Depression Era Mock Chicken + Vintage 'Chicken Sans Volaille' Gadget | City Chicken Recipe

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  • čas přidán 30. 06. 2024
  • Chicken Sans Volaille or chicken without poultry? What in the world? Let's time travel to the 1930s where in some places chicken was expensive, so industrious folks came up with City Chicken or mock chicken. #emmymade #mockchicken
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    Chapters:
    00:00 Intro
    0:22 What are we making?
    0:43 Vintage mock chicken maker.
    2:47 Starting the recipe.
    3:13 Grinding the meat.
    3:52 Seasoning.
    5:07 Making the cubed version.
    6:45 Using the chicken mold.
    9:26 Breading.
    12:00 Pan frying.
    12:42 Baking instructions.
    14:17 Taste test.
    Vintage Gadget Test: • VINTAGE KITCHEN GADGET...
    Hard Times Playlist: • GRAPEFRUIT PEEL STEAK ...
    This video is NOT sponsored. Just making fake drumsticks.
    Disclaimer:
    Some of the above links are Amazon affiliate links from which I receive a small commission on each sale at no extra cost to you. Thanks so much for the support. 🙏🏻
    Music courtesy of Epidemic Sound, and 'Sprightly' from iMovie. You've made it to the end -- welcome! Comment: "Sometimes I wish I could grow a beard 🧔🏻‍♂️."
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Komentáře • 576

  • @emmymade
    @emmymade  Před rokem +83

    I'm loving the City Chicken stories. Keep 'em coming!

    • @aquamarine8494
      @aquamarine8494 Před rokem

      Hi Emmy, what happened to your facebook?

    • @spencer6268
      @spencer6268 Před rokem

      It's not chicken lol but it looks delicious

    • @spencer6268
      @spencer6268 Před rokem

      Gravy sounds good with it

    • @jeremiahcat8701
      @jeremiahcat8701 Před rokem +1

      When my mom made this growing up, she'd crumble a chicken bouillon cube into the flour mixture. Very weirdly chickeny

    • @CharGC123
      @CharGC123 Před 11 měsíci

      I'd love to see a tasty mock chicken that doesn't use dead animals.

  • @jmiles4430
    @jmiles4430 Před rokem +525

    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!

    • @ndb_1982
      @ndb_1982 Před rokem +21

      I'm sorry for your loss. It's been 20 years since I lost my mom.

    • @kikihammond5326
      @kikihammond5326 Před rokem +19

      Hope you make this dish and remember your Mama. Maybe make some biscuits as well and feel her love.

    • @erikacontreras4313
      @erikacontreras4313 Před rokem +4

      Sorry for your loss. I lost my mom 5 years ago and i still miss her every day

    • @lancerevell5979
      @lancerevell5979 Před rokem +6

      Lost my Mom in 2016, and still miss her. I inherited her pots/pans, cooking gadgets, cookbooks, etc.

    • @BethRazz
      @BethRazz Před rokem

      Thanks for sharing sorry for your loss :(

  • @critterjon4061
    @critterjon4061 Před rokem +301

    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

    • @ketameanii
      @ketameanii Před rokem +3

      that’s cool

    • @christophalexander4542
      @christophalexander4542 Před rokem +17

      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.

    • @chickenfoozle
      @chickenfoozle Před rokem +12

      That's good to know. Weird it's called mock chicken, tho. I prefer pork, why not just call it pork 🤷‍♀️

    • @lancerevell5979
      @lancerevell5979 Před rokem +18

      Old chickens? Dad would cook them up in a big pot of dumplings. Soft and delicious! 😎

    • @womensarmycorpsveteran2904
      @womensarmycorpsveteran2904 Před rokem +7

      @@lancerevell5979 and a lot more flavour,

  • @CinemaSasquatch
    @CinemaSasquatch Před rokem +96

    When I first saw the wording, "City Chicken", I immediately thought, pigeon. I have heard they are good to eat.

    • @maxt.2013
      @maxt.2013 Před rokem +11

      That would be what is called squab.

    • @CricketsBay
      @CricketsBay Před rokem

      Pigeons carry over 50 diseases transmissible to humans, plus tapeworms, hookworms, and lice.

    • @TJStellmach
      @TJStellmach Před rokem +20

      @@maxt.2013 Strictly, squab is immature pigeon (or its meat). Kind of like veal vs. beef.

    • @TJStellmach
      @TJStellmach Před rokem +7

      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.

    • @Your-Least-Favorite-Stranger
      @Your-Least-Favorite-Stranger Před rokem

      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.

