michigan. She passed in 1989. None of the siblings left knew how to make this. Your recipe is exactly how she made it! I was getting teary eyed as I read your recipe. I can now make it like my mom did. Thank you sooo much! I will pass this on to my daughter and Son and have them pass it down to my granddaughters! Thank you ever so much again! I would give you a hug if you were here!
Denise says
Hi Joan, that is so sweet. I’m glad it brought back some memories for you!
Angelo says
Grew up in Pittsburgh and had city chicken a lot….my Mum added pineapple to the stick between the pieces of meat before breading, frying and baking…
Denise says
That sounds good!
MIMI says
I have been eating “city chicken” since I was a little girl ( the 50’s).(my Mom was Bohemian & my Dad was English)
We loved it. Today I made it loose – no skewers involved.We never had gravy but I would like to try that.
I so enjoyed reading the comments.
Regina says
Exactly how my mom makes this (cubes of meat, not ground), all the way to the end with sometimes gravy sometimes not. She’s from Central City PA.
Cheryl Basich says
Loved this recipe! I followed the recipe exactly EXCEPT did not make the gravy. This will be a favorite go-to recipe that can be made quickly yet be absolutely delicious in a flash. We’re originally from the Pittsburgh area. Saw “City Chicken” in Giant Eagle there and was happy to find it in our Ohio Giant Eagle, too. Served it with a mixture of carrots, broccoli and cauliflower. Thanks so much for the great recipe!
Denise says
Hi Cheryl, so glad you liked it! It’s such an easy meal but a staple in our house.
Jamie says
I have so enjoyed reading through these comments. This was my favorite meal as I child and so many people I mention it to have never heard of it. I am originally from Youngstown, Ohio ( now living in Pittsburgh) and my Baba and Mom used to make this all the time! I just bought the ingredients and am so excited to try making this for the first time!!!
Denise says
Hi Jamie, I continue to be amazed at how many people remember this recipe from childhood. Thanks for taking the time to comment and I hope you enjoy it!
Michelle Connor says
Hi I’m also from Youngstown Ohio. My mom made this a lot. She would use chicken broth instead of water at the bottom of the pan when baking it. The only thing I don’t know is what temperature to put the oven at.
Denise says
I used a 350°F for about 20 minutes.
Diana Coolley says
This was such a pleasure to find this recipe. I was telling my husband the story about going home after church service to help my grandmother make city chicken. He had never heard of it and said that I must have forgotten that it was chicken on skewers. I was able to show him the recipe. I did forget that is a combination of pork and veal. I grew up in a small town outside of Pittsburgh,PA called New Kensington, I moved to the west in the late 70’s. I oozing and could never remember the recipe so out of sight-out of mind.
I remember the first thing she would do was to put one of her big aprons on me. I had a step stool that was just for me. She was in charge of the cooking and I was I was in charge of shaking the skews in the paper bag with all all the seasoned flour. She would dip them in egg and put the in the bag so I could shake them. Sometimes I shook it so hard the skews would rip the bag and flour went everywhere,she would look at me and we both laughed so hard. Those were the days gone by.
Thank you all again for brightens my evening.
Denise says
Hi Diana, first of all I do know New Kensington. That’s about 40 minutes from me.
Thank you for sharing your memories with your grandma. That was a good one and helped brighten MY day. Food can make such good memories and everyone can use a few good memories right?
Take care,
Denise
Phyllis says
I’m from New Ken also , I add cream of chicken soup over my city chicken mixed with drippings after I brown the city chicken . It’s delicious 😋
Sherrie says
We used to buy it at the grocery store. Up it was not cubes, it was ground and mixed together. It was breaded and on a skewer. I loved it.
Shari Sciara says
Yes!!! I don’t remember my mother making it for us, but she must have! I am from Binghamton, N.Y.. There used to be a meat shop (don’t remember the name) that would sell City Chicken ground up on a stick. I made those for my kids all of the time and they loved them!!! I have seen so many recipes for the chunk meat, but none for the ground up ones.
Thank you Sherrie,
Shari from Binghamton
Walt K says
It was pretty comical…we bought a freezer pack of meat that included city chicken. It’s been years since I made it, went to Pinterest to look it up and your recipe came up first. Imagine my shock when you said you got your meat from Lamperts…exactly where I got my freezer full of meat from. McKeesport folks here and thanks for the recipe!!
