Always Loved City Chicken

City chicken isn’t actually chicken at all. The name comes from Depression-era Pennsylvania and Ohio, when chicken was expensive and butchers sold cheaper pork and veal scraps skewered to look like drumsticks. This modern version uses ground turkey and ground pork shaped into meatballs threaded onto skewers, breaded and baked until golden.

The bread-and-fry-then-bake-in-gravy technique is what makes city chicken what it is. The breading creates a crispy crust on the meat, then baking in seasoned chicken gravy at 325°F (160°C) lets the breading soak up the savory liquid, transforming into something between fried meat and savory dumpling. The result is dense, juicy, and deeply comforting.

Corn flake crumbs are the traditional breading choice and they make a real difference. Corn flakes deliver a sturdier, crunchier crust than regular bread crumbs, and they hold up better through the bake-in-gravy step without going completely soft. Serve with mashed potatoes, buttered noodles, or stuffing to soak up the extra gravy, plus a green vegetable on the side.

Pro Tips

• Chill the formed meatballs before threading if they’re too soft to handle. Cold meat skewers cleanly.
• Brown the breaded skewers evenly on all sides in the skillet. Uneven browning means uneven texture.
• Season the canned chicken gravy generously. Most commercial gravies need extra pepper, garlic powder, or herbs to taste homemade.
• Don’t skip the 30 minutes covered then 15 uncovered. Covered keeps moisture in; uncovered crisps the tops.

Variations

• Use ground veal and pork (the traditional combination) for a more authentic Depression-era version.
• Make homemade chicken gravy from drippings instead of canned for a fresher flavor.
• Add 1 teaspoon of poultry seasoning to the meat mixture for extra herbal depth.