Archive for March, 2022

Chicken Fried Steak

Thursday, March 24th, 2022

Tuesday, I finally made a chicken fried steak that I really enjoyed, with a crispy breading and really great flavor, the sort of steak I would be pleased to get at a truck stop or diner.  Somethign that, when I brought it to the table, both of my kids asked me if it was chicken.

Of course, I did it on a Tuesday when I didn’t even get home from work until 5:00 and had to launch straight into dinner prep to get it all done before bedtime, so I don’t have any pictures.  But I’m writing it up anyway so I have a reference for what I did next time I go to make it (including a note to myself: take pictures!)

Chicken Fried Steak
Ingredients:

  • 1 thin, bottom round steak
  • 2 eggs
  • ~.75 cups yogurt
  • Spices for the liquid mixture
  • ~ 1/2 cup flour
  • ~1 cup panko style bread crumbs
  • Spices for the breading mixture
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • Oil for frying
Steps:
  1. Place steak between two layers of plastic wrap on a durable surface and beat it with a meat mallet until it’s been flattened to 1/8 inch of its life.  Trim fat and connective tissue, divide into smaller pieces.  Season with some salt, pepper.
  2. Put cast iron pan on over medium-low flame and heat ~1/4 inch of oil to 350 degrees.  Monitor it, maybe will need to turn the flame down after the oil has been heated.
  3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and stage a clean sheet tray in it.
  4. Beat eggs, mix in yogurt and spices for liquid mixture
  5. Put trimmed and beaten steak pieces into liquid mix, toss to coat thoroughly.
  6. Combine flour, breadcrumbs, and other spices
  7. Remove steak pieces from egg and yogurt mix and, being careful to maintain your dominant hand as a dry hand and your non-dominant hand as a wet hand, coat the steak with the flour and breadcrumb mix, put on a plate to the side.
  8. Mix baking soda into remaining flour and breadcrumb mix.
  9. Return once-coated steaks to the remaining yogurt and egg mix, then dredge again through remaining flour and breadcrumb mix.  Ideally, you’re down to just about nil in both by the time you get the second bread coating on the last piece of steak.
  10. Make sure oil is at 350 degrees.  Turn flame up a bit if you reduced it during the prep time.  Put 3-4 pieces of steak (depending on what will fit) into the cast iron skillet.
  11. When browned, flip steak carefully with a combo of a fish spatula and a set of tongs.
  12. When second side has browned, transfer to the preheated pan in the preheated oven.
  13. Finish for all remaining pieces of steak.
  14. Drain oil out of pan.  Optional: saute some green beans in the pan as a side dish.
  15. Optional: after green beans have cooked, use some of the drained oil as the starting point for a roux and mix up a quick gravy to go on top of the steak.
  16. Serve to 2 delighted people and one person who removes the breading that you are so proud of and stacks it on the side of his plate while he eats the steak from inside of the breading.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »