Jake Harper
City chicken is an American dish that consists of cubes of meat, typically pork, placed on a wooden skewer and fried or baked. The dish gets its name from the fact that it is usually made with meat other than chicken, as chicken used to be reserved for special occasions and was more expensive and harder to come by than other meats such as pork and veal. City chicken is popular in several cities in the US and Canada, especially those with Polish and Ukrainian heritage.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Common ingredients | Pork, veal, or both |
| Other ingredients | Lamb, beef, bacon, chicken broth, egg, flour, breadcrumbs, salt, garlic, paprika, parmesan cheese |
| Preparation | Threaded onto skewers, battered with flour and breadcrumbs, and baked or deep-fried |
| Origin | Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Detroit, Cincinnati, Binghamton, Erie, Buffalo, Scranton, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, Canada |
| Origin reason | Chicken was expensive and hard to come by, so people used pork and veal instead |
| Popularity | Still popular in Binghamton, New York, and other cities in Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New York |
| Variations | Marinated, battered, and deep-fried (Binghamton); baked without breading (Cleveland); dredged in flour, browned, and finished in the oven (Cleveland); breaded and baked (Pittsburgh); marinated, battered, and fried, then baked (Ottawa); made with three kinds of meat (Ottawa); made entirely of veal (Saskatoon) |
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What You'll Learn
City chicken is popular in cities and metropolitan areas
City chicken is a popular dish in several cities and metropolitan areas in the United States and Canada. It is especially common in cities such as Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Detroit, Cincinnati, and Binghamton, and has spread to other regions, including the Great Lakes region and the northeastern Appalachian areas.
The dish originated in the early 20th century, particularly during the Depression Era, when chicken was considered a luxury and was more expensive than other meats. City chicken is typically made with cubes of pork, veal, or a combination of both, threaded onto wooden skewers, battered, and then fried or baked. The use of pork and veal provided a cheaper alternative to chicken, and the dish became popular among working-class families in urban areas.
The popularity of city chicken in cities can be attributed to several factors. Firstly, during the early 1900s, chicken was primarily raised for eggs, and fresh chicken was often in short supply and expensive in urban areas. Secondly, cities like Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Detroit had a significant population of immigrants and workers from rural areas, who brought their culinary traditions with them. These communities often relied on more affordable meats like pork and veal, which were readily available from local slaughterhouses.
Additionally, the dish's versatility and ease of preparation may have contributed to its popularity in cities. City chicken can be made with various cuts of meat, including pork tenderloin, pork loin, or even scraps of meat, making it accessible to families on a budget. The skewered meat could be baked, fried, or grilled, and the addition of breading or batter gave it a crispy texture.
Today, city chicken remains a beloved comfort food in the regions where it gained popularity. It is often associated with family traditions and cultural heritage, particularly in communities with Polish, Italian, and Ukrainian roots. The dish has also evolved to include different variations, such as the use of gravy or the addition of spices like paprika.
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Chicken was more expensive than pork
City chicken is an American dish that consists of cubes of meat, typically pork, placed on a wooden skewer, then fried or baked. The dish is commonly found in the metropolitan areas of Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, and Pittsburgh. Despite its name, city chicken rarely contains chicken.
The dish was created in the early 1900s, when chicken was reserved for special occasions and more expensive than other meats such as pork. During the Depression, cooks used pork or veal because it was cheaper than chicken in many cities, especially meat-packing centers such as Detroit, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Louisville, and Pittsburgh, where such cuts were more readily available than chicken.
In the early 1900s, families raised chickens primarily for eggs, according to the National Chicken Council. Chicken was often in short supply and expensive when it could be found. It was not something that a poor working-class family could afford, even for Sunday dinners.
Today, many cooks and restaurants continue to make the skewers with pork due to the cost of veal. City chicken remains a popular dish in communities with Polish and Ukrainian heritage, offering a tasty alternative to comfort food favorites like fried chicken.
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Chicken was harder to come by
City chicken is an American dish that is commonly found in the metropolitan areas of Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Buffalo. It is made with cubes of meat, typically pork, placed on a wooden skewer, then fried or baked. The dish is called "city chicken" because chicken was historically harder to come by than other meats such as beef and pork.
