Babcia’s City Chicken
Back in the day when chicken was expensive and veal and pork were cheap, ‘city chicken’ was introduced into my life.
A skewer of pork or pork and veal cubes, coated, deep fried and laid in a cream of soup Was new to me.
It was so delicious I had to get that recipe from my mom. And she had gotten it from her mom!
These are the INGREDIENTS You will need:
Chicken:
- 24 wooden skewers about 6 inches long
- 1 lb veal tenderloin cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes
- 1 lb pork tenderloin cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 ⁄4 cup milk
- 1 ⁄2 teaspoon salt
- 1 ⁄4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup saltine medium crushed
- 3 tablespoons oil
Sauce:
- can 10½ ounces condensed cream of mushroom soup
- 1 cup of milk any variety
- 1 cup water
These are the INSTRUCTIONS For preparation:
City Chicken:
- Thread veal and pork cubes onto 8 6-inch skewers, pushing pieces tightly together. In bowl, mix together the egg, milk, salt and pepper.
- Place cracker crumbs in zip lock baggie. Dip meat into egg mixture, then coat in cracker mixture.
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the meat about 4 minutes until browned on all sides.
- Place the skewered meat at the bottom of a large baking or roasting pan. If baking it in the sauce, mix together the mushroom soup, milk and water and pour over the meat.
- Cover Chicken with foil and bake for approximately 1 hour. Remove foil for last 10 minutes. Temp is 325 degrees for glass and 350 degrees for metal.
- Serve with mashed potatoes and pierogis.
NOTES
The grocery stores around me sell a pack of cubed pork with the wood skewers already in the pack specifically for city chicken, so you may want to look for that first. But, if you can’t find that, then cubing your own pork will work fine.
Today, I still make it the same way.
This photo was taken a while back and with all the fuss around the holidays I absolutely forgot about it!
It isn’t hard to make at all and the gravy is perfect every time.
Add some potato cakes, applesauce, or just plain mashed potatoes to your favorite salad and veggie and this dinner will feed the whole gang.
This also goes well with Pierogi using many fillings. Both sweet and savory fillings are to die for.
Stuffed cabbage is a great dish on this plate too.
Add. Some fresh rye bread and butter and you have a meal fit for a king. And of course prepared by his queen!
Babcia’s City Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 24 wooden skewers about 6 inches long
- 1 lb veal tenderloin cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes
- 1 lb pork tenderloin cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 ⁄4 cup milk
- 1 ⁄2 teaspoon salt
- 1 ⁄4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup saltine medium crushed
- 3 tablespoons oil
Sauce:
- can 10½ ounces condensed cream of mushroom soup
- 1 cup of milk any variety
- 1 cup water
Instructions
City Chicken:
- Thread veal and pork cubes onto 8 6-inch skewers, pushing pieces tightly together. In bowl, mix together the egg, milk, salt and pepper.
- Place cracker crumbs in zip lock baggie. Dip meat into egg mixture, then coat in cracker mixture.
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the meat about 4 minutes until browned on all sides.
Sauce:
- Place the skewered meat at the bottom of a large baking or roasting pan. If baking it in the sauce, mix together the mushroom soup, milk and water and pour over the meat.
- Cover Chicken with foil and bake for approximately 1 hour. Remove foil for last 10 minutes. Temp is 325 degrees for glass and 350 degrees for metal.
- Serve with mashed potatoes and pierogis.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Information is estimated based on the ingredients and cooking instructions as described in each recipe and is intended to be used for informational purposes only. Please note that nutrition details may vary based on methods of preparation, origin and freshness of ingredients used.
Conversion Information We get a lot of requests to help with conversions especially between various countries like Canada, the U.K. and Australia. These tables should help you make those conversions. For your convenience we have included a Conversion Chart.
Disclaimer Unless indicated recipes influenced by cookbooks, magazines or family traditions.
I am Marilyn Lesniak. Writer, Photographer and Chief Bottle Washer behind the scenes at Marilyn's Treats. Don’t burn down the kitchen!! Let me help with my Kitchen Tips, Hacks and Recipes for all levels of Chefs.
delish, thanks
Hello, love this recipe. If I want to make it a day ahead of time to take to a party, how do you suggest I reheat? Can I fully bake the day before and then put in a crock pot to reheat, or do you suggest I place it back in the oven and for how long? Thanks so much for sharing this.
I have never made it ahead of time. But I would try it like I do chicken. Cook thoroughly then next day cook at 325 for 15 minutes if taken cold from fridge. Let me know how that works. I would check it every 5 minutes. Good Luck.
I prepared this recipe last evening. I had to share how much my husband and I enjoyed it (*****).
I added a small amount of rosemary to enhance the flavor.
Most importantly, there was NO temperature. I did 350 degrees for 45 minutes and uncovered for 15 minutes, and cooled 5 minutes.
I would recommend a tray under as I had some bubbly overflow
I can’t believe I missed that!!! I am making corrections now.
The oven temp is 325 (If using glass dish, 350 for metal). I have been making this for 42 years and it is still a family favorite. Bake it for 1 hour then uncover for 15 to 25 minutes.
🙂 My mom always made city chicken, probably passed down from my Babcia.. Thanks for the recipe and the memory!
So sweet of you to comment Kathleen! Those two reasons, memories and spurring someone to respond to a recipe are the two main reasons I blog! Have a gret day.
This chicken looks delicious! YUM!
Thank you so much, Jess! Come and visit anytime! Nice to meet you.
Hi Marilyn
I just got home from work and I’m starving. This looks sooooo good. Thanks for sharing your recipe. I think I’d like to try this for my hubby.
Angel
Thanks Angel for commenting! It is so good, and easy to make. I hope you enjoy it!
Wow this looks fantastic! I love the idea of using a mushroom soup packet for the sauce – delicious!
Thanks so much Lucy for commenting! This really is goid and very different! Enjoy!
When I grew up in Maine, chicken was always cheaper because they could raise the chickens in the big barns up the road even when it was freezing outside. This City Chicken would have been a fancy dancy meal at our house. 🙂
I love how you always have a story to tell, Maureen! Alas, I grew up a city girl, but have a good old country girl attitude. Thanks for commenting!