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Chicken Fried Steak
Serves 4
Vegetable oil for frying
1 cup saltine cracker crumbs
1 cup flour
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 (5-ounce) round steaks, pounded using a
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
tenderizer meat mallet
Preheat a heavy skillet with 1/2-inch depth of vegetable oil until hot, but not smoking. Combine in a bowl, flour, salt, and pepper. Have cracker crumbs ready in another bowl, and buttermilk ready in yet another bowl. These are your three “dipping” bowls. Dip steaks into flour mixture, then buttermilk, back into flour mixture, once again into buttermilk, and finally cracker crumbs. This will ensure a nice crispy coating. Using tongs, carefully lower steaks into hot oil and pan-fry for about 3 minutes on each side over medium-high heat, until the outside is nicely browned. Remove steaks to a baking dish and place in a 250° F oven to keep warm. Drain away all but 4 tablespoons of oil from the skillet and reserve this for the cream gravy (see Cream Gravy below).
Notes:
Round steak or cube steak is recommended for chicken fried steak; cube steak need not be pounded. You can easily substitute chicken breasts for the steaks in this recipe. Pound the chicken with a flat meat mallet and cook for roughly the same amount of time, until no longer pink in the center. As you coat the steaks with crumbs, you'll get the idea where the term “steak fingers” came from! Serve chicken fried steaks with cream gravy, mashed potatoes, and dinner rolls.
Cream Gravy
Serves 4
4 tablespoons vegetable oil (remaining in skillet from frying [chicken fried] steaks)
4 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup half and half
1 pinch salt, to taste
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 pinch pepper, to taste
On medium-low heat, add flour to remaining vegetable oil in skillet. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Add milk, half and half, and chicken broth to flour/oil mixture. Stir and cook on medium until mixture thickens, about 3 to 4 minutes. Season gravy with salt and pepper to taste. Serve over chicken-fried steaks and mashed potatoes. Makes 2 cups
