What Is City Chicken? Old Fashioned City Chicken Recipe

If you have never heard of City Chicken then read on!

What is City Chicken? What is the origin of City Chicken?
City Chicken is a Depression-era meal that is not found in cookbooks. Believe it or not, there was a time in history (pre-1940's) when chicken was actually more expensive than pork, veal, or beef. Poultry farms weren't yet industrialized and available everywhere like they are today, so chicken wasn't as accessible as you might think. 

Yup, it's true! Since folks couldn't afford the expensive chicken, they would use pieces of pork, veal, and/or steak, and skewer them onto a bamboo skewer, bread with seasoned breading, and then fry and/or bake. What exactly is City Chicken? It's not chicken at all, but is made from other meats and shaped to look like a drumstick! 

So gather your supplies, whip up a batch of mashed potatoes and gravy, saute some asparagus or fresh green beans, and make your first batch of City Chicken! 

Best City Chicken Recipe

For this recipe you will need:

Bamboo skewers (about 8 inch long)

Shake & Bake Pork flavor
*For the meat, I use about 1 lb of pork and 1 lb of steak, for about 4 people, so you can adjust accordingly:

Lean pork cubes (I use cup up boneless pork chops)

Lean steak cubes

2 large eggs

splash of milk (about 1/4 cup)

Olive Oil & Crisco solid shortening

Gather all ingredients.

1. Soak the bamboo skewers in warm water for a while before you start, at least 30 minutes is good, a few hours is better. While they are soaking, find a casserole dish that will accommodate the length of the skewers for when you bake them in the oven (I usually use a big lasagna pan).

2. Cut pork and steak into bite-sized pieces for skewering.

3. Skewer the pork and steak cubes onto the bamboo skewers, alternating pork and steak. Do not fill the entire skewers end-to-end, instead leave some space at each end. One inch or so is good. This will make them easier to handle.

4. Put Shake & Bake coating into the bag provided (you can also use regular bread crumbs if you prefer. I find the Shake & Bake makes them nice and crispy).

5. In a pie plate or dish large enough to fit the skewers, beat the two eggs with the milk. 

6. Doing one skewer at a time, dip the meat-filled skewer into the egg and milk mixture and coat the meat on the skewer completely.

7. Allow excess egg to drip off of the skewer and then place the skewer in the bag with the breadcrumbs/Shake & Bake and coat the meat completely with the coating, using your hand outside the bag to squeeze the coating onto the meat. Squeezing it on will make the breading stick very well. Remove skewer from bag and set aside on a plate. Repeat steps above until all skewers are filled with meat, dipped in egg mixture, and breaded. 

8. In a large frying pan melt about 1/3 cup of Crisco solid shortening on medium-low heat until melted and hot - you can use half Crisco and half olive oil instead, or whatever frying of that you prefer. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

9. Once shortening/oil is hot, place a few of the breaded meat skewers into the oil and lightly fry to brown the outsides for just a minute or two each. Watch carefully so they don't burn. Use tongs to turn them and once they are brown, remove them and place them on a plate covered with paper towels to drain off the excess oil. 

10. Once all skewers are fried and drained, turn off the oil and remove from heat. Transfer each of the skewers from the paper towels to a lasagna dish or other casserole dish. Cover with foil.

11. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for one hour.

12. Optional: bake for an additional 5 minutes with foil removed to dry out a bit if they look too wet. 

Soak the skewers ahead of time so they won't singe when you fry and bake them

Prepare your egg and breading mixes and set aside

Cube your pork and beef into bite-sized pieces

Skewer the pork and beef, alternating them if you like

These are ready to be dipped in the egg mixture and then breaded

Breaded and ready to be fried up

Fry for a just a minute or two to brown the outsides

Drain the fried skewers on paper towels to blot off extra fat and then place them in a baking dish, cover, and bake for one hour

From oven to table! Golden baked City Chicken. Best city chicken recipe ever!

Serve with a veggie of your choice and mashed potatoes and gravy: perfect comfort food!

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Please leave me a comment below!

Have you ever eaten City Chicken? 

Have a great week!

 Laura

My broken china jewelry is always available for purchase at https://www.etsy.com/shop/dishfunctionldesigns

Check out my new jewelry instruction books and DVDs

Article & images copyright ©Laura Beth Love for Dishfunctional Designs™ 2018

all rights reserved

Best Ever Homemade French Onion Soup

Well, it looks like snow is back on the menu for tonight into tomorrow—at least it is for us here in Pennsylvania— I'm hoping for a snow day for my kids, or at least a late start! 

What could be better for a snow day than homemade French Onion Soup, complete with crusty croûtes and bubbly, melted Swiss cheese? 

