When I came home to visit mom I always begged her to make this. It was and still is my favorite meat dish. Mom did the cubed version. She used flour instead of bread crumbs. Browned the meat and then put in in a Baking dish with some melted butter that with some extra flour, would make some of the best drippings you could dip the city chicken into when it came out ready to eat. She just passed away in December so thanks for this!
When I was a child, there was a local grocery store that sold mock chicken legs. They were like large meatballs, rolled in a breadcrumbs or something, and they had sticks in them like you get in a caramel apple. I have been missing those in recent years because that chain went out of business a long time ago. They had a very distinct flavor that was nothing like anything I have ever had elsewhere.
Back in the fifties and sixties both of the grocery stores in my small town sold these. I think the meat was veal or a pork and veal blend. The price of veal has risen so much that it's no longer an economical option. I miss mock chicken legs too.
Here to report from the Milwaukee area that a local grocery store today sells mock chicken legs at their butcher's counter, pre-breaded and ready to go! I'm not from the Midwest, so had no idea about the Great Depression origin. The theory I'd come up with in my head was that they were made of ground chicken, and the point of them was to have no bones so young children could eat them more easily. So thanks for this history!
@@shannonrickard8605 I'm a little further north and I can not fine any that tasted like the ones we had when I was younger. Pretty sure these were made with pork shoulder and ground up like hamburger but the spices I have no clue. I keep trying different ones but with no luck.
If you’re wondering why mock chicken was a thing. prior to the 1950s chickens where mostly raised for eggs so being able to afford one that was still young enough to be eaten was often too expensive for the majority of people
Also the battery cage isn't that old - imagine if all chicken were free range. They may taste better (and certainly have had a better life), but they'd be much more expensive, since they take a lot of space.
Pigeons are a domesticated breed of dove, in fact. Not raised so much as they used to be, so most folks (in my culture, anyway) only ever see the feral ones that are so widespread in cities.
If eating squab, do not eat the city ones. They literally pick garbage, dropped food, and drink city contaminated water - wood pigeons only, gotta be a ways out from the nearest town.
I find the old ‘mock’ recipes so fascinating. The best/worst sounding one I’ve seen is from WWII for mock banana. It was mashed turnips with banana flavouring, which sounds vile to be honest. 😂
this is radically different from my great-grandmother's mock chicken (Michigan checking in). She used to use store-bought pork sausage, mixed with a diced apple, rolled in bread crumbs, fried in chicken broth, then finished in the oven.
My grandmother had one of those, she used it for juicing citrus, she said it worked better then any other gadget she had at the time. 😄 I remember my brother asking her why it looked like a chicken leg!
From MI. Never had city chicken until dating my husband. Learned city chicken form my mil who grew up in the depression. We did the skewer style. Chunks of pork and veal but Graham cracker crumbs. Seared in butter then baked with a wee bit of water. We can’t find cubes veal where we are now. So I seconded to make meatballs with ground veal and minced pork. My son loved them and declared them as good as his grandmas city chicken.
Thanks, Emmy, for bringing back some very fond memories. As a child growing up in the 1960s, mock chicken drumsticks were sold in the frozen food sections of most grocery stores of the time. I loved them as a kid, but I don't know of any grocery stores that carry them anymore.
Fascinating! Have heard of many mock meats, but not mock chicken until today. Was imagining something made with bread and or soy, totally surprised it is made with other types of meat. Looks delicious.
When I was a kid these were called "veal birdies" and were sold already formed w/the sticks and breadcrumbs in the butcher's case inside the supermarket.
Life-long resident of Pittsburgh and we LOVE City Chicken! I just had some last week with mashed potatoes, buttered corn and Harvard Beets - which is how my mom always made it! Everyone here knows about city chicken and most people love it! Thank you so much Emmy for making this video and immortalizing this little known traditional dish from "the Burg!" ❤😊
I really enjoy when you do historical recipes like this. Especially when it pertains to the the price of food and what others did during leaner times since so many of us are having to adjust to inflation.
The first time I remember hearing about this, was from an episode of Bewitched! Darren brings a client home at the last minute, and Sam had to prepare something for dinner. So she makes 'veal birds'. This was the 1960s and I still remember it! 😅
You should definitely make a video of depression recipes that are still just as affordable and maybe mentions ones that went up and are more expensive now in comparison
I grew up mostly in the Milwaukee area and we had a patty type mock chicken leg that was shaped like a chicken leg that was served in the school lunch program, always with very yellow "chicken" gravy, mashed potatoes and corn. Was always second place to the sheet pan pizza in my book. In many of the grocery stores in MKE and Chicago, you can find them in the frozen food area. They have a yellow ingredients label and are made by a company named supreme meats. I'll get a package or two once a year or so and recreate the meal at home complete with the yellow gravy.