  • @WilliamSebren
    @WilliamSebren Před rokem +64

    That looks like the perfect tool to make that fried chicken shaped ice cream you made once!

  • @janetshepherd7872
    @janetshepherd7872 Před rokem +146

    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. 😂

    • @KrystyneY
      @KrystyneY Před rokem +10

      I've never even seen banana flavoring!

    • @recoveringsoul755
      @recoveringsoul755 Před rokem +12

      Candy necklaces and circus peanuts taste like banana

    • @PanTran
      @PanTran Před rokem +16

      Oh Emmy absolutely needs to try those "mock bananas" because it sounds absolutely disgusting but I'm so curious

    • @rowanrobbins
      @rowanrobbins Před rokem +14

      Tell Dylan Hollis about that! That's just his sort of crazy recipe idea!

    • @TheNinnyfee
      @TheNinnyfee Před rokem +5

      Sounds like the actual reason for a great depression...😄🙈 But I still want to try it.

  • @Endquire
    @Endquire Před rokem +184

    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.

    • @cathyfield4765
      @cathyfield4765 Před rokem +19

      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.

    • @heathermicola3894
      @heathermicola3894 Před rokem +8

      My mom would buy them back in the 80’s and we always called it city chicken

    • @trishayamada807
      @trishayamada807 Před rokem +1

      We used to get them at our school for “hot lunch”. I didn’t like them, so I hid it in my milk carton.

  • @DrMewTube
    @DrMewTube Před rokem +115

    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
      @shannonrickard8605 Před rokem +3

      Yes, im also from Milwaukee and there are a few places I know of that sell some version of this.

    • @djnana1156
      @djnana1156 Před rokem +1

      @@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.

  • @agargoyle12345
    @agargoyle12345 Před rokem +38

    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.

    • @recoveringsoul755
      @recoveringsoul755 Před rokem +1

      Seems like poultry seasoning could be used

    • @ndb_1982
      @ndb_1982 Před rokem +2

      That sounds nothing like chicken.

    • @ketameanii
      @ketameanii Před rokem +9

      why are y’all being kinda mean it’s someone else’s recipe

    • @sophiacromwell8017
      @sophiacromwell8017 Před rokem +10

      Mmm... sounds like one (of many!) German recipes that use apples when cooking meat (to add flavor, moisture & tenderize) 😎

    • @recoveringsoul755
      @recoveringsoul755 Před rokem +7

      @@sophiacromwell8017 apples are great with pork for some reason

  • @JustBethTrying
    @JustBethTrying Před rokem +45

    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…

    • @mammabear379
      @mammabear379 Před rokem +6

      or crushed cornflakes

    • @just.jayshree
      @just.jayshree Před rokem +5

      Fried ice cream drumsticks! That would be so fun for April Fools or something!

    • @JHaven-lg7lj
      @JHaven-lg7lj Před rokem +2

      Ooh that’s a great idea, fried or not!

  • @jennjeffs4893
    @jennjeffs4893 Před rokem +37

    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!

  • @noemijamila
    @noemijamila Před rokem +11

    “Handling my meat gently” - cheeky Emmy 👀😂 11:11

  • @laurasutcliffe723
    @laurasutcliffe723 Před rokem +24

    After all these years, we're all still "Beautiful Lovelies" to Emmy :)

  • @angelshalosoflove
    @angelshalosoflove Před rokem +35

    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.

  • @nawaraali5471
    @nawaraali5471 Před rokem +24

    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!

    • @LucyGirlCavapoo
      @LucyGirlCavapoo Před rokem

      What a great idea.

    • @haileybalmer9722
      @haileybalmer9722 Před rokem

      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 😂

  • @s.a.w5493
    @s.a.w5493 Před rokem +98

    Oh very fun! It could be used to mold vegetarian chicken legs too!

    • @grahamohea2424
      @grahamohea2424 Před rokem +35

      I was really hoping that this is what this video would be about

    • @cherrywilson6267
      @cherrywilson6267 Před rokem +6

      @@grahamohea2424 😂😂😂 why

    • @grahamohea2424
      @grahamohea2424 Před rokem +32

      @@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

    • @s.a.w5493
      @s.a.w5493 Před rokem +14

      @cherrywilson6267 there are a lot of people who don't eat pork, for many different reasons. This could have a versatile application!

    • @grahamohea2424
      @grahamohea2424 Před rokem +4

      @@s.a.w5493 I am one of those people

  • @thedemonnemo
    @thedemonnemo Před rokem +7

    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.

  • @carly5380
    @carly5380 Před rokem +13

    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.

