The Ultimate Texas Chicken Fried Steak Recipes

TEXAS STYLE CHICKEN FRIED STEAK WITH CREAM GRAVY

Steps:

• Beat together the egg and milk and set aside.
• Mix together the salt, black pepper, paprika and white pepper and sprinkle on both sides of beef cutlets.
• Fill plastic zip lock back with flour. Drop steaks into bag to manually and dredge the steak in flour. Then pour flour into a shallow dish and shake excess flour off of the steaks. Use a pair of tongs for dipping steak into egg mixture and a separate pair of tongs for dipping into the flour.
• Set cutlets aside on a piece of waxed paper.
• Heat the cooking oil in a large cast-iron or other heavy skillet over medium-high heat for a few minutes. Oil should be about a half-inch deep in the pan. (This recipe is not about diets!) Check the temperature with a drop of water; if it pops and spits back at you, it's ready.
• With a long-handled fork, carefully place each cutlet into the hot oil. Protect yourself (and your kitchen) from the popping grease that results. Fry cutlets on both sides, turning once, until golden brown. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 4 or 5 minutes until cutlets are done through. Drain cutlets on paper towels.
• Cream Gravy.
• After the cutlets are removed from the pan, pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of oil, keeping as many as possible of the browned bits in the pan. Heat the oil over medium heat until hot.
• Sprinkle 3 tablespoons flour (use the left-over flour from the chicken fried steak recipe (waste not -- want not) in the hot oil. Stir with a wooden spoon, quickly, to brown the flour.
• Gradually stir in 3/4 cup milk and 3/4 cup water, mixed together, stirring constantly with the wooden spoon and mashing out any lumps. Lower heat, and gravy will begin to thicken. Continue cooking and stirring a few minutes until gravy reaches desired thickness. Check seasonings and add more salt and pepper according to your taste.

THE ULTIMATE TEXAS CHICKEN FRIED STEAK RECIPE

Steps:

• Begin with the round steak. Place the round steak inside the butcher paper it comes in, or use parchment or wax paper to cover the individual steaks on both sides while pounding flat. Pound out your steaks with a tenderizing mallet to thin 1/4-inch slices. They will get bigger and wider as you go. I alternate between the spiky side and the flat side of the mallet as I go.
• Combine the flour, seasoning salt, freshly cracked black pepper, and cornstarch in a bowl and whisk it well, then place it on a large platter.
• In a glass dish (big enough to dunk a whole steak) combine the three eggs and milk and whisk into a thin mixture to make an egg wash.
• Dip each steak into flour, shake it off, then into egg wash, shake it off, then back into the flour. Place each steak on a nice big cookie sheet. Repeat with all the steaks, then transfer into the refrigerator for a half-hour. Do not skip this step. This is giving the flour mixture time to bind and develop. Meanwhile, you can clean up, remembering to reserve 4 tablespoons of seasoned flour for the gravy.
• To cook the steaks, fill a cast-iron skillet about halfway with canola oil. Heat the oil to 350°F on medium-high heat. (You can test the oil with the back of a wooden spoon. When it bubbles around the spoon, it's hot enough. This happens at about 350°F.)
• Using tongs, place a steak in the oil. It should immediately start to bubble and cook, but not explode with activity. If it does, you will want to turn the heat down a nudge. Depending on the size of your skillet, you can cook two or more at the same time. Especially if you preheated that cast-iron skillet. You may have to monitor the heat when adding new steaks. I think a good secret is to let the majority of the first steak get nice and well fried on one side before trying to add in another one.
• Watch the edges of the steak for a golden-brown color. The edges will tell you what it looks like underneath! When you feel like the sides look golden brown, flip the steak and repeat frying on the other side, 4-5 minutes depending on the pan used.
• As each steak is done, remove it from the pan and immediately salt it on each side. Hold on a cookie sheet in a preheated oven at about 225°F. This will keep them hot while you cook the other steaks, but they are best served quickly for maximum crispiness.
• When all of the steaks are resting and toasting in the oven, pour all the grease out of the skillet except about 3-4 tablespoons and turn the heat down to low. Sprinkle in the reserved flour and whisk until a brown paste begins to form.
• Slowly whisk in one can of milk and whisk until it is thoroughly combined. Turn the heat up to medium and whisk as the gravy begins to take form and thicken, which happens when the mixture starts to simmer. Little bubbles will begin to form. Keep the heat around medium.
• I usually add another 1/2 can of milk as I decide how thin/thick I want my gravy . . . that's just a preference thing. Feel free to do what you like. Add the lemon juice, onion and garlic powder, and salt. We crack freshly ground pepper in just before serving and sprinkle on fresh thyme from our herb garden.
• Top the chicken-fried steaks with gravy and serve with your favorite sides.

