Lunch / Dinner
Chicken Fried Steak
Chicken fried steak, country fried steak, or CFS is delicious, no-fuss cooking that’s stood the test of time because it’s quick, easy, and inexpensive.
Most commonly made with cube steak, round steak, or even top sirloin, this version strays, using flat iron steaks instead. While a little pricier than the traditional cuts, flat iron is still quite affordable and offers something else — even bigger beefy flavor. The secret to using the cut and yielding meat as tender as the traditional cuts is a method used by farm cooks for years — tenderizing the steaks with a saucer. That’s right, a saucer! First in one direction then the opposite for a crosshatch pattern. It works better than a meat mallet because you’re able to penetrate deeper into the meat fibers with the saucer’s edge.
Finish the meal with Fried Onion Strings and a tomato gravy that’s just a little fancier than ketchup and you’ve got a meal that’s a Texas-sized dinner treat.
Ingredients
FOR THE STEAK, COMBINE:
COMBINE:
TENDERIZE:
FOR THE TOMATO GRAVY, SWEAT:
Instructions
For the steak, combine 1 cup flour, salt, black pepper, granulated garlic, onion powder, and cayenne.
Combine buttermilk and egg in a shallow dish.
Tenderize both sides of each piece by pounding with the edge of a saucer first horizontally, then in the opposite direction to crosshatch.
Dredge steaks in buttermilk, letting excess drip off, then into flour mixture. Heat oil in a sauté pan or skillet over medium-high until it shimmers. Fry steaks in hot oil in pan until golden, about 4 minutes per side; transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate.
For the gravy, sweat minced garlic and tomato paste in 2 Tbsp. steak drippings, 1 minute. Whisk in 2 Tbsp. flour; cook 1 minute. Stir in milk; cook until slightly thickened, 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and vinegar. Stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper.
For the most tender steaks, pound both sides in a crosshatch pattern with a ceramic or glass saucer.
For the best coating, allow any excess buttermilk to drip off before dredging steaks in the spiced flour.
A good indicator of when to flip the steaks is when the flour coating becomes “wet” with meat juices.
Nutritional Facts
Nutritional Facts
Per serving
Calories: 775
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 56g 86%
Saturated Fat 19g 95%
Cholesterol 178mg 59%
Sodium 461mg 19%
Carbs 23g 7%
Fiber 1g 4%
Protein 44g
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.