Chicken Fried Steak No. 1
Submitted by kristik
Chicken fried steak made from pounded round steak, egg-dipped and flour-dredged, pan-fried in oil and butter with cream gravy made from the pan drippings. True Texas comfort food.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
30 minREADY
60 minChicken fried steak is Texas gospel, and this recipe gets the fundamentals right. Pound the round steak thin with a mallet until it’s “all ratty looking” (that’s the texture you want), dredge through egg and seasoned flour, and fry in a mix of oil and butter until the coating is golden and crunchy.
The real trick is sprinkling extra flour mixture into the pan while the steak fries. Those little bits of flour toast in the hot fat and create the flavorful drippings that become the backbone of the cream gravy. Without them, your gravy has no character.
The gravy builds right in the same pan. Drain most of the oil, add butter, scrape up every brown bit, dust in more flour to form a roux, and stir in milk gradually until it’s thick and peppery. Pile that gravy over the steak and a mountain of mashed potatoes.
Pro Tips
- Pound the steak aggressively. You want it thin and tenderized with visible mallet marks. This isn’t a gentle process.
- Fry on medium-high and don’t move the steak for the first couple minutes. Let the crust set before flipping or it’ll tear off.
- Scrape the bottom of the pan thoroughly when making the gravy. Those stuck-on bits are pure concentrated flavor.
- Add milk slowly to the roux, stirring constantly. Dumping it in all at once creates lumps that won’t smooth out.
Variations
- Double dredge: Dip the steak in egg and flour twice for an extra-thick, extra-crunchy crust.
- Black pepper gravy: Go heavy on the cracked black pepper in the cream gravy for a spicier, more assertive sauce.
- Pork version: Use thinly pounded pork cutlets for a chicken fried pork chop with the same technique.
Ingredients
Directions
Cut the round steak into slightly small portions and beat with a mallet or back of a knife until thin and all ratty looking.
Beat the eggs with a little water.
Mix the flour, salt, pepper, and about 1½ teaspoon of tenderizer together.
Dredge the meat through the eggs and then in the flour mixture.
Fry on medium-high heat in oil and butter.
Be careful that it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
As you cook, sprinkle little bits of the flour mix in the pan so that you get a lot of good drippings to use for the gravy.
When the meat is cooked through, drain on paper towels while you make the gravy.
Gravy: Drain most of the oil out of the pan, and add about ½ stick of butter or margerine.
Stir well over medium low heat to scrape all the drippings off the bottom of the pan.
Sprinkle some more of the flour mix into the pan until you almost have a roux.
Add milk a little bit at a time, stirring well with a flat spatula to get it all mixed up.
When you reach desired consistency, remove from heat and serve with the steak.
Try serving with black-eyed peas and lots of mashed potatoes or rice.
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