Once Upon a Menu: City Chicken

What do "City Chicken," and Chicken of the Sea have in common? There's no chicken! Welcome to my series, Once Upon a Menu.

Back when chicken cost more than other meats, people skewered pork cubes to look like drumsticks and fake their way to a fancy dish. A hundred years later, we're still making it, regardless of the budget. You would encounter this treat in cities all across the the midwest.

It's not tuna, it's not chicken, just lots of flavor!

For more stories and easy-to-make recipes, follow my Once Upon a Menu series on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok @theinfinitefeast. And check out my cookbook The Infinite Feast!

🌆 🍗🌛 🌆 🍗🌛

City Chicken with Mushroom-Sage Gravy

Makes 4 servings

1 1/2 pounds boneless pork chops, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes

2 packages Knorr Wiener Schnitzel Fix

3 tablespoons canola oil, more as needed

3 tablespoons butter, divided

8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced

1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh sage

1/4 cup all-purpose flour, more as needed

1/4 cup dry sherry

2 cups beef broth

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1/4 cup Italian parsley, rinsed, chopped

1 lemon, cut into wedges

Heat oven to 250°F.

To large deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add canola. Working in batches, dip pork cubes in water, roll in Knorr Fix, fry on all sides till internal temp reaches 145°F or insides no longer pink. Set aside on paper towel-lined plate to cool. Thread about 5 pieces each on each of 8 wooden skewers (like chicken drumsticks), place in oven to keep warm.

Wipe out skillet. Over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons butter. Add mushrooms, soften and brown well, 6 to 8 minutes. Add onion, cook 5 minutes till soft. Add sage, cook 30 seconds.

Sprinkle flour over mushroom/onion mixture, stir 1 minute. Add sherry, scraping up browned bits. Reduce liquid almost completely.

Gradually stir in beef broth, Worcestershire, Dijon, 1/2 teaspoon salt and generous grinds of black pepper. Bring to boil, reduce heat, simmer 5 to 7 minutes or till glossy and thickened. Add a bit more flour to reach desired consistency if needed.

Off heat, stir in remaining 1 tablespoon cold butter and cider vinegar. Taste for salt and pepper.

Add warm skewered pork to plates, spoon over the gravy. Sprinkle with parsley, serve with lemon wedges. Mashed potatoes and fancy green beans make nice sides with this dish.

Every night is City Chicken night!

🌆 🍗🌛 🌆 🍗🌛