Let me start off by saying that before this post I have never eaten chicken fried steak. It’s not a big dish in Vancouver and I actually don’t see it on menus all to often, even while travelling. Apparently I haven’t been travelling to the right places, because chicken fried steak is A. Big. Deal. When I first came across the name, I was confused. Chicken? Steak? Was it chicken, steak or other?
Apparently, CFS as it’s affectionately shortened to, is, simply steak, breaded and fried. It gets it’s name from the fact that it’s supposed to be fried in oil that has been used to fry chicken. Steak that’s been fried in oil is just known as country fried steak. So, technically, what I made was a country fried steak, but I don’t think the CFS police are going to cite me or anything. If they were to take a visit to my kitchen, I’m sure they’d go on about how I didn’t tenderize.
See, chicken fried steak is all about the tenderizing. Pounding or forking makes a cheaper cut of meat more tender and delicious. But, at least I used the right cut of steak: chuck. Traditionally round steak, or chuck steak is reserved for coating and frying into deliciousness. And, bonus points, I made a simple little country gravy to go with.
I’ve heard from second hand experience that chicken fried steak is drowned in country gravy. Why you would fry something to delicious golden brown crispiness and then render it soggy with gravy is beyond me, but hey, who am I to question years of tradition. And to be honest, this steak was pretty damn delicious. I think I’m going to have to get myself to an authentic Southern eatery to taste the real thing first hand. In the meantime, I’ll be indulging in this homemade version.
Chicken Fried Steak Recipe via Alton Brown
serves 2STEAK
- 1 steak of choice (most people choose round steak and then pound it, I used chuck and didn’t pound)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- oil for pan-frying (if you want to be authentic, use some oil that you have fried chicken in!)
GRAVY
- 2 tablespoons duck fat
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- salt and pepper
Place the flour into a shallow dish and mix with the salt and pepper. Place the egg in another shallow dish. Dredge the meat in the flour, then the egg, then the flower again.
In a large frying pan, heat up about 1/2 cm of oil over medium-high. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the steak and cook until golden brown and crispy, about 4-5 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and set aside while making gravy.
In a sauce pot, melt the duck fat over medium heat. Sprinkle in the flour and cook while stirring until the flour is throughly incorporated. While whisking, slowly pour in the milk, then the broth. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, whisking occasionally until slightly thickened. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Enjoy the steak topped with gravy and extra pepper if desired.
17 Comments
Marie Warne says:
December 10, 2013 at 7:42 am
This looks so freaking good – I wish I had a plate of it in front of me even though it’s only 10:40 a.m. Thank you for the post.
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miss mochi says:
December 10, 2013 at 2:32 pm
Don’t worry, it’s a breakfast item! You can get it with biscuits and gravy, eggs, and hashbrowns.
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Jennifer says:
December 10, 2013 at 7:57 am
Beautiful photos! Chicken Fried Steak is one of my biggest guilty pleasures – so big that I only allow my self to indulge once a year. I love the addition of duck fat to the gravy. Must try your version next time.
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kate says:
December 10, 2013 at 10:52 am
looks delicious
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kate says:
December 10, 2013 at 10:54 am
i wonder how would it be with fish
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Kimba says:
February 19, 2014 at 8:12 am
I’m sorry Kate, I do believe that’s a sin. This is all about crunchy meat and fat. Battered fish is, well, Arthur Treachers.
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Donna Rogers says:
December 10, 2013 at 2:09 pm
Your version looks awesome – I’d order that in a heartbeat! But yes, tenderizing is one of the key steps…I’ve lived in the south and can easily count a certain number of lbs on my frame are due to chicken fried steak meals! It is usually a tenderized round steak used (what I’ve used at home also), I’ve never heard the “oil used to fry chicken” but I’m failry certain the restaurants down there don’t switch their oil out to cook separate dishes. And to be honest…the plate is usally finished before any of the “crunch” is lost! Well done!!
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Adrienne says:
December 10, 2013 at 9:11 pm
I’ll pipe in and say I believe the point of the dish is to make a cheap cut of meat tasty, like many of the dishes my grandma would make. Yours looks awesome, but I don’t know if I’d waste a good steak on such a method myself.
Also, I always understood “chicken-fried” to mean it was floured and fried *like* chicken. Around here “country fried steak” is taken to mean the same thing, it’s just how they sometimes word it on menus so people don’t get confused.Reply
s h e r r y says:
December 10, 2013 at 9:11 pm
Mmmm. Beauty. I remember being super confused by a chicken fried steak too…
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Amanda says:
December 11, 2013 at 6:56 pm
Gorrrgeous photos, that gravy looks bomb and with duck fat… holy cow decadent and delicious. Have to say though, seeing as how I’m from Texas aka motherland of chicken fried steak, no one ever says CFS and it is called chicken fried steak because it’s battered and fried like chicken.
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Pamela Caldwell says:
December 15, 2013 at 6:19 am
Try a pinch of allspice in the gravy. And use store bought ground pepper, not freshly ground.
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Cheryl says:
December 20, 2013 at 1:24 pm
I love that you didn’t cook the steak well-done – I HAVE to try that. I’ve never tackled CFS at home, since, well, it’s everywhere here in Memphis! I adore the main photo for this post – it speaks of TV dinner kitsch elevated to gourmet peaks. Adore
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strawberry says:
February 5, 2014 at 12:27 am
Being a woman who lived in the south and watched my grandma make that dish that I have now perfected. The gravy is extremely important. Using a cast iron skillet that does have some fried chicken grease in it is great but can be done with vegetable or canola oil. The gravy is made from some of the left over grease that you just used to fry in. Adding ground black pepper adds a nice little kick. We generally serve it with mashed potatoes with the gravy on that too. To add to the recipe you can add some garlic powder and onion powder to the flour mixture, the left over flour from coating the steaks can be used to make the gravy as not to waste anything.
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Lindsey says:
January 14, 2015 at 8:23 am
Quick question,
when using duck fat, is it okay to substitute for leaf lard? or where can I buy duck fat from?Reply
steph says:
January 14, 2015 at 3:38 pm
hi lindsey,
you definitely don’t need to make the gravy with duck fat, i just used it because it’s what i had on hand. just substitue in your favourite fat. hope that helps!Reply
