Let Them Eat Cake… I’ll Have The Chicken Fried Steak

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According to WordPress today is Meals With Mel’s official two-year blogiversary and I think some celebration is in order.

First, I would like to say THANK YOU to all of my readers who over the last two years have encouraged, inspired, and most of all become my friends. Thank you for every single LIKE, Comment, Follow, and, Share. Also I want to say a big THANK YOU to my dear friend who pushed me and inspired me to write a blog in the first place.

Now let’s celebrate with something special 🙂

I’ve never been one who just loves cakes. Instead of making the usual anniversary cake I decided to celebrate with something really worth diving into….

Something I NEVER let myself have, something I’ve been craving for WEEKS, a dish that basically DEFINES Texas cuisine, I’m having a Texas-Sized Chicken Fried Steak Smothered in Creamy Gravy.

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In Texas there really is only one rule about a good chicken fried steak and that is it MUST be the size of your entire plate.

What is Chicken Fried Steak?  Well, it’s usually a cheap cut of meat that you pound the dickens out of until its thin and beyond tender, dredge it in seasoned flour a couple of times and fry it to perfection.  Finally, the crispy fried steak gets covered in a creamy white milk gravy heavily seasoned with cracked black pepper.

Chicken Fried Steak can be described as perfection on a plate.

Enjoy!!

Texas-Sized Chicken Fried Steak and Creamy Milk Gravy 

Makes 3 Texas-Sized Portions (or 4 portions for everyone else)

Ingredients:

1-1/4 Pounds Top Sirloin Steak*

1-1/2 Cups Four

1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder

1 Tablespoon Onion Powder

1/2 Tablespoon Smoked Paprika

1/4 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

Salt and Black Pepper to Taste

2 Eggs

1/2 Cup Buttermilk

1/2 Cup Texas Beer

Vegetable Oil for Frying

Note: Instead of pounding out and tenderizing the meat myself I asked the local butcher to do it for me this saves on time and clean up.

Directions: 

Remove the steaks from the refrigerator and them come up to room temperature. Meanwhile, prepare the egg mixture and the seasoned flour.

In a large bowl add the flour, spices, and season with salt and pepper then whisk together.

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In another large bowl add the beaten eggs, buttermilk, and beer along with a pinch of salt and pepper, and whisk together.

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For the beer I used a local brew, Revolver Blood and Honey.

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Then season the tenderized steaks on each side with a little salt and pepper.

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Next, get the oil ready for frying.  Fill a large a large heavy-duty skillet (preferably cast iron skillet) almost half way up the sides with vegetable oil. (The size skillet you use will determine how much oil you will need.)

Heat the oil to around 325 degrees over medium heat. Tip: stick the end of a wooden spoon in the oil and if it immediately sizzles the oil is hot and ready.

Now for the messy part…Sorry no picture here since my fingers were coated in batter 🙂

One steak at a time…

First, dredge the steak in the seasoned flour and shake off any excess.

Second, coat the steak in the egg mixture making sure the steak is completely coated.

Third, back into the seasoned flour for one final coating, and once again shake of the excess.

Now carefully into the hot oil we go. Fry the steak for about 3-4 minutes until deep golden brown around the edges. Then carefully turn the steak over (the hot oil is going to spit and spatter) and fry for another 3 minutes.

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Transfer the chicken fried steak to a sheet pan lined with a cooling rack and continue to fry the remains steaks one at a time.  The fried steaks can be kept warm in a 200 degree oven.

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Now time to make the gravy.

Creamy Milk Gravy 

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon Butter

2 Strips of Bacon

2 Tablespoons Flour

2 Cups of Warm Whole Milk

Salt, to taste

Fresh Cracked Black Pepper, to taste

Directions: 

In a large skillet over medium heat add the butter and two strips of bacon.

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Cook until the bacon is crisp then remove and reserve for another use we just needed the flavor and fat.

Reduce heat to the lowest setting and stir in the 2 tablespoons of flour.

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Cook for about 90 seconds stirring constantly.

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Then slowly whisk in the warm whole milk.

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Continue to stir with a wooden spoon until thick then season with salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste.