  • @znachkiznachki5352
    @znachkiznachki5352 Před rokem +12

    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! 😅

  • @billdargel1192
    @billdargel1192 Před rokem +17

    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.

  • @joeyashe3966
    @joeyashe3966 Před rokem +10

    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

  • @collectingonthecheap56353

    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.

  • @valerieschoen7494
    @valerieschoen7494 Před rokem +28

    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.

    • @zzizahacallar
      @zzizahacallar Před rokem +1

      That's so cool.

    • @LucyGirlCavapoo
      @LucyGirlCavapoo Před rokem +1

      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.

    • @FrazierMtnCheese
      @FrazierMtnCheese Před rokem +1

      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.

  • @chrismurray3140
    @chrismurray3140 Před rokem +5

    Haha! Yes, I have eaten City Chicken for over 50 years and yes I am from Pittsburgh. I thought everyone, everywhere, ate this.

  • @andjulia9292
    @andjulia9292 Před rokem +23

    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!

  • @ottopartz1
    @ottopartz1 Před rokem +16

    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.

    • @thedemonnemo
      @thedemonnemo Před rokem +1

      I had totally forgotten about the Chicken Leg Patties and that yellow wallpaper paste gravy (good times)!

    • @mysticmom616
      @mysticmom616 Před rokem

      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.

    • @enterprisebaby2467
      @enterprisebaby2467 Před rokem

      Oh yes, fond memories of mock chicken patties for hot lunch in Milwaukee! Nom nom!

    • @emmke3873
      @emmke3873 Před rokem

      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!

  • @Zuzu22322
    @Zuzu22322 Před rokem +8

    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:)

  • @valerieshafer9867
    @valerieshafer9867 Před rokem +2

    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!" ❤😊

  • @lp7931
    @lp7931 Před rokem +6

    I ate this all the time growing up (near Detroit). My mom is making it for Sunday dinner tomorrow😁

  • @jmcvean80
    @jmcvean80 Před rokem +9

    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!

  • @stephanietougas8377
    @stephanietougas8377 Před rokem +14

    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?

    • @joanne1375
      @joanne1375 Před rokem +11

      Pasties are originally from Cornwall in England, though they've found their way to other places in the world with connections to Britain :)

    • @orientalmoons
      @orientalmoons Před rokem +6

      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).

    • @ketameanii
      @ketameanii Před rokem

      I love thoseee i tried them in Michigan they are sooooooo good

    • @soniashapiro4827
      @soniashapiro4827 Před rokem

      Cornish pasties, too. My mother made these. I remember helping her make them in 1974.

  • @Brainsnap
    @Brainsnap Před rokem +7

    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.

  • @SuperScarlight
    @SuperScarlight Před rokem +6

    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.

  • @scotthammer4007
    @scotthammer4007 Před rokem +7

    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. ❤

  • @BobthePhotoGuy
    @BobthePhotoGuy Před rokem +5

    Try dipping the mold in warm water before scooping the meat. Aluminum is will absorb the cold making the fat congeal and make it stick.

  • @bluepollen1
    @bluepollen1 Před rokem +12

    im a vegan but still watch everything because your persona is so calming

    • @healinggrounds19
      @healinggrounds19 Před rokem

      Tofu skins make the best mock chicken. I am pretty sure she's made this too.

    • @DandyLioness83
      @DandyLioness83 Před rokem

      @@healinggrounds19 I'm looking for an alternative for that, because I can't have soy.

    • @DandyLioness83
      @DandyLioness83 Před rokem +1

      @ANDALU or jackfruit!

    • @bluepollen1
      @bluepollen1 Před rokem +1

      Sometimes shredded hearts of palm works. You have to dehydrate it

    • @DandyLioness83
      @DandyLioness83 Před rokem

      @@bluepollen1 I'll give it a go! Thanks!

  • @meipolbngn
    @meipolbngn Před rokem +4

    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 :))

  • @Kimmichelle_tinybeast
    @Kimmichelle_tinybeast Před rokem +10

    Would love for you to make a traditional English butter pie. It’s from my hometown of Preston, Lancashire and it’s amazinnngggg

  • @megpie80
    @megpie80 Před rokem +1

    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!

  • @rustysquid
    @rustysquid Před rokem +1

    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.

  • @goldenprincess8482
    @goldenprincess8482 Před rokem +7

    Emmy is adorable!! I love seeing a new upload. ❤️

  • @Drrck11
    @Drrck11 Před rokem +3

    That mock chicken looks so good. Hard times really inspired some great inventions.

  • @jang7675
    @jang7675 Před rokem +1

    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.

