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 featuring their amazing Pork Loin. As always, all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting partnerships with brands I trust and believe in.
What is City Chicken?
Have you heard of city chicken? Growing up in Pittsburgh this was 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 their 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 is so full of flavor!
- Eggs mixed with milk
- All-purpose flour
- Vegetable oil
- Water
- Sea Salt
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 get the kids involved with. My parents started me when I was three learning how to cook food and bake bread. This is something they can help dredge or, if they are old enough, place on the skewers.
Skewer, Dredge, Repeat, and Fry
I strongly urge you to watch the video on how to make these. It’s really simple, and it’s one that you can have the family help with!
- Prepare two dredge stations. One for the beaten eggs and milk and the other for the flour, bread crumbs, 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 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 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.
- 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 on all sides until crisp and golden brown. ~3-6 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 them and finish the 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 into the bottom of the baking dish so it goes halfway up the legs of the cooling rack or rings. Do not let the water touch the skewers.
The breading gets soft but that’s why you take off the cover and cook for a few minutes more to re-crisp it up.
What To Serve With Pittsburgh City Chicken
I posed this question on Facebook, and for the folks that 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 recipes from my childhood, 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. God I so miss his hugs.
This recipe will forever have a piece of my heart.
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: pork, on a stick, appetizers, comfort foods, Pittsburgh recipe, pork loin, childhood favorite
- Method: stove top and oven
- Cuisine: pork, on a stick, appetizers, comfort foods, Pittsburgh recipe, pork loin, childhood favorite
Ingredients
- 3 pounds Swift Meats Boneless Pork Loin cut into 1 1/2” 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 touch 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, and then back into the flour mixture, coating all sides. 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 on all sides until crisp and golden brown. ~3-6 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.
Leave a Reply