Chicken Fried Steak with Creamy Gravy
Submitted by kahluamamma
Chicken fried steak with creamy pan gravy: tenderized chuck or round pounded with seasoned flour, breaded in cracker crumbs, fried until golden, then smothered in cream gravy made from the drippings.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
30 minREADY
60 minChicken fried steak with cream gravy is the heart of Texas roadhouse cooking, a Sunday-supper classic born from German pork schnitzel and Southern fried chicken technique. The setup is straightforward: tenderized chuck steak or top round gets pounded with seasoned flour, dipped in egg and cream, and dredged in fine cracker crumbs before hitting hot oil in a heavy iron skillet.
The pan-fry-then-cover step is the move that separates good chicken fried steak from leathery, dry versions. After both sides brown hard and fast, you cover the pan and let the steaks finish at medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes. The covered cook softens the meat to fork-tender while the crust holds.
The gravy is a real pan gravy, built right in the same skillet from drippings, flour, cream, and chicken stock. Spooned over the sliced steak, it carries every bit of flavor the meat left behind.
Pro Tips
- Pound the seasoned flour into both sides of the meat with a heavy plate or mallet. This isn’t just tenderizing, it’s working flour directly into the meat fibers for a crust that won’t fall off.
- Use cracker crumbs, not breadcrumbs. Cracker crumbs give a craggier, crispier coat with more texture.
- Don’t crowd the pan. Two pieces at a time max in a 12-inch skillet; otherwise the oil temp drops and the breading turns soggy.
- Save exactly 3 tablespoons of fat in the pan for gravy. More and the gravy splits; less and the roux scorches.
Variations
- Use buttermilk instead of cream in the egg dip for a tangier, more Southern-style breading.
- Add a teaspoon of cayenne or hot sauce to the gravy for a peppery kick.
- Serve with mashed potatoes or biscuits and a green vegetable for a proper Texas meat-and-three plate.
Ingredients
Directions
Mix ½ cup of the flour, the salt and the pepper together.
Pound the mixture into both sides of the meat with the edge of a heavy plate or mallet.
Cut the meat into serving-size pieces. Beat the eggs together with the cream.
Heat the oil in a heavy iron skillet over moderately high heat.
Reserve 3 tablespoons of the flour.
Dredge the steaks in the remainder of the flour, dip in the egg mixture, and then into the cracker crumbs.
Add to the hot oil.
Brown the steaks well, turn and brown the other side.
Reduce heat to medium, cover the skillet, and cook for 15-to-20 minutes, turning occasionally, until the steaks are cooked through and tender.
Chicken-fried steak should be well done, but not dry.
Remove the steaks from the pan, and drain on paper towels.
--- GRAVY FIXINGS --- Pour off all but 3 tablespoons of the fat in the skillet, and stir in 3 tablespoons of the flour.
Stir to incorporate any particles in the bottom of the pan and cook for 1-to-2 minutes.
Stir in the cream, then the chicken stock. Slice the meat across the grain and top with the gravy.
It’s great served with mashed potatoes, homemade biscuits or cornbread, and a green vegetable
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