The yellow gravy…there was a local 24 hr diner where I live and after drinking at the bars we’d go there to eat. I’d get the turkey dinner and it always had that fluorescent yellow gravy!! It closed years ago and I miss it.
The MPS mock chicken leg lunch was always a favorite with kids, my sister even made my mom buy them from the store to make at home. I was never a big meat eater but I liked that it came with a roll!
I’m from Pittsburgh, PA and city chicken is definitely still a thing around here. You can get kits in the grocery store that come with the cubed pork and veal and the skewers. I haven’t made any in ages though, I’m going to have to give it a try:)
Also in Michigan. My mom was Italian and that side of the family never made it. My dad was German and Irish and quite poor, they ate city chicken. My mom bought it from the butcher and it’s still available ready to go in my area.
Its so fun to see how much this channel has updated. I’ve been watching you for 10 years now and the difference from your first videos is so amazing to see :))
Hi Emmy! I grew up eating the skewered style of city chicken (veal+pork cubes) as a treat for holidays from the polish part of my family from Hamtramck, MI. I try to make it at least once a year, it's always delicious and easy.
I grew up eating mock chicken legs in Minnesota. One grocery store chain makes it homemade a few months out of the year (winter season) is Super One in Duluth. Very nostalgic and thanks for the video!
My family has city chicken all the time! One of my favorite meals! Where I live you can buy a nifty little package with the cubed pork and skewers at the grocery store.
I’m so glad you discovered city chicken. As a child my mother bought this at our local IGA and I loved it. I’m 56 now and I can’t find anyone who remembers these. Thanks for the memories!
Hi Emmy! My aunts make this with shredded chicken in Libya! It's shaped in a drumstick and the "bone" part of the drum stick is made from a spear of fried potato (kinda like a fry!), breaded and fried! A drumstick that can be consumed "bone" and all kinda like a chicken nugget I guess!
Omigosh, City Chicken was my favorite dinner as a child growing up in early 1960s Michigan. Mom would get a tray of breaded mock chicken legs at the butcher and pan fry them for us. They were roughly ground then pressed onto the stick. Before there were chicken nuggets, there was this culinary gem. I’m absolutely going to make these!
I'm in Juneau, WI, and I grew up in Milwaukee. These were served in elementary school with mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, and a roll. I still buy them today when I can find them!
My mother would buy these at the store here in Michigan back in the 70's and 80's. Mock Chicken or City Chicken. We loved eating these. Grab the stick and nibble the meat. Many of them were made by mixing ground pork and veal together because it was cheaper than chicken meat. There is a meat department at a grocery store called Hardings in Plainwell, Michigan that still makes them today.
My grandma used to make this all the time when I was little (She was born in 1911). It was amazing. She did the cubed version and I still have her handwritten recipe for it somewhere.
I want Emmy to make a Pasty! Pronounced (Pass-Tee) it’s a northern Minnesota meat & vegetable pie that iron miners used to keep in their pockets wrapped in Aluminum foil to eat for lunch or dinner & that’s what they ate when they were underground mining! Absolutely delicious! Please Emmy…won’t you try it?
If Emmy does pasties she should probably mention their British origins - I think most of the places in America that have pasties have them because of the Cornish tin miners who took their local food with them when they went to work in mines in other countries. Pasty = Cornwall for a lot of British people (though they are not exclusively Cornish).
@@cherrywilson6267 Because whenever something is described as "mock" meat, it is usually plant-based. I'm not from the region where this is from, so I had never heard of this recipe before watching this video
I'm not sure if it's the same as here in Australia, but I used to love mock chicken legs (the Aussie name used in the 60s and 70s). Thanks for bringing this to us. I'll certainly be trying it!
I may try this. My husband loves fried chicken, but hates eating around the bones, and where I live pork is cheaper than boneless chicken! Thanks for the idea Emmy!!
Omg this is a staple in my childhood Polish household and a standard for Southeast Michigan. Lots of the Polish restaurants have this and serve it with a gravy over top as well. You gotta try it with the gravy a side of soft rye bread (extra butter) and a big bowl of dill pickle soup or Beet soup. Yuum. Such good childhood memories of my grandma firing up the electric skillet and the wonderful smell the house would have for dinner.
I love the history of this. The ‘chicken in every pot’ campaign was run in 1928. That gives you a time reference. The veal and pork version was popular here: northern central Pennsylvania. It’s nonexistent here now. My gram was born in 1907 and lived to be 98. ❤
We can still buy mock chicken drumsticks at our butcher shop but it's made with sausage mince,breadcrumbs,stuffing mix & seasoning shaped into a drumstick around a thick wooden skewer. It is chilled then crumbed, then fried. My Grandmas mock chicken was a war ration recipe it was grated onion and a crushed tomato cooked then add an egg & cheese stir rapidly over heat until smooth. It was used as a sandwich spread.
