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City Chicken is one of those nostalgic, old-fashioned recipes that always makes me think of family dinners at home. Made with skewered pork that’s breaded, fried, and baked, this easy dinner recipe (that’s not really chicken!) is hearty, budget-friendly and pure comfort food.
Looking for more ways to enjoy pork? Try my roasted pork tenderloin, baked breaded pork chops, and pulled pork tacos, too!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This City Chicken Recipe
While the final dish may look like regular fried chicken, the flavor of city chicken is even better and more exciting!
In my house, this is a “Sunday dinner” recipe—we gather around the table with mashed potatoes, green beans, and warm Bisquick biscuits. This recipe for the Best City Chicken is hearty, cozy, and feels like home.
- Comfort food classic: Old-fashioned dinner recipe that’s been around for generations. (It literally dates back to the Great Depression!)
- Family favorite: We love making city chicken on Sunday evenings—it reminds me of the Southern suppers I grew up with.
- Simple ingredients: Pork cubes, skewers, breadcrumbs, seasoning, and a few other kitchen staples. No muss, no fuss!
- Versatile cooking: Can be fried and baked or air fried for convenience.
Ingredients Needed for This Easy City Chicken Recipe
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Pork tenderloin – Use a sharp knife to cut to pork tenderloin with a gentle back-and-forth motion. Pro-tip: It is much easier to cut pork when it is very cold (even half-frozen).
- Garlic powder – Try using half garlic powder and half onion powder for a little twist on the seasonings.
- Eggs – eggs act as a binder to keep the breadcrumbs on for cooking.
- Italian seasoned Panko breadcrumbs – Regular breadcrumbs will also work well. I like the extra crunch from the panko breadcrumbs, though.
- Vegetable oil – Canola oil is also good for quickly frying the pork. Whatever you use, make sure it has a high smokepoint.
Variations
Here are a few ingredient substitutions and alterations that you may want to try.
- You can replace the pork tenderloin with pork chops. Pork chops are not quite as tender, but they will still taste great!
- Use regular breadcrumbs, and add 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning to make your own seasoned breadcrumbs.
- Serve your city chicken recipe with a dipping sauce on the side. Brown gravy, honey mustard dipping sauce, or even just some ketchup will all taste delicious.
- You can also make air fryer city chicken by cooking at 375°F until golden brown and fully cooked.
How to Make City Chicken
- Prep the pork: Cut the pork tenderloin into cubes, and place three to four cubes of pork onto wooden skewers.
- Dredge in flour: Dip the skewered pork first in the flour mixture.
- Coat in egg: Dip the skewers in the egg, letting the excess drip off.
- Dredge again: Coat the pork in breadcrumbs, pressing to ensure it’s evenly coated.
- Fry: Pan-fry the breaded pork skewers in batches in the hot oil, cooking the pork for just 3-4 minutes to lightly brown. Do not fully cook the pork at this stage!
- Bake: Place the fried pork skewers into a 9×13 baking dish, and cover the pan with aluminum foil. Bake for 45 minutes. Then, remove the foil, and bake for another 10 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 145ºF. Serve with mashed potatoes, gravy, or roasted veggies.
Serving Suggestions
This old-fashioned dinner pairs perfectly with:
- A crisp garden salad, like this Summer Salad
- Classic Mashed Potatoes and gravy
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Southern Green Beans or buttered corn
Frequently Asked Questions
In the early 1900s, chicken was expensive, but veal and pork were fairly affordable. People living in big cities would prepare the cheaper meats, like pork, using chicken-style recipes and pretend it was the pricier meat. The depression era recipe was so good that it stuck around.
City chicken was originally created by Polish and Ukrainian immigrants. Many communities were concentrated in Cleveland and Pittsburg. The popularity spread quite quickly though!
City chicken is essentially a type of breaded pork tenderloin. The pork is cut into cubes and threaded on bamboo skewers. Then, it is coated in panko breadcrumbs, quickly fried, and baked in the oven until it’s crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
Pork shoulder or pork loin cubes are most common, but veal or chicken can be used.
More Family Favorite Comfort Food Recipes
Main Dishes
Cracker Barrel Meatloaf Recipe
Slow Cooker
Easy Crockpot Cabbage Rolls Recipe
Pork
Baked Pork Chops
Main Dishes
Crock Pot Ribs
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City Chicken
Equipment
- Wooden skewers
- 9×13 baking dish
- Aluminum foil
- large skillet
- Measuirng spoons
- Measuring cup
Ingredients
- 1½ to 2 pounds pork tenderloin, cut into 1 ½ inch cubes
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 cups Italian seasoned panko breadcrumbs
- vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Pat the cubes of pork dry with a paper towel, then season with the salt and pepper. Thread 3 to 4 pieces of pork onto each skewer.1½ to 2 pounds pork tenderloin, cut into 1 ½ inch cubes, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Prepare three separate bowls for coating the skewers, one with the flour and garlic powder, one with the beaten egg, and another with the breadcrumbs. Working one at a time, dredge the skewers in the flour mixture, shaking off the excess, followed by the egg, then the breadcrumbs.½ cup all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 2 eggs, lightly beaten, 2 cups Italian seasoned panko breadcrumbs
- In a large skillet over medium high heat, add the vegetable oil to a depth of about 1 inch. Once the oil has heated through, fry the skewers in batches, being careful not to crowd the pan. Turn the skewers halfway through and cook until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.vegetable oil for frying
- Arrange the skewers in a 9 x 13 baking dish, then cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 to 50 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake for another 10 to 12 minutes until cooked through. If using a meat thermometer, the meat will reach an internal temperature of 145ºF when done. Remove to a plate and serve.
Video
Notes
- Soak wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes to prevent burning.
- When you skewer the pork cubes, leave a little space between the cubes. This will ensure that each piece is completely breaded all the way around. It also helps cook the city chicken faster and more evenly when there is a gap between the skewered meat.
- Use equal-sized meat cubes so they cook evenly.
- Use a meat thermometer to ensure the city chicken cooks completely, reaching an internal temperature of 145 degrees in the frying pan.
original city chicke n is pork and veal alternated on skewer
not panko either.. they didnt have it back in the day… flavored bread crumbs
youre not from puttaburgh! lol
These were good and my family liked them, mainly because we NEVER have fried food and it was a treat! However, 50 minutes in the oven would have dried them out. I fried them 4 minutes per side and baked at 350 for about 10 minutes and they were way over done. I can’t imagine what 50-60 minutes would have produced.
I made these last night and the family loved them. I would not make any adjustments except I did mine in the airfryer and cooked them for 20 min I would definitely only cook them for 15 min turning 1/2 way through.
Great Fall meal. I haven’t made them in years. We called them Mock Chicken Legs and made them with Veal and Pork. Add some Potatoe Dumplings , Apple Sauce, and maybe a Toss Salad and you have the perfect Fall Dinner.