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Beef | January 8, 2014

The Best Chicken Fried Steak

The Best Chicken Fried Steak You'll Ever Eat


While growing up, at least once a month, my mom would make The Best Chicken Fried Steak ever. I loved it with white gravy, on either biscuits or toast. I looked forward to peeling the coating off the meat, eating it plain, then cutting up the meat like it was a separate dish.
I was that kid.

The Best Chicken Fried Steak You'll Ever Eat

In this recipe, the buttermilk and hot sauce give it that extra bit of deliciousness to put it into the “Comfort Foods That Rock” category. Actually I don’t have that category on ABK, but if I did, this recipe would be there.

The Best Chicken Fried Steak You'll Ever Eat
The Best Chicken Fried Steak You'll Ever Eat

It is a perfect recipe for this weather- one of those stayinsideandhibernate days. January in northern Utah seems to be filled with those days…
I figure you can either complain or embrace it.
Or go to Mexico.
Comfort food=embrace.
Have a great day.

The Best Chicken Fried Steak You'll Ever Eat

The Best Chicken Fried Steak

Author abountifulkitchen

Ingredients

for steaks:

  • 4 (1/2 pound) beef cube steaks* total, 2 lbs steak
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon Tabasco
  • 1/4 cup vegetable shortening for frying

for gravy:

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3-4 cups milk approximately
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • rice biscuits or toast for serving

Instructions

  1. Pound the steaks to about 1/3-inch thick with mallet if needed.
  2. Get out two shallow bowls. Place 2 cups of flour in a bowl.
  3. In another bowl, stir together the baking powder, baking soda, pepper, and salt.
  4. Stir in the buttermilk, egg and Tabasco Sauce.
  5. Dredge each steak first in the flour, then in the batter, and again in the flour.
  6. Heat the shortening in a cast-iron skillet to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
  7. Fry the steaks until evenly golden brown, about 5 minutes per side.
  8. Place fried steaks on a plate lined with paper towels.
  9. Drain any leftover oil from the skillet, reserving any of the solid remnants from the meat and coating on the meat.
  10. Do not clean skillet or wipe out.

To make gravy:

  1. Return the skillet to medium heat.
  2. Melt butter in skillet.
  3. Whisk 1/2 cup flour into the melted butter.
  4. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula to release solids into the gravy.
  5. Stir in the milk, a little at a time using a whisk (I use between 3-4 cups, start with 1, then slowly add milk), raise the heat to medium.
  6. Bring the gravy to a simmer, cook until thick, 6 to 7 minutes.
  7. Season generously with salt and pepper.
  8. Place the meat on top of biscuits , toast or rice and top with gravy.

Recipe Notes

  • Cube steaks are found in the meat section of your grocery store. They are usually tougher cuts of beef that have been forced through a tenderizer that leaves square marks on the meat (that’s why the name “cube steak”). The meat is usually processed to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.
  • The steaks may be fried in any type of heavy pan. If you fry two at a time, and need a bit more oil for the second batch, simply add a little more oil to the pan and let it heat up a bit before frying.
  • My mom used to make this with milk and eggs instead of buttermilk. If you don’t have buttermilk, substitute 2 eggs and 1 cup of milk. I’d omit the baking soda and powder as well. I believe those react with the buttermilk to cause a bit of a rise in the batter/coating on the meat, but may not have a the same effect if using milk. The buttermilk really makes this dish, I recommend using it instead of milk if possible.
  • You may make your own buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to a cup and then filling the one cup measure with milk. Let sit for 10 minutes, then use in recipe. 

5 thoughts on “The Best Chicken Fried Steak

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  1. I can never use the rest of the buttermilk if I buy it. So I’ve taken to the substitute, 1 cup milk with 1 tablespoon of white vinegar. It does the same thing chemically to the recipe.
    To me it tastes the same so- making lemonade out of the lemon you got handed. Thanks for the really good recipe.

    1. Dear Mo,
      That’s a great trick for making buttermilk in a pinch! I’m glad you enjoyed the Chicken Fried Steak recipe. Now that’s some deelish comfort food!
      If you’re ever wanting more recipes with buttermilk, I have a bunch! Salad dressings, waffles, coffee cake…Try them out and let me know what you think!
      xo,
      Si

  2. I recently got beef from a friend and this looks like the perfect way to use the cube steaks. Does the recipe call for four half-pound steaks or four and a half pounds of meat?