This looks pretty yummy. It would probably be fun to make and fun to eat something different. I always seem to be making the same things. At least I remembered to make homemade eggrolls recently. I use packaged eggroll wrappers from the store but the filling is from a recipe I found in a taste of home magazine years ago. I changed some ingredients after the first time making it. It even has a sweet and sour sauce recipe. I added a fried rice from a different recipe and it's one of my favorite dinners!
My mom used to make Cuty Chicken all the time. She used pork and cut it in chunks and put them on skewers. So yummy! Forgot all about this recipe til this video. Thanks for the memory!❤
I love your videos. I had no intetion what so ever to make this , i was just watching lol . Its early and im still in bed , but today i learned i have a meat grinder ! My 1970s food processor can mince and grind my raw chicken for lumpias! Thanks girl, im still learning every day (:
Mock Chicken Legs was a favorite grade school lunch in Milwaukee! They served it with fake mashed potatoes, gravy, corn ,and if we were lucky, peanut butter bars!
Growing up north of Chicago in the 60's , my mom use to make this. Moving to west coast in 1967 i have not had it since. This brings back a lot of memories
There is a meat market/butcher in my hometown in Wisconsin that made these and had them ready to cook in the case! We bought them a lot when I was growing up! So it's cool to hear the origin of them!
From Cleveland, OH- We make city chicken every year for New Year’s. We only make it with pork since most of us will not eat veal. It is a treasured, family tradition!
My Granddaddy made the most amazing city chicken, we lived in Detroit. I loved going to the local butcher with him and watch him make these delicious meals. Thank you for sharing this!
This video was so much fun to watch. I like drumsticks because that's the piece of the chicken I would get as a kid, so this looks appetizing to the inner child.
We always use the cubed version and the cubes were all the same size. That's the way they came from the butcher. We also cook it in a can of cream of mushroom soup with about half a can of water. It adds great flavor and makes a tasty gravy. I often will just take some pork chops, cube them and bread and cook it without the skewers so I get a little more of the delicious breading. I like to ask the fat off and just throw in the strips of fat when I bake it. I take the fat pieces out and dispose of them. It doesn't make a really low fat meal but it does reduce it a lot and you still get the flavor.
Back in the 60s - my mom used to get these from the butcher every week- the meat was a bit more finely ground, shaped into a raindrop and skewered. Delicious!
OMG! I had forgotten about "City Chicken"". My mom (I am a very early boomer, 1947) would make these with veal and lamb, with the cubes. This was one of the few non-casserole dinners we would have, and would be for special occasions, ie: birthdays or dad's boss coming for dinner , so my memories of this dish was as a 'Happy Meal"!!!!! Mom always served them with mashed potatoes and pan gravy, and a wide variety of vegetables, or a garden salad in the summer. There was always mom's mint jelly as a condiment. I do remember that there were some set aside that had NO lamb for Dad. I guess after serving in the military, he had had his fill of "ram, lamb, sheep, goat or mutton" and would not allow it to touch his plate. I was 5 or 6 before I had chicken, and then it was in a pot pie!
I grew up around Pittsburgh, and we used to eat City Chicken all the time. Usually it was like a kit that had the meat cubes and skewers all in one package to make yourself. It was something we could help prepare as kids. Never seen it anywhere outside of western Pennsylvania yet.
I grew up with city chicken and always had it cubed..and i remember grandma simply using a grease baking disk and a little butter in top of each..faster.
I didn't know what white pepper even was until a few years ago. There's a restaurant in Shelbyville, KY, called Claudia Sanders Dinner House and they have AMAZING tomato soup. One day, my mom wanted me to try to make that tomato soup, so I looked up recipes and many of them said to use white pepper. I kind of created my own recipe but I used the white pepper and now I absolutely LOVE it!
this is actually one of the staple food in my country, satay lilit, adding much more spices & coconut/coconut milk into the meat mix, but we shaped it with hands. I would personally argue it's much easier & faster to shaped it with hands. as for the meat choice, it's not always chicken, but it can also be beef, pork, fish or even vegetarian option with tofu/veggies/eggs.
Yup.. I’m subscribing! Great learning vid. Whole fam makes this but now I know how to make it ‘extra’. The pork and the food processor sounds like it’s going to be very tender. I would add a touch of cornstarch. One main difference is we use saltine crackers, crushed large, as our breading that keeps it unique and so crunchy.
That seems to be a great idea if you want to stretch your meat with bread crumbs, oats or something else. Love the idea of processing the meat just a little bit, so you can get some fibers and some irregular texture. This technique might be handy for many other dishes, including meat loaves!
Oh my gosh! I had forgotten all about City Chicken! I grew up in Youngstown, OH, in the 60s/70s, and we occasionally had this. We also had chicken-fried steak.
I live in Michigan. In the mid 1950's, my mother and another lady cooked the local Rotary Club luncheon every week. This is one of the things that they prepared.
