The first references to city chicken appeared in newspapers and cookbooks just prior to and during the Depression Era in a few cities such as Pittsburgh. City chicken typically has cooks using meat scraps to fashion a makeshift drumstick from them. It was a working-class food item flour, for dredging 2 eggs, lightly beaten 2 tablespoon water 2 cups seasoned breadcrumbs Oil for frying

Ingredients

1 pound pork, cut in 1 1/2-inch cubes
1 pound veal, cut in 1 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup cracker meal
1 tablespoon Hungarian paprika (I used hot)
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
2 eggs, well beaten
2 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
2 chicken bouillon cubes
2 cups boiling water
2 tablespoons lite soy sauce
2 onions, sliced into rings
Fresh or dry parsley

Instructions

Thread pork and veal cubes onto skewers. Mix crumbs, paprika, poultry seasoning and onion powder. Combine eggs and milk. Dip meat in egg mixture, then in seasoned cracker meal. Brown on all sides in hot oil.

After meat is all browned, pour off any excess oil, arrange City Chicken neatly in pan.

Dissolve bouillon cube or cubes in boiling water; add soy sauce to mixture and pour all around meat. Cover meat with sliced onion rings and parsley.

Bake covered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Uncover, bake 30 minutes more.

CITY CHICKEN TIP

Detroit Free Press food writer Susan M. Selasky, in a story about City Chicken last year, suggested that you first "dredge the meat in unseasoned or seasoned flour (I always use seasoned) and shake off the excess.

"Then have ready beaten eggs mixed with a little water or milk. Be sure to use one hand for dredging the meat in the flour (dry) mixture and rolling it in the breading. Use the other hand for dipping the meat in the egg mixture. Doing so will keep your fingertips free of clumps of bread crumbs.

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