This is the very best recipe for City Chicken! It's easy to prepare and produces fork tender meat every single time! 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. It's one of my very favorite Cleveland comfort foods of all time!

This City Chicken recipe with gravy will quickly become your new favorite and have your family asking for that chicken recipe that isn't chicken for dinner!

What is City Chicken and how do you cook it?

According to Wikipedia city chicken, also known in some locations as mock drumsticks or mock chicken, is an entrée consisting of cubes of meat (usually pork), which have been threaded onto a wooden skewer (about 4-5 inches long), breaded, and then fried and/or baked.

The city chicken recipe origins date back to the 1700's when raising chickens in the populated cities became impossible. Inexpensive cuts of pork skewered on sticks to resemble chicken drumsticks became a substitute for chicken as a meal.

Over the years, city chicken recipes have included other cuts of meat as well, such as veal or beef...but living here in Cleveland, I've always made my city chicken recipe with only pork, and that is how I like it! 

Growing up right outside of Cleveland Ohio, in the area of the midwest known as the rust belt, I had many opportunities to eat the different variations on City Chicken. You could not only find homecooks making the dish but it was also almost always offered on local diner menus.

There's a restaurant, not far from my present home, that still has it on the menu today. While I enjoy Simon's version of City Chicken, I still think I like my own version a little better.

You may find some versions of this recipe pan fry the city chicken and call it a day. While that method is ok, I love to bake the pork skewers once they are breaded and brown in a low, slow oven. This really gets the pork tender and it will literally fall off of the stick. To me, that's the comfort food I'm after!

The best way to cook city chicken is low and slow in the oven until it is fork tender. It really is the secret!

Where can you find pork for City Chicken? 

Assuming you live in areas known as the rust belt of the midwest, you can buy pork sirloin already cut into cubes and packaged with skewers specifically for city chicken right in your local grocery stores.

But if you live outside that area. You will have difficulty finding pork (or a mixture of pork and veal) pre-cut and packaged with skewers for your city chicken recipe. There is an alternative though. You can buy pork sirloin or loin and cut it into 1" cubes yourself then use shortened bamboo skewers to thread it on to. I have done this when pre-packaged cubes aren't available. I just ask my butcher for the skewers when I prepare them this way. But, you can also purchase the short skewers if he doesn't have any to share with you.

How do you cook city chicken in the oven?

To make this city chicken recipe, start by threading pork cubes onto the skewers. Get the pork cubes as tight as you can get them on the skewers for best results!  The next step is to bread them with a three step breading process.

That means dredging the pork in seasoned flour, followed by egg beaters or egg wash, and lastly Italian seasoned dry bread crumbs.

I like to add smoked paprika and a little extra salt and pepper to the dry seasoned bread crumbs to help elevate the flavor.

The city chicken is then browned in oil on medium high heat...(taking care not to overcrowd the pan). You aren't actually cooking the pork all the way here, just simply browning on all sides. This whole process goes fairly quickly.

The pork cubes will be brown on the outside, but still raw on the inside.

Once the city chicken pieces have all been browned and placed into the baking dish,  a little chicken stock is added to the bottom of the pan and its covered tightly with foil.

The city chicken is then baked in a 325 degree F oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until it is is fork tender. (Checking at the 1 1/2 hour mark).

What can you serve with City Chicken?

I like to serve my city chicken with gravy and mashed potatoes, but rice pilaf and mixed vegetables go well with it too!  My gravy is simply a mixture of canned pork and mushroom gravy...because that's what we like!

If you want to elevate this simple comfort food classic to a new level, try serving it with Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes! YUM!

Does City Chicken taste like chicken?

My family swears that this city chicken recipe really does taste like chicken drumsticks (hence the nickname, mock drumsticks!). Me, I'm not so sure.

One thing I do know for sure is that this city chicken recipe is delicious and a definite keeper!


Make it, taste it, and you be the judge!

Want to learn more about pork and where it comes from? 

Check out this article about my visit to an Ohio Hog Farm!

Hungry for more of Cleveland's favorite recipes?

Try my recipe for the iconic Polish Boy Sandwich!

City Chicken, Mock chicken drumsticks, City Chicken Recipe

Main Course, pork

American - Cleveland

Yield: 4 servings

Author: Renee Paj

City Chicken

prep time: 15 Mcook time: 2 hourtotal time: 2 H & 15 M

City Chicken is not chicken at all! It's a regional pork dish consisting of pork sirloin cubes threaded on a skewer, breaded and baked until for tender. Some say they resemble chicken drumsticks.

ingredients:

• 1 pound cubed pork sirloin plus skewers
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup egg beaters, or two eggs beaten with 1 TBSP water
• 1/2 cup Italian seasoned dry bread crumbs
• 1/4 tsp. smoked paprika ( optional )
• 3 TBSP olive oil or vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 can or jar of gravy ( pork or mushroom or one of each mixed together ), heated

instructions:

How to cook City Chicken

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a glass baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside. ( I always make double the recipe, so I use a 9 x 13" baking dish..but you could go smaller if you are only making 4 skewers)
2. Set up a breading station. Seasoned flour, eggbeaters, and then the breadcrumbs. Add the smoked paprika to the breadcrumbs if using. Thread 4 cubes of pork onto each skewer. Dust first with flour, shaking off excess, then dip each skewer into the eggbeaters, followed by the breadcrumbs. Heat a nonstick pan over med high heat with 1 TBS oil of your choice. Brown the breaded pork on all sides. You aren't looking to cook the pork, just get a nice brown.
3. Once the pork is browned, transfer to the prepared baking dish. Leave a little space between each skewer. Pour chicken stock into the bottom of the pan and cover tightly with foil. Bake in 325 degree oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until pork is fork tender. Serve with heated gravy.

Calories
437.02

Fat (grams)
24.22

Sat. Fat (grams)
5.20

Carbs (grams)
13.39

Fiber (grams)
0.61

Net carbs
12.78

Sugar (grams)
1.34

Protein (grams)
39.29

Sodium (milligrams)
347.13

Cholesterol (grams)
143.37

Nutritional Information is an estimate.

https://www.reneeskitchenadventures.com/2012/04/city-chicken.html

Copyright © 2012 Renee's Kitchen Adventures

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This post was originally posted on Renee's Kitchen Adventures April 2012. It has been updated with a new printable recipe card with more information on the recipe and updated instructions. It's a great recipe that has been made in my kitchen for many years. I hope that you will give it a try!

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