When I was a kid in Western NY state, my mom would buy city chicken at the grocery store in the fresh meat section already made. It was not my favorite but I’m remembering my brothers eating it without objection! We definitely didn’t have the mold, but maybe it would’ve been more palatable had we had it made from scratch. 😅
I grew up eating these in southern California. They were available at our local grocery store meat dept. My dad was from Pittsburgh PA (which is why we knew about them I imagine), and my mom was from Nebraska. I don't eat meat anymore, but I have fond memories about them!
Oh my goodness my mother made this for us all the time. It was my favorite dinner. Love it! You should try it everyone. I prefer bread crumbs over flour.
Also thank you for this playlist you never know when someone needs to see it. Whether it be for a affordable meal or just some inspiration. You rock emmy
Surprisingly, I used to get mock chicken legs from a butcher here in Mt 40 some years ago. My kids loved them and so did I. I also made them. I looked at that mold thingy, too. I think I had that, too.
I'm loving the City Chicken stories. Keep 'em coming!
Hi Emmy, what happened to your facebook?
It's not chicken lol but it looks delicious
Gravy sounds good with it
When my mom made this growing up, she'd crumble a chicken bouillon cube into the flour mixture. Very weirdly chickeny
I'd love to see a tasty mock chicken that doesn't use dead animals.
When I came home to visit mom I always begged her to make this. It was and still is my favorite meat dish. Mom did the cubed version. She used flour instead of bread crumbs. Browned the meat and then put in in a Baking dish with some melted butter that with some extra flour, would make some of the best drippings you could dip the city chicken into when it came out ready to eat. She just passed away in December so thanks for this!
I'm sorry for your loss. It's been 20 years since I lost my mom.
Hope you make this dish and remember your Mama. Maybe make some biscuits as well and feel her love.
Sorry for your loss. I lost my mom 5 years ago and i still miss her every day
Lost my Mom in 2016, and still miss her. I inherited her pots/pans, cooking gadgets, cookbooks, etc.
Thanks for sharing sorry for your loss :(
When I was a child, there was a local grocery store that sold mock chicken legs. They were like large meatballs, rolled in a breadcrumbs or something, and they had sticks in them like you get in a caramel apple. I have been missing those in recent years because that chain went out of business a long time ago. They had a very distinct flavor that was nothing like anything I have ever had elsewhere.
Back in the fifties and sixties both of the grocery stores in my small town sold these. I think the meat was veal or a pork and veal blend. The price of veal has risen so much that it's no longer an economical option. I miss mock chicken legs too.
My mom would buy them back in the 80’s and we always called it city chicken
We used to get them at our school for “hot lunch”. I didn’t like them, so I hid it in my milk carton.
Here to report from the Milwaukee area that a local grocery store today sells mock chicken legs at their butcher's counter, pre-breaded and ready to go! I'm not from the Midwest, so had no idea about the Great Depression origin. The theory I'd come up with in my head was that they were made of ground chicken, and the point of them was to have no bones so young children could eat them more easily. So thanks for this history!
Yes, im also from Milwaukee and there are a few places I know of that sell some version of this.
@@shannonrickard8605 I'm a little further north and I can not fine any that tasted like the ones we had when I was younger. Pretty sure these were made with pork shoulder and ground up like hamburger but the spices I have no clue. I keep trying different ones but with no luck.
If you’re wondering why mock chicken was a thing. prior to the 1950s chickens where mostly raised for eggs so being able to afford one that was still young enough to be eaten was often too expensive for the majority of people
that’s cool
Also the battery cage isn't that old - imagine if all chicken were free range. They may taste better (and certainly have had a better life), but they'd be much more expensive, since they take a lot of space.
That's good to know. Weird it's called mock chicken, tho. I prefer pork, why not just call it pork 🤷♀️
Old chickens? Dad would cook them up in a big pot of dumplings. Soft and delicious! 😎
@@lancerevell5979 and a lot more flavour,
When I first saw the wording, "City Chicken", I immediately thought, pigeon. I have heard they are good to eat.
That would be what is called squab.
Pigeons carry over 50 diseases transmissible to humans, plus tapeworms, hookworms, and lice.
@@maxt.2013 Strictly, squab is immature pigeon (or its meat). Kind of like veal vs. beef.
Pigeons are a domesticated breed of dove, in fact. Not raised so much as they used to be, so most folks (in my culture, anyway) only ever see the feral ones that are so widespread in cities.
If eating squab, do not eat the city ones. They literally pick garbage, dropped food, and drink city contaminated water - wood pigeons only, gotta be a ways out from the nearest town.
I find the old ‘mock’ recipes so fascinating. The best/worst sounding one I’ve seen is from WWII for mock banana. It was mashed turnips with banana flavouring, which sounds vile to be honest. 😂
I've never even seen banana flavoring!
