Recipes - Famous Recipes - Famous Recipes: Famous Recipes - Grandma's Chicken Fried Steak with Pan Drippings Cream Gravy

Grandma's Chicken Fried Steak with Pan Drippings Cream Gravy Serves 4 to 5

*Chicken-fried steak* is beef, usually round steak, tenderized, then dipped
in a mixture of egg and milk. Country fried steak is another name for the
dish, often made without the egg batter. Just dredge in seasoned flour,
without the egg coating. The dish is known as chicken fried steak because of
the similar cooking method to fried chicken.

This recipe calls for cube steaks, but a good round steak will also do. Just
ask your local butcher to run them through the tenderizer. You can tenderize
them yourself with a mallet. (A suggested method is listed below for you.)

4 cube steaks, tenderized beef cutlets. (Follow Safe Food Handling
Instructions)
OR, that you've tenderized yourself (see next step)
Cut a 1-1/2 to 2 pounds round steak into 4 or 5 serving-size portions.
Place the cut pieces between sheets of plastic wrap or wax paper.
On a strong surface, pound with a meat mallet until thin and tender.
1 large fresh egg, beaten, for dip.
1/4 cup of fresh milk for dip, check the expiration date.
1 1/2 cups, all purpose flour.
Cooking oil or melted shortening, as required.
1/2 teaspoon salt, plain or iodized.
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.
1/4 teaspoon Paprika.
1 cup of fresh milk, (room temperature) for pan gravy.
1/2 to 3/4 cup of water, for pan gravy.

1. Beat together the egg and milk mixture and set aside.
2. Mix together the salt, black pepper, and paprika and sprinkle on
both sides of beef cutlets. Add leftover spice mixture to the flour.
3. Dredge the chicken fried steak cutlets in flour, seasoned with
salt, pepper, and paprika, shaking off the excess flour.
4. Then dip each cutlet in the egg and milk mixture, then back into
the seasoned flour. (Your hands are going to get messy at this point in the
recipe, or use a pair of metal cooking tongs.)
5. Set the coated cutlets aside on a piece of waxed paper. HINT: Save
the extra seasoned flour for the gravy.
6. Heat the cooking oil in a large cast-iron or other heavy skillet
over medium-high heat for a few minutes. Oil should be about a half-inch
deep in the pan. Check the temperature with a drop of water; if it pops and
spits back at you, it's ready for the chicken fried steak cutlets.
7. With a long-handled tong or a fork, carefully place each chicken
fried steak cutlet into the hot oil. *Cooking Caution:* Protect
yourself from the popping grease that may result when the moist cutlet
enters the hot oil.
8. Fry cutlets on both sides, for about 2 to 3 minutes per side,
turning once, until goldish brown.
9. Reduce the heat to low, cover skillet and cook 4 or 5 minutes more,
or until cutlets are cooked through.
10. Drain the hot cutlets on paper towels. Keep the chicken fried
steak cutlets warm, while preparing the tasty pan gravy.

*Pan Drippings Cream Gravy*

After the chicken fried steak cutlets are removed from the pan, pour off the
oil through a strainer. Leave about 1/2 cup pan drippings in the bottom of
the skillet. Also keep as many of the browned bits from the seasoned
coating, in the pan as possible. Return any browned cracklings from the
strainer to the skillet before starting the gravy. Heat the oil over medium
heat until hot.

Sprinkle slowly, 3 tablespoons of the seasoned leftover flour, from the
chicken fried steak recipe, into the hot oil. Stir with a kitchen spoon,
until the flour is lightly browned.

Gradually whisk in the cup of milk and a 1/2 cup of water, stirring
constantly and mashing out any lumps. Lower heat, and gravy will begin to
thicken. Continue cooking and stirring a few minutes until gravy reaches
your desired thickness. Check the gravy seasoning. Add salt and pepper
according to your taste.

Serve the chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes, your favorite garden
vegetable, and corn bread, or biscuits. Serve the pan gravy by pouring over
the chicken fried steak. Any extra gravy, can be mopped up with the
biscuits. Enjoy this tasty dish with your family and friends.

*Gravy Cooking Note:*
Gravy making is the personal preference of the person doing the cooking...!
Cream gravy is supposed to be thick, but if you think it's too thick, add
more liquid, until you like it. Adjust the gravy seasonings to taste. It's
that simple.

Return all vegetable and kitchen preparation scraps to your compost area.
Recycle to our earth...!

--
Lived in Minnesota born and raised,Moved to AZ for 10 yrs.
LIved in CA where i met my hubby and lived there for 7 yrs..
Lived again in AZ for 4 yrs
LIved in NV for 5 yrs
Now back home in the good ole heartland Midwest !! :-)

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