Nothing. Nothing could be as good as that because FOS rocks. So, don't wait for the next blip on the storm chaser website calling for snow to run out and get the ingredients to make this beautiful soup—instead, put the ingredients on your shopping list right now! And after you make it, be sure to come back and leave me a comment below and let me know how much you loved it, because this is the best recipe ever!

(complete recipe at end of post)

You will need 4 tablespoons of butter and 4 tablespoons of olive oil.

In a large soup pot melt 4 tablespoons of butter and 4 tablespoons of olive oil over low heat.

I use regular yellow cooking onions for this recipe, and a bakery baguette loaf.

Peel and chop 4 cups of onions. I like to chop them into cubes that are about 1/2 to 3/4 inch in size.

How you cook the onions is very important. You do not want to cook them too fast on too high a heat, or they will not cook evenly and you will land up with burned onions. You want to cook them relatively low and slow, allowing them to become soft and translucent, and then golden brown. To do this, add onions to the pot with butter and olive oil and cook, covered, over low to medium low heat until onions start to turn translucent. Keep an eye on them and stir occasionally. Once they become translucent, sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of sugar over the onions and stir, this will help the onions to caramelize. Continue to cook the onions until they are a beautiful golden color.

Onions beginning to turn translucent

Once they become translucent, sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of sugar over the onions and stir, this will help the onions to caramelize. Continue to cook the onions until they are a beautiful golden color. If you need to turn up the heat to help brown them, go ahead, but don't walk away from the stove. Stand there and stir them to make sure they don't burn!

Now add: 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 2 heaping tablespoons of flour stirring into the onions until coated. Then add your beef stock: You can use either 2 quarts of beef stock or 4 cans of beef consommé concentrate with 3 cans of water. Only add the water if you are using beef consommé concentrate. I like to use a bit less water with my consomme and add 1 to 2 cups of white wine. If you do not want to add wine to your soup, then just omit the wine and add an extra cup of water -  be sure to taste during the process. You do not want to end up with watered down soup! 

Stir in the beef stock/consomme and water

Add wine and stir. I start with one cup of wine and then taste. Sometimes I add a second cup of wine if the consomme is a bit strong. Simmer over low heat while you prepare the cruets. 

Prepare croûtes: Slice baguette into 1 inch slices, cutting the bread at a diagonal to make elongated shaped slices. Lightly brush one side of each slice with melted butter and place on cookie sheet. 

If you would like to make croutons instead, just cut each slice into four cubes after buttering and then place on cookie sheet.

Toast in 300° F oven watching carefully and turning to brown both sides, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

To serve,fill bowls 2/3 full with soup. Top soup with croutons/croûtes.

Sprinkle croûtes with Swiss cheese and place under broiler until cheese melts and bubbles.

Perfect!

French Onion Soup

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons olive oil

4 cups onions, peeled and diced

1/2 teaspoon sugar

4 cans Beef consommé

3 cans water

1-2 cups of dry white wine, to taste

2 heaping Tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

Fresh ground black pepper, to taste

For croûtes:

Loaf of crusty baguette

2 tablespoons melted butter

8 ounces shredded Swiss cheese

In a large soup pot melt 4 tablespoons of butter and 4 tablespoons of olive oil over low heat.

Peel and chop 4 cups of onions. I like to chop them into cubes that are about 1/2 to 3/4 inch in size.

How you cook the onions is very important. You do not want to cook them too fast on too high a heat, or they will not cook evenly and you will land up with burned onions. You want to cook them relatively low and slow, allowing them to become soft and translucent, and then golden brown. To do this, add onions to the pot with butter and olive oil and cook, covered, over low to medium low heat until onions start to turn translucent. Keep an eye on them and stir occasionally. Once they become translucent, sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of sugar over the onions and stir, this will help the onions to caramelize. Continue to cook the onions until they are a beautiful golden color.

Now add: 1 teaspoon of salt, 2 heaping tablespoons of flour and stir into onions until they are coated. And your beef stock: You can use either 2 quarts of beef stock OR 4 cans of beef consommé concentrate with 3 cans of water (only add the water if you are using beef consommé concentrate.)

Add 1 to 2 cups of dry white wine (Chablis) to taste. Add ground black pepper to taste.

Stir and allow to simmer on low.

Prepare croûtes

Slice baguette into 1" thick slices, cutting the bread at a diagonal to make elongated shaped slices.

Lightly brush one side of each slice with melted butter and place on cookie sheet. If you would like to make croutons instead, just cut each slice into four cubes after buttering and then place on cookie sheet.

Toast in 300° F oven watching carefully and turning to brown both sides, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Once cool, store in a food storage container or bag until ready to use, or to store extras.

Shred Swiss cheese.