Candy necklaces and circus peanuts taste like banana
Oh Emmy absolutely needs to try those "mock bananas" because it sounds absolutely disgusting but I'm so curious
Tell Dylan Hollis about that! That's just his sort of crazy recipe idea!
Sounds like the actual reason for a great depression...😄🙈 But I still want to try it.
That looks like the perfect tool to make that fried chicken shaped ice cream you made once!
this is radically different from my great-grandmother's mock chicken (Michigan checking in). She used to use store-bought pork sausage, mixed with a diced apple, rolled in bread crumbs, fried in chicken broth, then finished in the oven.
Seems like poultry seasoning could be used
That sounds nothing like chicken.
why are y’all being kinda mean it’s someone else’s recipe
Mmm... sounds like one (of many!) German recipes that use apples when cooking meat (to add flavor, moisture & tenderize) 😎
@@sophiacromwell8017 apples are great with pork for some reason
My grandmother had one of those, she used it for juicing citrus, she said it worked better then any other gadget she had at the time. 😄 I remember my brother asking her why it looked like a chicken leg!
From MI. Never had city chicken until dating my husband. Learned city chicken form my mil who grew up in the depression. We did the skewer style. Chunks of pork and veal but Graham cracker crumbs. Seared in butter then baked with a wee bit of water. We can’t find cubes veal where we are now. So I seconded to make meatballs with ground veal and minced pork. My son loved them and declared them as good as his grandmas city chicken.
I kept wondering if it would work to fill the little mold with softened ice cream and then coat each little drum stick with crushed cookies…
or crushed cornflakes
Fried ice cream drumsticks! That would be so fun for April Fools or something!
Ooh that’s a great idea, fried or not!
Thanks, Emmy, for bringing back some very fond memories. As a child growing up in the 1960s, mock chicken drumsticks were sold in the frozen food sections of most grocery stores of the time. I loved them as a kid, but I don't know of any grocery stores that carry them anymore.
After all these years, we're all still "Beautiful Lovelies" to Emmy :)
Fascinating! Have heard of many mock meats, but not mock chicken until today. Was imagining something made with bread and or soy, totally surprised it is made with other types of meat. Looks delicious.
When I was a kid these were called "veal birdies" and were sold already formed w/the sticks and breadcrumbs in the butcher's case inside the supermarket.
Life-long resident of Pittsburgh and we LOVE City Chicken! I just had some last week with mashed potatoes, buttered corn and Harvard Beets - which is how my mom always made it! Everyone here knows about city chicken and most people love it! Thank you so much Emmy for making this video and immortalizing this
little known traditional dish from "the Burg!" ❤😊
I really enjoy when you do historical recipes like this. Especially when it pertains to the the price of food and what others did during leaner times since so many of us are having to adjust to inflation.
The first time I remember hearing about this, was from an episode of Bewitched! Darren brings a client home at the last minute, and Sam had to prepare something for dinner. So she makes 'veal birds'. This was the 1960s and I still remember it! 😅
You should definitely make a video of depression recipes that are still just as affordable and maybe mentions ones that went up and are more expensive now in comparison
I grew up mostly in the Milwaukee area and we had a patty type mock chicken leg that was shaped like a chicken leg that was served in the school lunch program, always with very yellow "chicken" gravy, mashed potatoes and corn. Was always second place to the sheet pan pizza in my book.
In many of the grocery stores in MKE and Chicago, you can find them in the frozen food area. They have a yellow ingredients label and are made by a company named supreme meats. I'll get a package or two once a year or so and recreate the meal at home complete with the yellow gravy.
I had totally forgotten about the Chicken Leg Patties and that yellow wallpaper paste gravy (good times)!
The yellow gravy…there was a local 24 hr diner where I live and after drinking at the bars we’d go there to eat. I’d get the turkey dinner and it always had that fluorescent yellow gravy!! It closed years ago and I miss it.
Oh yes, fond memories of mock chicken patties for hot lunch in Milwaukee! Nom nom!
The MPS mock chicken leg lunch was always a favorite with kids, my sister even made my mom buy them from the store to make at home. I was never a big meat eater but I liked that it came with a roll!
I’m from Pittsburgh, PA and city chicken is definitely still a thing around here. You can get kits in the grocery store that come with the cubed pork and veal and the skewers. I haven’t made any in ages though, I’m going to have to give it a try:)
I ate this all the time growing up (near Detroit). My mom is making it for Sunday dinner tomorrow😁
“Handling my meat gently” - cheeky Emmy 👀😂 11:11
I love how there's that pause and the look on her face. She knows exactly what she's doing.
Haha! Yes, I have eaten City Chicken for over 50 years and yes I am from Pittsburgh. I thought everyone, everywhere, ate this.
Grew up (in MI) eating this all the time. Mom didn’t make it but the grocery store sold it ready to bake. One of my favorite things.
That's so cool.
