One of my siblings and my favorite dish as a child was city chicken. I think it was mostly because it was unique. Plus, there’s just something about eating anything off a stick that appeals to kids. If you are unfamiliar with city chicken, it is pork (sometimes veal) cubed and threaded on skewers. You just don’t see it in the meat department much any more.

My mother always breaded the skewered meat and pan fried it. She served it with a pan gravy made from the drippings. This is an interesting take on the dish. It’s much more low-fat: minus the pan gravy and grilled verses fried. The combination of Asian flavors gives the dish an unexpected and fresh taste.

Not your Mother’s City Chicken

2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon honey
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon of water
1 pound lean pork tenderloin or boneless chops, cut into 3/4 inch cubes

Prepare the marinade in a blender by combining the soy sauce, lime juice, chopped onion, peanut butter, honey, minced garlic, ginger, cumin, cilantro and water. Blend for a minute until the mixture is smooth.

Place the pork cubes in a 1 gallon Zip-Loc bag. Pour the marinade over the cubes. Seal the bag by letting out as much air as possible. Turn a few times. Place in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

The wood skewers that are readily available in most dollar stores make ideal city chicken skewers. Prepare 6 skewers by soaking them in water while the pork cubes are marinating in the refrigerator.

Preheat your grill to 350 or a medium high heat.

Drain the pork reserving the marinade. Thread 1/6 the pork cubes onto each skewer. Place the skewers on the grill and grill for approximately 8-10 minutes until done, turning every 2-3 minutes to prevent them from burning.

While the city chicken is grilling, bring the reserved marinade to a boil over medium heat and boil for 1-2 minutes. Add additional water as needed to maintain a sauce consistency.

Remove the city chicken from the grill. Drizzle with the heated marinade. Sprinkle with chopped salted peanuts. Serve.