  • @punklejunk
    @punklejunk Před rokem +6

    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

  • @CallardAndBowser
    @CallardAndBowser Před rokem +1

    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.

  • @1enediyne
    @1enediyne Před rokem +2

    City chicken was a frequent meal in my family growing up in the 70-80s in southern ontario

  • @marymitchell8717
    @marymitchell8717 Před rokem +1

    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!!

  • @darniataylor7749
    @darniataylor7749 Před rokem +37

    🤔Can you imagine using the mold to make all sorts of chicken shaped foods???

    • @bitchenboutique6953
      @bitchenboutique6953 Před rokem +9

      I have a brain-shaped mold I use to make chicken salad so I would make pretty much ANYTHING but chicken in a chicken shape 😂

    • @ketameanii
      @ketameanii Před rokem

      @@bitchenboutique6953 LOL

  • @billlevassiur8274
    @billlevassiur8274 Před rokem

    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

  • @cathystewart2268
    @cathystewart2268 Před rokem +2

    Where I grew up in Southern Michigan my mom would get ready-made city chicken at the grocery store, skewer and all ❤

  • @kendiholloway2378
    @kendiholloway2378 Před rokem

    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.

  • @javaskull88
    @javaskull88 Před rokem

    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!

  • @sandralouth3103
    @sandralouth3103 Před rokem

    OMG! My grandma made these when I was a kid in the 50's. Great memories...and I oved them.

  • @danmccarthy4700
    @danmccarthy4700 Před rokem +3

    This would be a trip to serve with the 'Fried Chicken' ice cream Emmy made a while back.

  • @kaytiej8311
    @kaytiej8311 Před rokem +7

    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!

    • @sabaducia
      @sabaducia Před rokem

      I didn't know we had mock chicken here! These days chicken is so much cheaper than other meats anyways

    • @kaytiej8311
      @kaytiej8311 Před rokem

      @@sabaducia it was a long time ago! Certainly not around now.

  • @yelloowaunt1122
    @yelloowaunt1122 Před 10 měsíci

    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!

  • @bethf3308
    @bethf3308 Před rokem

    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!

  • @Anonymous-cq5dl
    @Anonymous-cq5dl Před rokem +3

    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😊

  • @Blitzkrieg1976
    @Blitzkrieg1976 Před rokem +1

    Wow, how times have changed! Veal costs a small fortune now! Love you, Emmy! You're a delight! Have a great day!😊

  • @VoxyPop518
    @VoxyPop518 Před rokem

    I grew up in suburban Cleveland and loved city chicken. You could even buy kits with the meat and skewers at some grocery stores

  • @ryanbogan1114
    @ryanbogan1114 Před rokem

    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.

  • @megwilcox2878
    @megwilcox2878 Před rokem

    My mother had a meat-ball version of the tool. When she used it, she rinsed it in cold water after every ball, which kept the meat from sticking. I guess that "City Chicken" never made it to Toronto, where I grew up. Mum bought her chicken at a Jewish shop across town, where the chickens hung in the window. I'm 62.

  • @Shadows324
    @Shadows324 Před rokem +6

    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.

  • @jillczerwinski8870
    @jillczerwinski8870 Před rokem +1

    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!

  • @bswartwout8740
    @bswartwout8740 Před rokem

    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!

  • @kathleenstewart7494
    @kathleenstewart7494 Před rokem +2

    You are such a joy!😊

  • @elliewessa1903
    @elliewessa1903 Před 6 měsíci

    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!❤

  • @cjjackson169
    @cjjackson169 Před rokem +1

    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

  • @jocelynvilter2045
    @jocelynvilter2045 Před rokem

    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!

  • @fancybeepup
    @fancybeepup Před rokem +2

    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 (:

  • @AynneMorison
    @AynneMorison Před rokem +1

    When the choice was harvest the chicken or letting them lay as long as possible. Choices were made.

  • @ErnieB
    @ErnieB Před rokem +3

    A little sage or poultry seasoning doesn't hurt.

  • @kfox420
    @kfox420 Před rokem

    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.

  • @joane8651
    @joane8651 Před dnem

    Had City Chicken when I was a kid, loved it, thanks for the reminder!

  • @JazzFlop212
    @JazzFlop212 Před rokem +19

    I’m surprised to learn that pork was cheaper than chicken! Im a vegetarian though so I’ve never paid attention to the price of meats

    • @katestewart-taylor9736
      @katestewart-taylor9736 Před rokem +3

      Cheap chicken is fairly recent. Modern Chickens with their over sized breasts have come about since the 1980´s. Back in the 1930’s old hens(past laying age) were eaten or cockerels. Hens were for egg laying. A few adult Roos are needed to protect hens and fertilize eggs. Hens didn’t lay the way they do now. Now they lay nearly every day for 10 months of the year, if not more. Not back then. Maybe 4 eggs a week from spring through fall.