In the early 1900s, families raised chickens primarily for eggs, and chicken was reserved for special occasions. Fresh chicken was particularly difficult to obtain in urban areas, where there were no nearby rural farms. As a result, chicken was often in short supply and expensive in cities. For working-class families, chicken was unaffordable even for Sunday dinners.
During the Depression, cooks in meat-packing centers like Detroit, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Louisville, and Pittsburgh used pork or veal because it was cheaper than chicken. In these cities, such cuts were more readily available. The dish is said to have originated in Pittsburgh, where it was a working-class food item. It then spread to other cities in the Great Lakes region and beyond.
Today, cooks continue to use pork or a mixture of pork and veal due to the cost of veal. Veal has become more expensive and harder to come by, so many recipes now call for pork only. City chicken remains a popular dish in communities with Polish and Ukrainian heritage, where it is a tasty alternative to fried chicken.
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Mock chicken recipes allowed people to repurpose scraps
City chicken is an American dish that consists of cubes of meat, typically pork, placed on a wooden skewer and then fried or baked. The dish is commonly found in the metropolitan areas of Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, and Pittsburgh. It is believed that the dish originated in these cities before and during the Depression Era, when cooks used pork or veal because it was cheaper than chicken. Chicken was primarily reserved for special occasions, and packaging and selling ready-to-cook chicken meat only became common in the 1940s.
Mock chicken recipes, including city chicken, allowed people to repurpose scraps and use more affordable meats while still achieving the taste of chicken. For example, in the Detroit metropolitan area, city chicken has been prepared with skewers of pork, veal, and lamb since the early 1900s. In Cincinnati, the dish appeared on a 1933 lunch menu as baked city chicken "en brochette".
The dish is also popular in cities throughout the central and eastern Great Lakes region of Ohio and Michigan, as well as in communities with Polish and Ukrainian heritage. In these communities, the dish is known as "Patychki" and is made with marinated cubes of pork, veal, and bacon threaded onto wooden skewers, dredged in flour, egg, and seasoned breadcrumbs, and then fried and baked.
In Binghamton, New York, city chicken is made with meat that is marinated, battered, and then deep-fried. The Cleveland version is typically baked without breading, dredged in flour, browned in a pan, and then finished in the oven and served with gravy.
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City chicken is a Polish-American recipe
City chicken is a dish that is commonly found in the metropolitan areas of Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, Binghamton, Erie, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, and Scranton. It is also popular in the ethnic Ukrainian regions of western Canada and in the Ottawa Valley and Kitchener area. The dish is typically made with cubes of pork, veal, or both, which are threaded onto wooden skewers, battered with flour and breadcrumbs, and then baked or fried.
The origin of the dish can be traced back to the early 1900s, when chicken was considered a luxury item and was mostly reserved for special occasions. Families raised chickens primarily for eggs, and fresh chicken was often in short supply and expensive. As a result, people chose beef, veal, or pork over poultry due to cost considerations. Mock poultry recipes allowed them to use more affordable meats and repurpose scraps to achieve the taste of chicken.
In the metropolitan areas mentioned above, it was common for people to have small vegetable gardens and hogs, but raising chickens was rare due to limited space. However, slaughterhouses that provided pork, lamb, veal, and beef were located nearby. This accessibility to other meats, along with the higher cost of chicken, likely contributed to the creation of the city chicken recipe.
The dish is especially popular in communities with Polish and Ukrainian heritage, and it is considered a comfort food in many regions. Some people with Polish heritage recall eating city chicken in their childhood and learning the recipe from their mothers or grandmothers. The recipe typically involves marinating cubes of pork and veal overnight with garlic and salt, threading them onto skewers, dredging them in flour, egg, and breadcrumbs, and then frying and baking them.
While the dish is commonly associated with Polish and Ukrainian heritage, it is also claimed by other cultural groups. For example, some people with Italian heritage in Pittsburgh also consider city chicken a family classic. Additionally, the dish has spread beyond its original regions, and variations can be found in different parts of the United States and Canada.
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Frequently asked questions
City chicken is called so because it is commonly found in the metropolitan areas of Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, and Pittsburgh. The dish is made with pork because chicken was more expensive and harder to come by.
City chicken consists of cubes of pork, veal, or both, which are threaded onto wooden skewers, battered with flour and breadcrumbs, and baked or deep-fried.
City chicken originated in the early 1900s in the United States, in cities such as Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Detroit. It was a working-class food item, as chicken was expensive and considered a luxury item at the time.