Finally, find the nearest Texas-Sized Chicken Fried Steak and drown it in the creamy, peppery gravy…

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Of course if you are celebrating a couple of candle never hurt 🙂

Now make a wish!!!

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** This post will be shared on Fiesta Friday 

Posted by

My name is Melody and I am the cook and blogger behind Meals With Mel. I have a love for traveling, I share a joy for gardening, and I have a passion for cooking. Although I do some baking, I don't consider myself a baker as I can't stand having to measure. When it comes to cooking my philosophy is add a bit of this, a dash of that, a splash of something doesn't hurt, never forget some type of pepper and always add at least one clove of garlic. Thanks for stopping by my Spicy Texas Kitchen and I hope to see you again!!! Melody

21 thoughts on “Let Them Eat Cake… I’ll Have The Chicken Fried Steak”

  3. Those candles, LOL! I can see why you usually don’t allow yourself to have this. The meat part reminds me of Wiener Schnitzel from Austria/Germany. They are supposed to be bigger than your plate, but are served with a slice of lemon and garnished with a sprig of parsley. And of course the TX version has bacon in it.
    Happy anniversary!

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    1. Thanks Stefan!!
      😀 Glad you like my attention detail with the candles.
      You’ve got me thinking now… Because Chicken Fried Steak is very similar to Wiener Schnitzel and Texas had a huge German immigrant population settle in central Texas back in he early days. I can imagine that lemons were almost unheard of for the early settlers so they had to come up with something to put on top.
      Gravy is always a good idea in my book!!

      P.S. Most great Texas recipes call for bacon grease (or lard but I try to stay away from lard!! Although I did read a recent article about how lard was the new “Healthy” fat… Of course these people rendered it from their own all organic pigs. Not sure I’m to that point in my culinary adventure.) Thoughts on Lard from a gourmet chef???

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  5. Ooh yum yum! We can have a really naughty meal – start with your chicken fried steak and finish with my brownies 🙂 I lived in the states for a few years and I remember being really confused by chicken fried steak the first time I came across it, I was like “Where’s the chicken?”, as I was with Chicken Of The Sea! I might have a go at making this – it’s really not something you see over here in the UK (or I haven’t anyway).

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    1. Oooh that sounds like a good plan!! Chicken Fried steak and brownies 🙂 I’m sold. I remember once trying to explain chicken fried steak to a friend in the UK…
      It was the white gravy that really stumped them.
      Maybe you could start a whole new food trend across the pond!!

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  7. This is so Texas!! That’s where I “met” chicken fried steak! What a big beautiful plateful Melody!! — and I didn’t realize the connection to Weiner Schnitzel. I read Mitchner’s book “Texas” and there was a section on the German immigrants. And I love, love the candles lit on the picture at the end! Happy 2 year celebration!!! I was surprised to read that- seems like I’ve known you longer than that Blog Buddy. Fun post! xo

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    1. Thanks Rhonda 🙂
      You know what they say… Every thing is bigger in Texas!! I never really thought about a Weiner Schnitzel and Chicken Fried Steak until another blogger Stefan’s Gourmet mentioned that it reminded him of the Germans dish. That’s when thought about all the German immigrants… Funny enough the area the Germans settled into is now considered Texas “wine country” and is now the 2nd most visited wine region in the US. Doug and I are taking a trip down there this weekend 🙂
      I’m glad you liked the candles 🙂 you can’t have a celebration without candles!!
      When I first started blogging you were one of the first people I followed because of your delicious and scrumptious recipes.
      Here’s to many more years of friendship!!!

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  8. I don’t mind if I I will say bye bye to the cake for a while if this will be the one in front of me – the steak is perfectly cooked with that mouth-watering gravy. This is really dangerously delicious! 😀 Thanks for being here at this week’s FF. 🙂

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    1. Thanks Jhuls 😀
      Once you give in to the temptations of Chicken Fried Steak it’s hard to forget!! Thanks for having me here on FF an I’m looking forward to getting to know everyone!!

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  9. A tasty dish and a great recipe to prepare it, Mel. I love chicken fried steak but it’s not easy to find a good one around here, though it’s fairly common on menus. I’d rather it was less common but more tasty. 🙂

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