    • @JazzFlop212
      @JazzFlop212 Před rokem

      @@katestewart-taylor9736 got it! That’s interesting!

    • @kathleenstewart-taylor
      @kathleenstewart-taylor Před rokem

      @@JazzFlop212 Back when I was a chef in the late 1970's and early 1980's if you ordered chicken breast, you got a WHOLE (both sides) chicken breast. There were fairly thin. A bit more than a quarter inch. You didn't often need to pound them. Now you need to butterfly a half breast and still sometimes you need to pound it. It's a hoot to read some of my mother's cook books from back in the 30's.

    • @EnigmaticLucas
      @EnigmaticLucas Před rokem

      Even more surprising that veal was cheaper than chicken, considering how expensive veal is even today

    • @kathleenstewart-taylor
      @kathleenstewart-taylor Před rokem +1

      @@EnigmaticLucas Modern cattle breeding has developed a way reduce bull calves from even being conceived. Fewer bull calves means fewer calves available for slaughter. Oh and one tease chicken is so tasteless now, is the modern chicken is essentially still a chick. in intensive farming situations the chicken is bred to be slaughter size at six week old. Free range chickens at eight weeks old.

  • @ClanImprobable
    @ClanImprobable Před rokem

    Now I’m hungreh! Thank you Emmy!

  • @razieltalos
    @razieltalos Před rokem +2

    never heard of this, it makes sense tho. pork and chicken seem to have similar mild flavors

  • @TheSimArchitect
    @TheSimArchitect Před rokem +1

    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!

  • @musicislove10650
    @musicislove10650 Před rokem

    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!

  • @tamaflip
    @tamaflip Před rokem +1

    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. 😅

  • @riverspirit7
    @riverspirit7 Před rokem

    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.

  • @bonnauce9607
    @bonnauce9607 Před rokem

    The food you baked looks delicious 😋

  • @dougbaird5379
    @dougbaird5379 Před rokem

    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.

  • @kellykellyKelly_
    @kellykellyKelly_ Před rokem

    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!

  • @MelindaPittser
    @MelindaPittser Před rokem

    Love it. Coming from Pittsburgh, we had city chicken a lot growing up

  • @dindog22
    @dindog22 Před rokem +2

    I've had the cubed version. it was pretty good

  • @caterwauller
    @caterwauller Před rokem

    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.

  • @minnagellack1672
    @minnagellack1672 Před 7 měsíci

    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.

  • @Upper_echelon_exotics
    @Upper_echelon_exotics Před rokem +1

    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!

  • @richardbriansmith8562

    Awesome Video emmymade

  • @sew_i_did5257
    @sew_i_did5257 Před rokem

    Our local Shurfine has a butcher shop, and one of the things they occasionally make is city chicken! Unfortunately nowadays I'm allergic to some of the additives they put in it, but it has always been a massive favorite in our house. Thank you for this recipe!!!!

  • @margiejcupcakeprincess4711

    This was one our faves growing up

  • @matthewgagnon9426
    @matthewgagnon9426 Před rokem

    I vaguely remember seeing something like that in a grandparents home and had no idea what it was for. Neat.

  • @cynthiaruffner4158
    @cynthiaruffner4158 Před rokem

    I grew up eating City Chicken. I have no idea where it came from, because we are in Louisville, Kentucky. For us, it was always cubed pieces of pork tenderloin, skewered and breaded with Kentucky Kernel flour. Served with whipped potatoes and creamed corn. I had no idea there was a mold for it! Kinda cool.

  • @babeena_gt_3645
    @babeena_gt_3645 Před rokem +2

    My grandma had one of those, and I never asked what it was for. Now I know 😊ty

  • @jerryjorgen7115
    @jerryjorgen7115 Před rokem +1

    Neat. Apparently this is actually quite popular in Binghamton NY and Pittsburgh PA.

  • @awaitingvalhalla4223
    @awaitingvalhalla4223 Před rokem

    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

  • @macshaw6479
    @macshaw6479 Před rokem

    This is so interesting and she’s so wholesome

  • @m3g_h4n
    @m3g_h4n Před rokem +1

    Yay!! New Emmy ♡

  • @DivineDianne
    @DivineDianne Před rokem

    This is interesting. There are so many mock chicken recipes out there but I've never seen this one. 😊