The Best Polish City Chicken Recipe (2024)

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If you are looking for a great comfort food meat recipe, this Polish city chicken recipe is going to become a favorite go-to meal for your family. Tender bits of pork on a skewer are battered and deep-fried to create a perfect morsel in every bite you devour.

The Best Polish City Chicken Recipe (1)

Polish City Chicken Recipe

While we tend to avoid deep frying foods, there are just some occasions when you can't make it taste good any other way. This recipe is one of the rare deep-fried options that just aren't good any other way.

Polish chicken is a great choice for an appetizer but also works perfectly for your main dish. You can serve this with a simple plate of vegetables and a starch of your choice. Alternatively, it can be placed on a platter and added to a buffet as part of an appetizer for your next party.

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Why is it Called City Chicken?

City chicken was made popular during the Great Depression. It is made with small pieces of meat and battered then fried to look like a piece of fried chicken. During this time period, veal and pork were less expensive than chicken, so small chunks were used to make mock chicken using this method.

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What is the Best Cut of Meat for This Recipe?

If using pork, I find pork chops to be the best option for a tender result. A nice cut of veal is another option you can enjoy that turns out tender with this cooking method.

Of course, if you prefer, you can use the same option for chicken tenderloins, breasts, or thighs. While it isn't typically made with chicken, that doesn't mean you can't actually use chicken for the recipe. It's all about flavor and easy to make a crunchy coating.

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Do You Serve City Chicken with a Dipping Sauce?

This is totally up to you and your preference. This fried pork recipe is great as it is, but I absolutely love it with a nice dip. You can serve with something as simple as ketchup for the kids or make your own homemade garlic aioli. Ranch dressing, honey mustard, steak sauces, or even barbecue sauces can all be used as a dipping sauce for this recipe.

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What Goes with City Chicken?

What you serve with city chicken really depends upon if you are making this as a main dish or an appetizer. When serving as an appetizer, it goes great with any other options you prefer, but always best with a dipping sauce. I like to create an appetizer buffet that includes a few proteins and a few vegetables so you have options to satisfy your cravings.

When serving this city chicken as the main dish at a meal, I like to serve with traditional sides. It works beautifully with these homestyle cheesy scalloped potatoes or Southern style baked macaroni and cheese. Of course, I have to have vegetables at every meal so I like to serve this with bacon wrapped Brussels sprouts, or these roasted garlic Parmesan asparagus spears.

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Ingredients

  • Boneless pork
  • Salt
  • Black pepper
  • Garlic powder
  • Onion powder
  • Smoked paprika
  • Chili powder
  • Eggs
  • Milk
  • Italian bread crumbs
  • Vegetable oil (for frying)

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How to Make Polish City Chicken

In a bowl, mix together the salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, and paprika.

Sprinkle the cubes of pork generously with the seasoning blend until coated on all sides.

The Best Polish City Chicken Recipe (8)

Thread 3-4 chunks of pork onto each skewer and set aside.

In a shallow bowl or dish, whisk together the eggs and milk.

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Using a separate shallow bowl, add the seasoned bread crumbs.

Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare a baking dish with a wire rack.

Heat the deep fat fryer or a large skillet with frying oil until the oil reaches 350°F.

Using one hand, dip the skewer of pork into the egg mixture then dip that skewer into the bread crumbs.

Repeat this dipping and coating each skewer twice in each mixture.

Add the pork skewers to the hot oil being careful not to overcrowd the oil and cook for around 3 minutes per side until crisp and golden brown on all sides.

Remove the skewers from the oil and set aside on a wire rack in a baking dish.

Once all skewers have been fried, cover the baking dish with aluminum foil.

Place the baking dish into the oven and bake for 20 minutes.

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Remove the foil and continue cooking for an additional 10 minutes before serving with your preferred sides and dips.

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More Comfort Food Meals

  • Authentic German Rouladen Recipe
  • Homestyle Baked Chicken Paprikash Recipe
  • The Best Copycat IKEA Swedish Meatballs
  • Simple Old Fashioned Goulash Recipe
  • The Best Authentic Shepherd's Pie Recipe

Chef's Tips

If you plan to fry foods on a regular basis, I highly recommend investing in a deep fat fryer. A great affordable choice is the Presto Fry Daddy.

Also, when working with skewers, it's a great idea to soak the wooden skewers for 15-minutes in cold water before putting your meat or vegetables onto them. This helps prevent them from burning while being cooked.

📖 Recipe

Yield: 6

The Best Polish City Chicken Recipe

The Best Polish City Chicken Recipe (12)

Polish city chicken is the perfect tender on the inside and crispy on the outside pork dish that you will fall in love with making for your family!

Prep Time20 minutes

Cook Time1 hour

Total Time1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs boneless pork, cut into cubes
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon chili powder
  • 4 eggs
  • ¼ cup milk
  • 2 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs

For Frying

  • Favorite frying oil - enough to cover skewers

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl, mix together the salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and chili powder;
  2. Sprinkle the spice blend over the cubed pork until coated well; The Best Polish City Chicken Recipe (13)
  3. Thread 3-4 chunks of pork onto each skewer then set aside;
  4. In one shallow bowl, whisk together milk and eggs; The Best Polish City Chicken Recipe (14)
  5. Pour the breadcrumbs into another separate bowl;
  6. Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare a large baking dish with a wire rack;
  7. Heat the oil for frying to 350°F;
  8. Once the oil is hot and ready, dip your skewers first into the egg mixture then into the breadcrumbs, then repeat one more time so they are dipped into each mixture twice;
  9. Fry the skewers making sure not to overcrowd the oil for 2-3 minutes on each side or until the coating is crispy and golden brown;
  10. Place the fried skewers onto the wire rack and cover with aluminum foil; The Best Polish City Chicken Recipe (15)
  11. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes;
  12. Remove the foil and continue cooking for 10 more minutes;
  13. Serve with dipping sauce and your choice of sides. The Best Polish City Chicken Recipe (16) The Best Polish City Chicken Recipe (17)