Also in Michigan. My mom was Italian and that side of the family never made it. My dad was German and Irish and quite poor, they ate city chicken. My mom bought it from the butcher and it’s still available ready to go in my area.
Same here, I grew up in MI and my parents used to buy them from Long Lake Market. They were in the butcher case, came pre seasoned. They were so good.
Its so fun to see how much this channel has updated. I’ve been watching you for 10 years now and the difference from your first videos is so amazing to see :))
Hi Emmy! I grew up eating the skewered style of city chicken (veal+pork cubes) as a treat for holidays from the polish part of my family from Hamtramck, MI. I try to make it at least once a year, it's always delicious and easy.
That mock chicken looks so good. Hard times really inspired some great inventions.
I grew up eating mock chicken legs in Minnesota. One grocery store chain makes it homemade a few months out of the year (winter season) is Super One in Duluth. Very nostalgic and thanks for the video!
I'm Minnesotan and I've never heard of it haha!
My family has city chicken all the time! One of my favorite meals! Where I live you can buy a nifty little package with the cubed pork and skewers at the grocery store.
I’m so glad you discovered city chicken. As a child my mother bought this at our local IGA and I loved it. I’m 56 now and I can’t find anyone who remembers these. Thanks for the memories!
Family favorite!
I remember it too!!
IGA.... can I ask where you came up?! I only remember ONE, and I grew up in the 1980s.
@@melhawk6284 Michigan.
@@melhawk6284 St. Louis
I’ve never had city chicken but you make it seem so enticing. You truly make all your dishes so down to earth and easy. Thank you Emmy.
I first heard of this (never actually tried it) in the old "The Joy Of Cooking" cookbook. That recipe used cubed meat, alternating veal and pork.
Hi Emmy! My aunts make this with shredded chicken in Libya! It's shaped in a drumstick and the "bone" part of the drum stick is made from a spear of fried potato (kinda like a fry!), breaded and fried! A drumstick that can be consumed "bone" and all kinda like a chicken nugget I guess!
What a great idea.
I bet that's something most people like, but that children are especially crazy for it. I could see eating my weight in those when I was small 😂
Omigosh, City Chicken was my favorite dinner as a child growing up in early 1960s Michigan. Mom would get a tray of breaded mock chicken legs at the butcher and pan fry them for us. They were roughly ground then pressed onto the stick. Before there were chicken nuggets, there was this culinary gem. I’m absolutely going to make these!
Wow, how times have changed! Veal costs a small fortune now! Love you, Emmy! You're a delight! Have a great day!😊
Emmy is adorable!! I love seeing a new upload. ❤️
im a vegan but still watch everything because your persona is so calming
Tofu skins make the best mock chicken. I am pretty sure she's made this too.
@@healinggrounds19 I'm looking for an alternative for that, because I can't have soy.
@ANDALU or jackfruit!
Sometimes shredded hearts of palm works. You have to dehydrate it
@@bluepollen1 I'll give it a go! Thanks!
I'm in Juneau, WI, and I grew up in Milwaukee. These were served in elementary school with mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, and a roll. I still buy them today when I can find them!
Neat. Apparently this is actually quite popular in Binghamton NY and Pittsburgh PA.
My mother would buy these at the store here in Michigan back in the 70's and 80's.
Mock Chicken or City Chicken. We loved eating these. Grab the stick and nibble the meat.
Many of them were made by mixing ground pork and veal together because it was cheaper than chicken meat.
There is a meat department at a grocery store called Hardings in Plainwell, Michigan that still makes them today.
My grandma used to make this all the time when I was little (She was born in 1911). It was amazing. She did the cubed version and I still have her handwritten recipe for it somewhere.
I want Emmy to make a Pasty! Pronounced (Pass-Tee) it’s a northern Minnesota meat & vegetable pie that iron miners used to keep in their pockets wrapped in Aluminum foil to eat for lunch or dinner & that’s what they ate when they were underground mining! Absolutely delicious! Please Emmy…won’t you try it?
Pasties are originally from Cornwall in England, though they've found their way to other places in the world with connections to Britain :)
If Emmy does pasties she should probably mention their British origins - I think most of the places in America that have pasties have them because of the Cornish tin miners who took their local food with them when they went to work in mines in other countries. Pasty = Cornwall for a lot of British people (though they are not exclusively Cornish).
I love thoseee i tried them in Michigan they are sooooooo good
Cornish pasties, too. My mother made these. I remember helping her make them in 1974.
Oh very fun! It could be used to mold vegetarian chicken legs too!
I was really hoping that this is what this video would be about
@@grahamohea2424 😂😂😂 why
@@cherrywilson6267 Because whenever something is described as "mock" meat, it is usually plant-based. I'm not from the region where this is from, so I had never heard of this recipe before watching this video
@cherrywilson6267 there are a lot of people who don't eat pork, for many different reasons. This could have a versatile application!
