City Chicken

I haven't cooked anything yet this week - don't always have the energy after work. But I thought I'd post a recipe that I made a few months ago and really liked - City Chicken! It came from the Free Press and unfortunately they took the regular link down - I'm afraid that means my links to the French Bread and Margarita Cake might not work eventually.

In any case, here's a shorter, archived version of the recipe for City Chicken. I hadn't had it in ages and my father in law kept talking about it, so I made it for them one weekend a while back. It turned out great and just like I remember it tasting from my grandma.

I was surprised by how many people don't know what City Chicken is - not chicken at all, but a mixture of pork and veal, served elegantly on a wooden stick. I thought it was specifically a Polish thing, but I think it's actually more of a working class/immigrant town thing. It's not native to Detroit.

I've read before that chicken used to be the "special occasion" meat - which strikes me as odd, since it's so common now, thanks to factory farming. I wish things were how they used to be.

I was apprehensive about the meat being tough so I marinated it first overnight in buttermilk. Turned out great, and the only flack I got was from my mom, who said I didn't use the "right" kind of skewers. Little did she know... mine were also made out of bamboo. So definitely not traditional City Chicken skewers. This isn't depression-era Pittsburgh!