Notes

Serve city chicken with your favorite dipping sauces like ranch, barbecue, honey mustard, or even a nice white gravy.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving:Calories: 600Total Fat: 29gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 258mgSodium: 1067mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 3gSugar: 3gProtein: 51g

The Best Polish City Chicken Recipe (24)

The Best Polish City Chicken Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is Polish city chicken made of? ›

Traditionally, city chicken consists of cubes of pork, veal, or both, which are threaded onto skewers, battered with flour and breadcrumbs, and baked or deep-fried to tender perfection. Cooks often shape the skewered meat to mimic chicken drumsticks, and the dish indeed tastes like chicken.

Which is the best chicken dish in the world? ›

Butter chicken, also known as Murgh Makhani, has recently claimed the top spot in the "Top 100 Chicken Dishes in the World" list by TasteAtlas, (an online guide for traditional food) solidifying its place as a global culinary sensation.

What is the history of mock chicken legs? ›

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 by skewering meat chunks. It was a working-class food item.

How many calories are in city chicken? ›

Calories in City Chicken
Calories371.7
Total Fat14.5 g
Saturated Fat3.7 g
Polyunsaturated Fat1.7 g
Monounsaturated Fat8.0 g
8 more rows

What is the crest on a Polish chicken? ›

A Polish chicken sports a large hat-like crest. Some varieties have beards and muffs, too. A bony cone or a protuberance on their skull supports their feathery crests. Along with the crest, they have a small red V-shaped comb hidden by feathers.

What is another name for a Polish chicken? ›

The bird has been known by various names including “Poland”, “Tophat” and Paduan. Charles Darwin classified any chicken with a crest as a “Polish” or “Crested” chicken, most likely due to the resemblance of the feathering on the head of the bird to the sprouting crests on the feathered caps worn by Polish soldiers.

What's the number 1 chicken in America? ›

Chick-fil-A*

What is the number 1 dish in the world? ›

Pizza is the dominant meal, surpassing barbecue in second place and brunch in third. Chinese restaurants are the most common, representing an average of over 9.5% of all restaurants in the top visited cities, followed by Italian restaurants at more than 8.5% and Indian restaurants at 8%.

Which country serves the best chicken? ›

Chicken: Which country does it best?
  • Portugal: Peri-Peri Chicken.
  • Jamaica: Jerk Chicken.
  • England: Roast Chicken.
  • American South: Southern-Fried Chicken.
  • Australia: Barbecue Chicken.
Feb 24, 2023

Why is city chicken called city chicken? ›

Fun fact - it was actually Binghamton that gave city chicken it's name. A 1926 Binghamton newspaper article called the dish “city chicken” and it stuck and has been called that ever since (although your Polish or Ukrainian grandmother who called it patyczki or patychky would probably roll her eyes).

What is the difference between mock chicken and city chicken? ›

City Chicken isn't actually chicken; it's also been known as mock chicken. It's sometimes thought of as a Polish recipe, although it's not actually from Poland.

Is mock chicken good for you? ›

As mentioned above, traditional mock meats tend to be highly processed, offering minimal nutritional value and using considerable amounts of unhealthful additives and salt. Some have even been found to contain animal-derived ingredients.

What is in mock chicken? ›

Mechanically separated meats (turkey and/or pork), Pork and/or beef, Water, Modified corn starch, Modified milk ingredients, Soy protein isolate, Salt, Potassium lactate, Monosodium glutamate, Sodium phosphate, Onion powder, Sodium erythorbate, Sodium diacetate, Spices, Sodium nitrite, Wheat flour, Mustard.

Which piece of chicken has the most calories? ›

Here are the calorie counts of the most common cuts of boneless, skinless chicken per 3.5 oz. (100-g) serving:
  • Chicken breast: 165 calories.
  • Chicken thigh: 179 calories.
  • Chicken wing: 203 calories.
  • Chicken drumstick: 155 calories.

What is the lowest calorie chicken piece? ›

If you're trying to lose weight, then chicken breast is the best cut for you. It is the leanest part of the chicken, which means it has the fewest calories but the most protein. For example, chicken breast is ideal for bodybuilders on a cut, since it has the fewest calories.

Why is city chicken made with pork? ›

City dwellers longed for chicken, that fancy delicious bird that only farmers got to eat, the lucky devils. But the elusive fowl were raised in the country, and were hard to obtain in the city and expensive when found. So city mice fashioned a pork-veal dish as a sort of mock chicken.

Are Polish chickens used for meat or eggs? ›

The Polish is mainly an ornamental bird, however, at one time they were use for their eggs, but when the Leghorn became popular they were no longer widely used for egg production. The Polish are very prolific, laying around 200 or more eggs.

Is my Polish chicken a hen or rooster? ›

Polish roosters will develop larger, more red combs and wattles versus the hens who will have smaller, more pale combs and wattles. Polish roosters will also grow longer tail feathers and be overall bigger and heavier than a Polish hen.

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