THE BEST CHICKEN-FRIED STEAK

Steps:

• Liberally sprinkle the steaks with salt and pepper (see Cook's Note). Put them on a rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet and let sit at room temperature while you make the gravy.
• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in 3 tablespoons of the flour until combined and cook until golden and bubbling, about 1 minute. Whisk in the whole milk, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, whisking frequently, until the gravy boils. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, whisking occasionally, until the gravy thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and keep warm; it will seem loose but will thicken as it sits.
• Whisk the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour, cornstarch, paprika, garlic powder and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a large bowl. Whisk the buttermilk, egg and hot sauce in a medium bowl. Working with 1 steak at a time, dredge in the seasoned flour, turning to coat and packing into the crevices. Shake to remove any excess and return to the rack. Repeat with the remaining steaks.
• Pour 3 tablespoons of the buttermilk mixture into the seasoned flour and work it in with your fingers; it should feel like wet sand with some clumps. (These clumps will give the steak a crispy, shaggy crust.) Dip the dredged steaks into the remaining buttermilk mixture, allowing any excess to drip off. Pack the moistened flour firmly onto each steak. Very gently shake off any excess and return to the rack. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
• Pour the oil into a large cast-iron skillet fitted with a deep-fry thermometer (the oil should come about halfway up the sides). Heat the oil over high heat until the thermometer registers 350 degrees F. Fry the steaks in 2 batches until golden brown, about 1 1/2 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
• Whisk the warm cream gravy to loosen it and serve over the chicken-fried steak.

THE ULTIMATE CHICKEN FRIED STEAK

Steps:

• In a shallow bowl, whisk together flour, one teaspoon black pepper, one teaspoon salt, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
• In a separate shallow bowl, whisk together buttermilk , TABASCO® Sauce, and eggs. Set aside.
• Pat cube steaks dry with a paper towel, removing as much moisture as possible. Season with one teaspoon of salt and one teaspoon of pepper. Let sit for 5 minutes and pat dry again with paper towel.
• Dredge the cube steaks in the flour mixture, shaking off excess, then dredge in the buttermilk-egg mixture, letting excess drip off, and then once again in the flour mixture, shaking off excess.
• Place breaded cube steaks on a sheet pan or metal rack and press any of the remaining flour mixture into the cube steaks making sure that the entire steak is completely coated. Let sit for 10 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 225 to 250 F.
• Meanwhile, heat vegetable oil in a heavy skillet or large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. How much oil you need depends on the size of your skillet. You want it to be about 1/4-inch deep. We aren't deep frying the steaks, just shallow frying.
• Test the oil by dropping a bit of the breading into in. The oil should sizzle and bubble around the breading. Look for the oil to be glistening but not smoking - about 320-340 degrees F. Now we're ready to fry.
• Place two steaks into the pan at a time and fry for 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Do not flip more than once or the breading will fall off. Do not fry more than two steaks or the pan will be too crowded and the breading will fall off.
• Remove steaks from pan and drain on paper towels. Place in preheated oven. Turn skillet heat to medium.

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.