City Chicken
A nostalgic comfort food classic with alternating pork and beef cubes on skewers, breaded and pan-fried, then braised in bouillon until tender. A hearty family favorite.
Servings: 6 people
Ingredients
- 1 lb pork cubed
- 1 lb beef cubed
- 1 package saltines crushed
- 2 eggs
- 20 wooden skewers cut to 6 inches
- 3 cups hot water
- 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon
- 2 tablespoons beef bouillon
- 1 tablespoon garlic
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 8 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Alternating between beef and pork, thread meat onto wooden skewers.
- Beat eggs in a bowl to create egg wash. Crush saltines into breadcrumbs in another bowl.
- Dip each skewer into egg wash, then coat thoroughly with crushed saltines.
- Heat large skillet or electric fry pan to medium-high heat. Melt half the butter into the pan.
- Place skewers in pan and brown meat on all sides. Add remaining butter as pan dries up to ensure all sides are nicely browned.
- Transfer browned skewers to a Dutch oven, layering them closely together.
- Divide hot water between two bowls. Dissolve chicken bouillon in one bowl and beef bouillon in the other.
- Spoon 1 teaspoon of each bouillon onto each skewer. Pour remaining bouillon into the pan.
- Sprinkle garlic over each layer of city chicken.
- Cover Dutch oven and place in 300°F oven for 2 hours.
- After 2 hours, increase oven temperature to 350°F and cook for another 2 hours.
- Remove city chicken from pan. Use pan drippings to make gravy.
- Serve with mashed potatoes and gravy.
Notes
This is a nostalgic family recipe that gets its name from the fact that it looks like chicken legs but contains no chicken at all. The long, slow braising makes the meat incredibly tender. Equipment needed: Large skillet, Dutch oven, two small bowls for bouillon. Can be made a day ahead and reheated.