@@s.a.w5493 I am one of those people
City chicken was a frequent meal in my family growing up in the 70-80s in southern ontario
Where I grew up in Southern Michigan my mom would get ready-made city chicken at the grocery store, skewer and all ❤
This would be a trip to serve with the 'Fried Chicken' ice cream Emmy made a while back.
I'm not sure if it's the same as here in Australia, but I used to love mock chicken legs (the Aussie name used in the 60s and 70s). Thanks for bringing this to us. I'll certainly be trying it!
I didn't know we had mock chicken here! These days chicken is so much cheaper than other meats anyways
@@sabaducia it was a long time ago! Certainly not around now.
OMG! My grandma made these when I was a kid in the 50's. Great memories...and I oved them.
Would love for you to make a traditional English butter pie. It’s from my hometown of Preston, Lancashire and it’s amazinnngggg
I grew up in suburban Cleveland and loved city chicken. You could even buy kits with the meat and skewers at some grocery stores
I may try this. My husband loves fried chicken, but hates eating around the bones, and where I live pork is cheaper than boneless chicken! Thanks for the idea Emmy!!
Omg this is a staple in my childhood Polish household and a standard for Southeast Michigan. Lots of the Polish restaurants have this and serve it with a gravy over top as well. You gotta try it with the gravy a side of soft rye bread (extra butter) and a big bowl of dill pickle soup or Beet soup. Yuum. Such good childhood memories of my grandma firing up the electric skillet and the wonderful smell the house would have for dinner.
I love the history of this. The ‘chicken in every pot’ campaign was run in 1928. That gives you a time reference. The veal and pork version was popular here: northern central Pennsylvania. It’s nonexistent here now. My gram was born in 1907 and lived to be 98. ❤
We can still buy mock chicken drumsticks at our butcher shop but it's made with sausage mince,breadcrumbs,stuffing mix & seasoning shaped into a drumstick around a thick wooden skewer. It is chilled then crumbed, then fried. My Grandmas mock chicken was a war ration recipe it was grated onion and a crushed tomato cooked then add an egg & cheese stir rapidly over heat until smooth. It was used as a sandwich spread.
You should make a Tofu Scramble with black salt (kala namak) since there is an egg shortage! Would love to hear what u think of it😊
Great idea!
This looks pretty yummy. It would probably be fun to make and fun to eat something different.
I always seem to be making the same things.
At least I remembered to make homemade eggrolls recently. I use packaged eggroll wrappers from the store but the filling is from a recipe I found in a taste of home magazine years ago. I changed some ingredients after the first time making it. It even has a sweet and sour sauce recipe. I added a fried rice from a different recipe and it's one of my favorite dinners!
My mom used to make Cuty Chicken all the time. She used pork and cut it in chunks and put them on skewers. So yummy! Forgot all about this recipe til this video. Thanks for the memory!❤
I love your videos. I had no intetion what so ever to make this , i was just watching lol . Its early and im still in bed , but today i learned i have a meat grinder ! My 1970s food processor can mince and grind my raw chicken for lumpias! Thanks girl, im still learning every day (:
Mock Chicken Legs was a favorite grade school lunch in Milwaukee! They served it with fake mashed potatoes, gravy, corn ,and if we were lucky, peanut butter bars!
Growing up north of Chicago in the 60's , my mom use to make this. Moving to west coast in 1967 i have not had it since. This brings back a lot of memories
There is a meat market/butcher in my hometown in Wisconsin that made these and had them ready to cook in the case! We bought them a lot when I was growing up! So it's cool to hear the origin of them!
From Cleveland, OH- We make city chicken every year for New Year’s. We only make it with pork since most of us will not eat veal. It is a treasured, family tradition!
My Granddaddy made the most amazing city chicken, we lived in Detroit. I loved going to the local butcher with him and watch him make these delicious meals. Thank you for sharing this!
This video was so much fun to watch. I like drumsticks because that's the piece of the chicken I would get as a kid, so this looks appetizing to the inner child.
We always use the cubed version and the cubes were all the same size. That's the way they came from the butcher. We also cook it in a can of cream of mushroom soup with about half a can of water. It adds great flavor and makes a tasty gravy.
I often will just take some pork chops, cube them and bread and cook it without the skewers so I get a little more of the delicious breading. I like to ask the fat off and just throw in the strips of fat when I bake it. I take the fat pieces out and dispose of them. It doesn't make a really low fat meal but it does reduce it a lot and you still get the flavor.
My grandma made this! I'm from Utah though and when I'd try to describe it to friends no one ever knew what it was
Back in the 60s - my mom used to get these from the butcher every week- the meat was a bit more finely ground, shaped into a raindrop and skewered. Delicious!
