Upgraded Chicken Fried Steak Recipes

THE BEST CHICKEN FRIED STEAK

Steps:

• Pound the steaks to about 1/4-inch thickness. Place 2 cups of flour in a shallow bowl. Stir together the baking powder, baking soda, pepper, and salt in a separate shallow bowl; stir in the buttermilk, egg, Tabasco Sauce, and garlic. Dredge each steak first in the flour, then in the batter, and again in the flour. Pat the flour onto the surface of each steak so they are completely coated with dry flour.
• Heat the shortening in a deep cast-iron skillet to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Fry the steaks until evenly golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Place fried steaks on a plate with paper towels to drain. Drain the fat from the skillet, reserving 1/4 cup of the liquid and as much of the solid remnants as possible.
• Return the skillet to medium-low heat with the reserved oil. Whisk the remaining flour into the oil. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula to release solids into the gravy. Stir in the milk, raise the heat to medium, and bring the gravy to a simmer, cook until thick, 6 to 7 minutes. Season with kosher salt and pepper. Spoon the gravy over the steaks to serve.

CHICKEN FRIED STEAK WITH GRAVY

Steps:

• Place steaks on a clean work surface and pound both sides to 1/4-inch thickness with the tenderizing side of a meat mallet. Season steaks with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
• Combine 1 cup flour and cayenne pepper in a wide, shallow dredging bowl and pour buttermilk into another dredging bowl. Coat steaks in flour, then buttermilk, and again in the flour. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with a cooling rack and let stand 20 minutes.
• Pour oil to 1/8-inch depth into a large cast-iron skillet and heat over medium-high heat. When oil shimmers, fry the steaks in two batches, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
• Carefully pour all but 2 tablespoons of fat from skillet and return skillet to heat. Whisk in remaining 3 tablespoons flour, cooking until bubbly and golden, 1 minute. Whisk in milk and season with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Boil, whisking constantly, until gravy thickens slightly, 1 minute. Transfer to a gravy boat or small pitcher and serve immediately poured over steaks.

CHICKEN-FRIED STEAK (CHICKEN WITH CREAMY GRAVY)

Steps:

• Season the chicken breasts with black pepper.
• In a shallow dish combine crushed cracker crumbs with flour 1 teaspoon seasoned salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, cayenne pepper (if using) and baking powder.
• In another shallow dish whisk together eggs with 3/4 milk.
• Dredge the chicken breasts in the cracker mixture then dip in the egg/milk mixture, then dredge AGAIN in the cracker mixture.
• Pour the oil into a large skillet and heat to 360 degrees F.
• Fry the breasts in hot oil for about 3-4 minutes on each side or until golden brown; remove to a wire rack and cover lightly with foil.
• Carefully drain oil but reserve the browned bits in the bottom of the skillet along with a couple tablespoons of the oil.
• In a bowl mix together 4 cups half and half cream, 1/4 cup flour 1 teaspoon seasoned salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper; whisk until combined, then add to the reserved drippings in the skillet, cook whisking constantly over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes or until thickened.
• Serve the creamed gravy with the breasts.

OLD FASHIONED POUNDED CHICKEN FRIED STEAK

Steps:

• combine flour, salt and pepper on a sheet of wax paper.
• Pound steak until 1/4 inch thick with a meat mallet or edge of plate.
• Then pound in as much seasoned flour as possible.
• Beat egg and milk in a shallow dish.
• Dip pounded steak first in egg/milk mixture.
• The dip again in flour.
• Brown slices in hot oil in a large skillet on one side.
• Turn meat.
• Cover and lower heat.
• Cook until meat is tender, about 30 minutes.

CHICKEN-FRIED STEAK

Steps:

• Put the steaks on a board and bash with a rolling pin until about half the original thickness. Mix the eggs with the cayenne in a bowl. Combine the ingredients for the spice mix with a large pinch of salt in a separate shallow dish.
• Dip the steaks into the egg, then the spice mix, turning to coat. Pour the oil into a large non-stick frying pan until the base of the pan is covered. Fry the steaks over a high heat for 2 mins until crisp, then turn and fry for 2 mins more. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.
• If you're making the sauce, pour away all but 1 tbsp oil from the pan and stir in the flour, cooking until browned. Crumble in the stock cube. Slowly pour in the milk, whisking until smooth and fully incorporated. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 4-5 mins. Season. Add the thyme and plenty of black pepper, then squeeze in the lemon juice to taste. Serve the steaks with the sauce, and greens and corn, if you like.

MOCK CHICKEN FRIED STEAK

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, mix together the ground beef, parsley, chili powder, salt, egg, and 1 cup of crushed saltine crackers. Form into 6 balls, then flatten into patties. Coat patties with remaining cracker crumbs, and place them on a plate. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry patties for about 7 minutes per side, or until the centers are well done and the outside is golden brown.

CHICKEN-FRIED STEAK

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200 degrees. Pour a half-inch of oil into a cast-iron or other large, heavy skillet and place over medium-high heat.
• Put flour, salt and pepper in a large zip-top bag or in a large baking dish and mix well. Pour milk into a large bowl. Dip each piece of steak in milk, shake off excess and then shake in bag of flour or press into dish of flour, making sure both sides are well coated. Shake off excess.
• Lay steaks into hot oil until skillet is full, but not crowded. Cook for about 3 minutes a side, or until a good crust is formed. You may need to do this in batches, moving steaks to a platter in the warm oven as they cook. When done, pour off all but about 4 tablespoons of fat from pan, leaving in as many browned bits as possible, and turn off heat.
• Pour milk into a saucepan and add enough water to make 3 cups. Heat over medium heat until just before boiling point.
• Turn heat under frying pan to medium. When oil is hot, sprinkle in 3 tablespoons of flour mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, quickly stirring until flour starts to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add liquid, stirring constantly to remove lumps and cook until thickened. Adjust seasoning.