A multi-generation Pittsburgh family favorite recipe of breaded, fried, & and baked seasoned pork loin on a stick. You read that right; there’s no chicken in this recipe! Plus, it’s on a stick!
I’m teaming up with Swift Meats to feature their amazing Pork Loin. As always, all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting partnerships with brands I trust and believe in.
TKW Family Love
We’ve been making city chicken for decades. After making this recipe this is the only way we will be making it! The breading stays crispy and the meat is incredibly moist and tender. This was one of my dad’s favorite foods, he would’ve loved this recipe.
What is City Chicken?
Have you heard of city chicken? Growing up in Pittsburgh, we had this on our table at least once a month. It is a Pittsburgh staple. I’m not sure where it originated, but I do know Pittsburgh claimed it as its own.
What’s The Story Of Pittsburgh City Chicken?
In the late 1800’s/early 1900’s, certain foods were either scarce or expensive. The chicken meat wasn’t necessarily scarce (though many city folks did have trouble getting it), but rather, it was more expensive.
As wars were waged, folks found that beef and pork were considerably less expensive than chicken. To mimic” the look of a chicken drumstick, folks would cube veal and pork, skewer them, dredge them like fried chicken, and then fry them.
However, to get them tender like a drumstick, they would then “steam” cook them in the oven right after frying. It was enough to tenderize the meat but still keep the coating crisp.
City Chicken Ingredients
This Depression-era recipe is one that I hold so near and dear to my heart. It’s made with simple ingredients, yet it is so full of flavor!
- Eggs mixed with milk
- Vegetable oil
- Water
How to make City Chicken on a Stick
What I love about this recipe is how simple it is to make. It’s a great dish to involve the kids in. My parents started teaching me when I was three, teaching me how to cook and bake bread. This is something they can help dredge or, if they are old enough, place on the skewers.
TKW Family Love
WOW talk about a ‘Burgh classic! I haven’t thought of this dish or had it in 40 years since moving away. I made this for my wife tonight and said, “Honey, this is what my childhood tasted like.” I even served it with mashed potatoes and peas.
TKW this truly was just like home! You brought back so many memories and emotions from my childhood with this recipe. It truly is exceptional! Thank you and God Bless
Skewer, Dredge, Repeat, and Fry
I strongly urge you to watch the video on how to make these. It’s really simple, and you can have the family help with it!
- Prepare two dredge stations. One for the beaten eggs and milk, and the other for the dry ingredients: flour, breadcrumbs, and Italian seasoning. Mix the dry ingredients.
- Thread 3-4 cubes of pork onto each 6” wooden skewer. You can skewer them all at once or make one skewer, coat, and repeat.
- To coat, dip the pork skewer into the flour mixture, coating all sides. Place the skewer into the egg dredge, coating all sides, and then back into the flour mixture, coating all sides. Set the coated skewer on a plate. Repeat until they are all coated.
Pan “Flash” Fry & Oven Steam
Now this is the part where you’re doing two different cooking methods. You’re pan-frying them first to crisp up the coating. This will help it stick to the pork cubes.
Then, you will steam-bake it in a covered/foil-covered baking dish. But there are two very important cooking details!
- Place the fried skewers on the rack in the baking dish, cover tightly with a lid or foil, and bake for 18 minutes. Remove the foil/lid and bake for ~10 minutes more until the internal temp reads 145F.
- Pour the oil into a deep fryer or large skillet and heat to 350°F. Carefully place 1-3 skewers into the hot oil and fry until golden brown and crisp on all sides. ~3 minutes per side. Transfer each fried skewer to a paper towel-lined plate and lightly sprinkle with sea salt. Repeat until they are all fried.
City Chicken Chef’s Tip
All pork or pork & veal city chicken will not be cooked through if you only pan-sear them. And they will be super tough. So you must steam-cook them to tenderize and finish cooking.
- You MUST put a cooling rack or something in the bottom of your baking dish. Watch the video. I didn’t have a cooling rack big enough for my pan, so I used the rings from canning jars.
