Classic Chicken Fried Steak Recipes

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.

Steps:

• For the steak: Begin with setting up an assembly line of dishes. Mix the milk with the eggs in one; the flour mixed with the seasoned salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper, paprika and cayenne in another; and the meat in a third. Then have one clean plate at the end to receive the breaded meat.
• Work with one piece of meat at a time. Sprinkle both sides with kosher salt and black pepper, then place it in the flour mixture. Turn to coat. Place the meat into the milk/egg mixture, turning to coat. Finally, place it back in the flour and turn to coat (dry mixture/wet mixture/dry mixture). Place the breaded meat on the clean plate, then repeat with the remaining meat.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the butter. Drop in a few sprinkles of flour to make sure it's sufficiently hot. When the butter sizzles immediately, you know it's ready. (It should not brown right away, if it does, the fire is too hot.) Cook the meat, 3 pieces at a time, until the edges start to look golden brown, about 2 minutes each side. Remove the meat to a paper towel-lined plate and keep them warm by covering lightly with another plate or a sheet of foil. Repeat until all the meat is cooked.
• After all the meat is fried, pour off the grease into a heatproof bowl. Without cleaning the skillet, return it to the stove over medium-low heat. Add 1/4 cup of the grease back to the skillet and allow it to heat up.
• For the gravy: When the grease is hot, sprinkle the flour evenly over the grease. Using a whisk, mix the flour with the grease, creating a golden-brown paste. Add more flour if it looks overly greasy; add a little more grease if it becomes too pasty/clumpy. Keep cooking until the roux reaches a deep golden brown color.
• Pour in the milk, whisking constantly. Add the seasoned salt and black pepper to taste and cook, whisking, until the gravy is smooth and thick, 5 to 10 minutes. Be prepared to add more milk if it becomes overly thick. Be sure to taste to make sure gravy is sufficiently seasoned.
• Serve the meat next to a big side of mashed potatoes. Pour gravy over the whole shebang!

Steps:

• Heat a medium-high skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil. Cook's Note: Oil is heated when you drop a little flour in and the oil spits.
• Pound out the cube steaks with a meat mallet until they are 1/4 to 1/2-inches thick. Salt and pepper both sides. Mix the flour, cayenne and paprika together in a bowl. Beat the eggs in another bowl. Dredge the steaks through the flour, then egg mixture, then through the flour again.
• Place the steak carefully in the pan as the oil will splatter. Cook until golden brown, about 4 to 6 minutes on each side. When finished, place on a sheet tray lined with paper towels, hold in a warm oven and repeat the procedure with the other pieces of steak.
• When all steaks have been cooked off, pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the cooking oil and lower heat. Add 3 tablespoons of the leftover flour mixture to the oil and whisk to create a paste. Cook until golden, about 1 minute. Gradually add the milk to the flour and oil mixture while whisking together. Season the gravy with salt and pepper, to taste. Let cook until thickened; about 10 minutes. Pour gravy over the steak to finish and garnish with parsley.

Steps:

• Whisk together flour, onion powder, garlic powder and cayenne. Transfer to a shallow dish or pie plate.
• In a separate shallow dish, whisk together eggs and milk (or buttermilk).
• Season steaks with salt and pepper. Dredge each steak in flour, shaking off excess, dip in egg, then back into the flour. Set coated steaks aside.
• Pour about 1 inch of oil into a high-sided pan and heat to medium high. Place a small cube of bread in the oil; when it starts to brown, the oil is ready. Carefully place steaks in oil, working in batches to avoid overcrowding. When the first side is browned (about 3-4 minutes), carefully turn over using a fork or tongs. Fry another 4-5 minutes on the second side, or until nicely browned. Transfer steaks to a paper towel-lined plate and keep warm in a low oven.
• Repeat with remaining steaks, adding oil if necessary (be sure to allow oil to re-heat between batches).

Steps:

• In a shallow bowl, combine 2 cups flour and seasonings; set aside. In another bowl, combine buttermilk and evaporated milk. Remove 3-1/2 cups for gravy and set aside. Dip cube steaks into buttermilk mixture, then into flour mixture, coating well. Repeat. , In a skillet, heat 1/2 in. of oil on high. Fry steaks, a few at a time, for 5-7 minutes. Turn carefully and cook 5 minutes longer or until coating is crisp and met is no longer pink. Remove steaks and keep warm. , Drain, reserving 1/3 cup drippings in the skillet; stir remaining flour into drippings until smooth. Cook and stir over medium heat for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Whisk in reserved buttermilk mixture; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add Worcestershire sauce and pepper sauce. Serve with steaks.