City Chicken is a pork and veal dish that originated in Pittsburgh in the 1930s as a substitute for expensive chicken. The meat is coated, skewered, and browned before simmering in a herb-infused sauce. It can be served over mashed potatoes, noodles, or rice. Some cooks add cream of mushroom soup or sauteed mushrooms and onions to the sauce.
City Chicken is actually a pork and veal dish. It is said to date back to the 1930s in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as a substitute recipe for chicken which was more expensive at the time. Veal and pork cubes are coated, skewered and browned before simmering in a herb-infused sauce. The fake mock chicken dish can be served over mashed potatoes, noodles, or rice.
Pork and veal cubes are often coated or dredged in flour and dipped in beaten egg. Alternatively, some cooks prefer to use breadcrumbs or breadcrumbs rather than flour. The soaked and dredged cubes of meat are then threaded onto wooden skewers and browned in oil heated in a frying pan or skillet. The next step in making a basic City Chicken recipe is to create a sauce to simmer the roasted and browned meats until cooked through.
In the pan where the veal and pork skewers were browned, chicken broth and herbs such as dried thyme and bay leaf are added. While the seasoned liquids simmer, any browned bits of meat or breading that were stuck to the pan can be lifted up and blended into the sauce to add more flavor. Salt, pepper and garlic powder are also typically used to flavor the sauce. Cornstarch or flour mixed evenly in a little water can be added near the end of the cooking time to make a City Chicken sauce thick enough to add over cooked meat, as well as hot rice, noodles or mashed potatoes.
Pork and veal are skewered on wooden sticks to make them look like chicken legs. The chicken broth used in the sauce adds the flavor of the chicken to the other meats. Some cooks who make City Chicken like to create a creamier sauce by adding a cream of mushroom soup. Sauteed mushrooms and onions could also be added to the sauce.
If the cooked meats are removed from the skewers and placed on the slices of bread before pouring over the creamy sauce, this open sandwich version of the recipe can be eaten using a knife and fork. Otherwise the wooden skewers of meat can be used to mash mashed potatoes, rice or noodles on which the sauce has already been poured. City Chicken served with starch or grains, plus a side salad or cooked vegetable, can make for a delicious, hearty, and nutritious meal.
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