OMG! I had forgotten about "City Chicken"". My mom (I am a very early boomer, 1947) would make these with veal and lamb, with the cubes. This was one of the few non-casserole dinners we would have, and would be for special occasions, ie: birthdays or dad's boss coming for dinner , so my memories of this dish was as a 'Happy Meal"!!!!! Mom always served them with mashed potatoes and pan gravy, and a wide variety of vegetables, or a garden salad in the summer. There was always mom's mint jelly as a condiment. I do remember that there were some set aside that had NO lamb for Dad. I guess after serving in the military, he had had his fill of "ram, lamb, sheep, goat or mutton" and would not allow it to touch his plate. I was 5 or 6 before I had chicken, and then it was in a pot pie!
I've had the cubed version. it was pretty good
I am literally making city chicken this week too. I put bacon between the cubes of pork before I put a breading and fry.
I’m from Ohio and I never heard of that. I think that would have been something my dad would have made for us. He always like that kind of stuff.
Why *is* eating from a stick so much fun? 🤔It's one of the great questions of life. I'm too hungry to think about it now, LoL
From Green Bay WI. And we can buy these at some stores. Mostly cubed version. We have these at least twice a month.
Had City Chicken when I was a kid, loved it, thanks for the reminder!
I grew up around Pittsburgh, and we used to eat City Chicken all the time. Usually it was like a kit that had the meat cubes and skewers all in one package to make yourself. It was something we could help prepare as kids. Never seen it anywhere outside of western Pennsylvania yet.
I grew up with city chicken and always had it cubed..and i remember grandma simply using a grease baking disk and a little butter in top of each..faster.
My sister-in-law makes city chicken a lot when I get to go home to Tennessee. It is so good. She is from up in PA
I didn't know what white pepper even was until a few years ago. There's a restaurant in Shelbyville, KY, called Claudia Sanders Dinner House and they have AMAZING tomato soup. One day, my mom wanted me to try to make that tomato soup, so I looked up recipes and many of them said to use white pepper. I kind of created my own recipe but I used the white pepper and now I absolutely LOVE it!
this is actually one of the staple food in my country, satay lilit, adding much more spices & coconut/coconut milk into the meat mix, but we shaped it with hands. I would personally argue it's much easier & faster to shaped it with hands. as for the meat choice, it's not always chicken, but it can also be beef, pork, fish or even vegetarian option with tofu/veggies/eggs.
I have the mold, when I pack it I use cellophane.
I keeps the pork intact and makes for easier clean up.
Yup.. I’m subscribing!
Great learning vid. Whole fam makes this but now I know how to make it ‘extra’. The pork and the food processor sounds like it’s going to be very tender. I would add a touch of cornstarch. One main difference is we use saltine crackers, crushed large, as our breading that keeps it unique and so crunchy.
That seems to be a great idea if you want to stretch your meat with bread crumbs, oats or something else. Love the idea of processing the meat just a little bit, so you can get some fibers and some irregular texture. This technique might be handy for many other dishes, including meat loaves!
When the choice was harvest the chicken or letting them lay as long as possible. Choices were made.
Oh my gosh! I had forgotten all about City Chicken! I grew up in Youngstown, OH, in the 60s/70s, and we occasionally had this. We also had chicken-fried steak.
I have an obsession with kitchen gadgets especially weird ones. And I want one of those so bad.
I live in Michigan. In the mid 1950's, my mother and another lady cooked the local Rotary Club luncheon every week. This is one of the things that they prepared.
My grandma had one of those, and I never asked what it was for. Now I know 😊ty
When I was a kid in Western NY state, my mom would buy city chicken at the grocery store in the fresh meat section already made. It was not my favorite but I’m remembering my brothers eating it without objection! We definitely didn’t have the mold, but maybe it would’ve been more palatable had we had it made from scratch. 😅
I grew up eating these in southern California. They were available at our local grocery store meat dept. My dad was from Pittsburgh PA (which is why we knew about them I imagine), and my mom was from Nebraska. I don't eat meat anymore, but I have fond memories about them!
Oh my goodness my mother made this for us all the time. It was my favorite dinner. Love it! You should try it everyone. I prefer bread crumbs over flour.
Love it. Coming from Pittsburgh, we had city chicken a lot growing up
Grew up in Central PA, you can find it in all smaller butcher shops and even most regular grocery stores. Never herd of the of the form thing though.
You are such a joy!😊
I wonder if it could work if you put the cubed pork version in the mould to finishing giving it a drumstick shape.
I vaguely remember seeing something like that in a grandparents home and had no idea what it was for. Neat.
I would like to see Emmy go down rabbit holes finding ideas for videos and etc
Also thank you for this playlist you never know when someone needs to see it. Whether it be for a affordable meal or just some inspiration. You rock emmy
We had what the school cooks called mock chicken legs ground meat formed around a skewer and it was pan fried or oven baked
Surprisingly, I used to get mock chicken legs from a butcher here in Mt 40 some years ago. My kids loved them and so did I. I also made them. I looked at that mold thingy, too. I think I had that, too.