Mar 11, 2010

Chicken Fried Steak

The thick, crunchy crust is one of our favorite things about this classic Southern-style chicken fried steak.

Credit: Andr� Baranowski

SERVES 4

Ingredients

2 cups plus 3 tbsp. flour
2 tsp. paprika
Freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt, to taste
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. Tabasco, plus more to taste
1 egg
4 4-6-oz. cube steaks, pounded to ¼" thickness
Canola oil, for frying
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 cups milk

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 200˚; put a baking sheet fitted with a rack inside. In a shallow dish, whisk together 2 cups flour, paprika, pepper, and salt. In another dish, whisk together buttermilk, 1 tsp. Tabasco, and egg. Season steaks with salt and pepper. Working with one steak at a time, dredge in flour mixture, then egg mixture, and again in flour; shake off excess. Transfer to plate.

2. Pour oil into a 12" cast-iron skillet to a depth of ½"; heat over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer reads 320˚. Working in 2 batches, fry steaks, flipping once, until golden brown, 6-8 minutes. Place steaks on rack in oven to keep warm.

3. Melt butter in a 2-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in remaining flour; cook until golden, 1-2 minutes. Whisk in milk; cook, whisking, until thick. Season with Tabasco and salt and pepper. Serve steaks with gravy.

This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #121

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Ratings & Reviews (9)

by MISSMAEI on 2011-05-05

Are you kidding me with making the gravy in a separate pan? Use the drippings and lots of black pepper for the real deal. But I am Texan born and raised so I only go for the real deal.

by carrie tanner on 2013-03-04

As another born and bred Texan, I agree the previous reviewer. You MUST use the pan drippings and lots of black pepper to make the gravy.

by vickylynn00 on 2013-03-04

3rd Texan checking in and making it unanimous - gravy must made from from pan drippings using lots of black pepper. Don't forget to make enough gravy for the mandatory mashed potatoes.

by ST3VER on 2013-03-04

1st non-Texan here. Make enough gravy to serve as a beverage, using pan drippings and blk pepper

by DUTCHGAL on 2013-03-04

Agree with previous reviews - must use drippings and have
mashed potatoes!

by ECASSELS on 2013-03-04

4th Texan checking in, Pan drippings mandatory, French Fries optional for breakfast with chicken fry and eggs.

by mcowan3853 on 2013-03-04

Another Texan (6th generation but recent transplant to Pensacola FL) weighing in and agreeing with the other Texans. The recipe looks not too far off from what I do to my CFS, but absolutely use pan drippings in the skillet to make your gravy with--and forget this healthy business, use lard that you've rendered yourself (not the shelf stable kind) as your cooking fat, if you've got it. Butter for gravy? Heck no! Also don't go getting snooty and replacing the round, or cube, steak with something like a thin ribeye--the whole point of CFS in the first place was making something good out of a cheap and tough cut of meat. Go messing with a classic, and you ruin the classic.

by RAINE on 2013-03-05

Not a Texan, was a saucier-sauce maker. You must have some of the fats and all of the drippings to make a good gravy, and then salt and lots of pepper. The way the recipe is written, that's not going to happen.

by JAY MAYES on 2013-03-06

Ok another Texan on board. Yes, to the use of pan dripping.Yes, to the lard. Yes, to the cheap cut of meat. Yes, to extra pepper. NO,no & no to butter in gravy!!!Texans KNOW their chicken fried steaks so we are not wrong in our critique of this receipe. No insult intended just the flavorful facts!!! My grand sons love to dip their Texas toast into the gravy as well.

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