To serve: fill bowls 2/3 full with soup. Top soup with croutons/croûtes, sprinkle with Swiss cheese and place under broiler until cheese melts and bubbles.

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What do you think? Are you a fan of French Onion Soup?
Have you ever made your own?

Have a great week!

 Laura

My broken china jewelry is always available for purchase at https://www.etsy.com/shop/dishfunctionldesigns

Check out my new jewelry instruction books and DVDs

Article, images, and designs copyright ©Laura Beth Love for Dishfunctional Designs™ 2018

all rights reserved

How To Make Authentic Homemade Pierogies - Family Recipe!

There is nothing in the world better than an old family recipe of comfort food. I can't even begin to describe the amount of yum going on here today. Have you ever had a really REALLY good homemade pierogi? If you have, then you will already know what I am talking about. If you haven't, then you are missing out!

The recipe is simple, and does not take very long to make. I think a lot of people don't realize this, because if they did, you would hear about people making homemade pierogies all the time! 

For those who've never heard of them before, pierogi (aka pierogies) are a kind of dough dumpling stuffed with a filling; most commonly potatoes and cheese. They are often pan cooked with onions in butter and served with sour cream on the side.

To make pierogies you first make a dough and set it aside in the refrigerator, and then make the filling. Then you put them together, boil them briefly in boiling water, and then pan fry them or keep them in the refrigerator until ready to use. Most importantly, be sure to share some with family or friends! 

Below is our recipe to share. My daughter and I made these on Christmas eve. I figured I would snap some photos while we were making them so that we could share the recipe and process with you. Be sure to get everyone in the house to help! 

Here's how you do it:

First make the dough: 
2 cups flour
3/4 cup sour cream
1 large egg
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt (kosher or sea salt are best)
Mix all ingredients together to form a dough. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for a few minutes until smooth. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for about 30 minutes while you make the filling. 

Next make the filling:
1 pound potatoes, peeled and cubed (I use 3-4)
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 Tablespoon butter
2 Tablespoons milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Place cubed potatoes in pot, cover with water, and add 1 teaspoon salt to the water. Cover and simmer until potatoes are fork-soft, about 10-15 minutes.  Drain potatoes and add to mixer (you can also mash them by hand in the pot using a potato masher if you prefer.)
Add 1 T. butter, the shredded cheese, 2 T. milk, and salt and pepper to the potatoes and mash until smooth. 

This filling looks perfect!

Now let's make the perogies:

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. 

We split our dough into two balls and rolled them out one at a time to make it more manageable.

 

I like to roll it to just under 1/8 in thickness. Not too thin or you will get holes in your pierogies —too thick and they will be too doughy. Practice makes perfect!

   

Use the rim of a glass, cup or cookie cutter to cut circles from the dough that are about 3 inches in diameter.

Use your fingers to press the dough circles a little larger if needed. Our first ones were a bit thick so we either stretched them out a bit, or re-rolled them. 

Now it's time to fill them! Get a custard cup or small bowl of water for your workspace. Scoop up about a tablespoon size dollop of filling and roll into a ball. Place filling inside your dough circle. Brush the edges of your dough circle with a few drops of water. Fold one side of your dough circle over to create a half-moon shape.

Press down on the edges to seal, making sure to also gently press the air out. Use a fork to gently seal the seams.

I place a clean linen dishcloth on a cookie sheet and place my filled pierogies on it while I work. 

These are ready for the next step - boiling them in water to cook the dough. Make sure all seams are closed and that there are no holes in the dough, or the filling will come out when you boil them.

Fill a large soup pot about 2/3 full with water and bring to a rolling boil. Add about a teaspoon of salt to the water. Once the water is boiling, carefully add your pierogies, in batches of 5 or 6 at a time, and boil for about 3-4 minutes. 

Remove the pierogies from the boiling water with a slotted spoon. I place mine in a colander that is on a plate to drain them. Next, drizzle the cooked pierogies with a tablespoon or two of olive oil so that they do not stick together! 

How I cook my pierogies:  I melt 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium sized fry pan on medium-low heat and then add a small chopped onion. 

I cook the onion slowly, stirring occasionally, until it begins to turn translucent, and then I add my pierogies and cook, flipping once or twice, until both sides are slightly golden brown. Serve with sour cream.

If you like, you can cook them for a shorter period and have softer pierogies. I like them kind of crispy and with my onions dark. It's just a matter of personal preference! 

This is how I like mine! 

Pierogie making in action!

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Have you ever made homemade pierogies?

What do you think?

Have a great week!

 Laura

My broken china jewelry is always available for purchase at https://www.etsy.com/shop/dishfunctionldesigns

Check out my new jewelry instruction books and DVDs

Article, images, and designs copyright ©Laura Beth Love for Dishfunctional Designs™ 2018

all rights reserved