- If you have neither of these, you can snake rope some aluminum foil across the bottom of the baking dish. That’s what my Mom did.
- You only want to put enough water in the bottom of the baking dish to go halfway up the legs of the cooling rack or rings. Do not let the water touch the skewers.
The breading gets soft, so take off the cover and cook for a few more minutes to re-crisp it.
What To Serve With Pittsburgh City Chicken
I posed this question on Facebook, and for the folks who heard of it, most didn’t use a sauce but often paired it with mashed potatoes and a veggie. My sister always wanted a red sauce or ketchup with hers.
Me? I was all about mashed potatoes, peas, and cranberry relish. Other suggestions:
A Personal Note About My Dad’s Pittsburgh City Chicken Recipe
Like many of my childhood recipes, they hold a very near and dear place in my heart. You see, this was the dish my Dad made for me every weekend I would come home from college. My Mom passed away when I was just 18, and this was one of a handful of dishes that stood out for me and us as a family.
When I’d come home, Dad would always have a plate of these waiting along with my favorite sides. We’d sit at the table talking about school, Mom, and life. While I was always a Daddy’s girl growing up, this is the one dish that brought us so much closer.
My Dad passed away just 4 years later, and it was years before I could make this dish. It was just too hard. Eventually, as time passed, I was able to make this and smile. I’d think back to our chats, our laughing, and those hugs. Go,d I so miss his hugs.
This recipe will forever have a piece of my heart.
If you wish to keep it traditional, use a 50/50 mix of veal and pork cubes. Growing up, initially we had a mix of both meats, but as veal prices surged, we could only afford pork.
PrintMy Dad’s Ultimate Pittsburgh City Chicken
A multi-generation Pittsburgh family favorite recipe of breaded, fried, & and baked seasoned pork loin on a stick. You read that right; there’s no chicken in this recipe! Plus it’s on a stick!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: ~10-12 skewers
- Category: appetizers, childhood favorite, comfort foods, on a stick, Pittsburgh recipe, pork, pork loin
- Method: stove top and oven
- Cuisine: appetizers, childhood favorite, comfort foods, on a stick, Pittsburgh recipe, pork, pork loin
Ingredients
- 3 pounds Swift Meats Boneless Pork Loin cut into 1 1/2” cubes (or to keep it traditional use half pork and half veal cubes)
- 3 large eggs mixed with 3 Tablespoons of milk
- 1 1/2 cups seasoned breadcrumbs
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 20–24 6” wooden skewers
- 2 cups Vegetable or canola oil for frying
- Water
- Sea Salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Place a cooling rack inside of a baking dish and set aside. If you do not have a rack or pan that will sit inside, you can use canning rings or even coiled-up aluminum foil. You just do not want the pork to sit on the bottom of the pan.
- Pour enough water into the bottom of the baking dish so it goes halfway up the cooling rack. Again, you do not want the pork skewers to come into contact with the water. Set aside.
- Prepare 2 dredge stations. One for the beaten eggs and milk, and the other for the flour, bread crumbs, and Italian seasoning. Mix together the dry ingredients.
- Thread 3-4 cubes of pork onto each skewer. You can skewer them all at once or make one skewer, coat, and repeat.
- To coat, dip the pork skewer into the flour mixture, coating all sides. Place the skewer into the egg dredge, coating all sides, then back into the flour mixture, coating all sides again. Set the coated skewer on a plate. Repeat until they are all coated.
- Pour the oil into a deep-fryer or large skillet and heat to 350F. Carefully place 1-3 skewers into the hot oil and fry until crisp and golden brown on all sides. ~3 minutes per side. Transfer each fried skewer to a paper towel-lined plate and lightly sprinkle with sea salt. Repeat until they are all fried.
- Place the fried skewers on the rack inside the baking dish, cover tightly with a lid or foil, and carefully put them into the oven baking for 18 minutes. Remove the foil/lid and bake for ~10 minutes more until the internal temp reads 145F.
- Serve with your favorite side dish and or sauces.
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