Denise says
Hi Walt, that’s awesome you are from McKeesport! I need to go back to Lamperts. They have a great selection of meat.
Deb Markovich says
Small world! My husband and I are from McKeesport – high school sweethearts from McKeesport Area Sr High! Now living in TX (but we miss PA every day). Lampert’s was in Grandview, right? I never shopped there, but my best friend LOVED Lampert’s. She lived in Grandview. I remember my Mom making city chicken. I loved it and was just thinking about it. I’m so glad I came across your article. I am definitely making it this weekend!
Denise says
THat’s awesome! I need to go back to Lampert’s more often. Many people sing their praises and my son loves their fish sandwiches. Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Carol W says
It definitely is a small world! I shop at Lambert’s and the do have the best meat! Homemade kolbasi
Is great! I make it the same way. Was checking on how long to leave it in the oven.thanks
CityLady says
Hi, I have the meat in the fridge and wanted to look it up as always forget if brown it first so here I am. it was fun reading all comments. And you make it just like my mother did minus the cheese. This goes wayyyyy back to depression. And when I was young and living in Fla. I started to crave it so went to the store and got the butcher. I asked him: where is the city chicken ? He took me to the chicken area and we looked at each other. I told him I don’t want any chicken, I’m making city chicken, I think he thought I was nuts. I”m from Pittsburgh, Pa area and this was very common here but down south they never heard of it when I was there around 1972.
And I can still picture my dad heading to the fridge in evening and grabbing a cold one while watching TV , he loved it, we all did. I am also part Hungarian and Rusin . I guess it’s 60 plus years for me and city chicken , wow, getting old ! Love it and your picture is EXACTLY like when my mother made it. And yes, it’s pork and veal. Our Giant EAgle they had all beef ! I called the butcher out and told him that is NOT city chicken ! And I told him how to make it and NO BEEF is in it ! He didn’t know lol
Denise says
Thanks so much for sharing your experience. Funny how food can bring back so many memories!
Bill La Paze says
Grew up in Struthers, Ohio in 40′ and 50’s. City chicken popped i to my headBill. Favorite dish my mother made. It’ll be on the table tomorrow. Now in No. Calif. Hobby lobby here I come.
Nancy Toth says
I am a Hungarian/Slovak. I made these last year for Christmas Eve. They were such a big hit, I plan to make them again this year. I bought the City Chickens from my local Giant Eagle store. My Mom used to alternate the pork with onion (like you would do for shish kabobs). So, for some of the City Chickens, I took off the pork pieces to alternate with onion pieces. My family said that they loved the ones with onion the best. I do believe the onion takes them to a whole new level. I’ll probably serve with mashed potatoes, corn and coleslaw or the traditional cucumber vinegar salad.
Denise says
Hi Nancy, I love the onion idea! I will have to try that next time. Did the onion cook through?
Charlotte says
I was raised in Irwin live in NC now miss my home town still visit my family there
NanC says
I came looking for a recipe for City Chicken and this one sounds perfect. Like many-I grew up eating this as a child. My grandma migrated to the US from Poland when she was 4. The family spoke Polish even my dad. That’s who I’m making them for. He’s 80 and his cancer recently returned. I think this will make his heart smile. Thank you for making this available.
Denise says
You are welcome! I hope they enjoy it!
Melissa Leal says
My mother in law was from Michigan and I live in Alabama. Thankfully she taught me how to make this before she passed away. Now since I’m the only one who knows how to make it I’ve taught my sons how to make it. (no daughters)
She used pork, beef, onions and bell peppers on the skewers and she used Lipiton onion soup mix to bake it. Everybody loves it because they’ve never heard or tasted before.
Denise says
Hi Melissa, I love hearing everyone’s stories of how they grew up with city chicken as well as their various ways to make it. Thanks for sharing!
Donna says
This recipe is spot on! We go to the Polish Village Cafe in Hamtramk MI and I can’t tell the difference. I serve with mashed potatoes, gravy, corn and cucumber, onion, vinager and sour cream salad. Sunday dinner comfort food for sure.
Denise says
That salad sounds really interesting! Thanks for sharing Donna.
Kathy says
Polish Village is amazing! I also grew up in the metro Detroit area and City Chicken was a special treat for a big Sunday dinner! I figured everyone ate it. One of my all time favorites. In fact in my town we are having a “peirogi drive up” event and the other foods you can get are Golabki and City Chicken dinners.