The Ranch Kitchen's Chicken Fried Steak and Gravy

Click here for the recipe for Chicken Fried Steak with Gravy

Every once in a while, we love our chicken fried steak.  It's southern comfort food at it's best and when served along side some mashed potatoes and gravy you have the perfect meal.  

On our ranch we of course use our Hereford beef raised on our place.  The flavor always shines through and it's great knowing we raised it ourselves.  

The trick to chicken fried steak is letting it fry at an even heat and not handling your meat too much once it is placed in the pan with the hot oil.  I use either water or milk in my batter as two different methods for battering your steak.  Both turn out great everytime.  Cast iron skillets are some of the best, even skillets or pans to use for chicken fried steak also.

To begin, first take the egg(s) and milk and best them together making a batter with a dash or two of hot sauce.  This is 'red' hot sauce like Tabasco Sauce that will give your egg batter a bit of flavor and add to the overall taste of your meat. We love anything spicy and since I use the hot sauce with my fried chicken tenders, I thought why not with my steak.  If you are measuring the dash of hot sauce it would be around 2 teaspoons or adjust to your heat index.  I've also used Chili Sauce some and it is just as good.  If you are out of milk, must use water and it's just as good.

Whisk the two together and and 'bread' the steaks in this order.  First dip the steak in the flour that has been seasoned with 1 teaspoon of garlic salt and 1 teaspoon of any brand of All Seasoning Spice like Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning or an all purpose steak spice covering fully (mix the seasonings well with the flour) and then placing in the egg and milk, then back in the flour.  Place immediately in the hot vegetable or Canola oil that has been heated to around 350 degrees Farenheit or a medium heat. The steak should sizzle when you place it in the skillet and not smoke. If the oil smokes, then turn it down and allow it to cool before you place your battered steak in it.

My rule of thumb on frying steak is to allow each side to side to fry for one minute, then gently turning with tongs.  Don't stab at the meat as you turn it or you will cause the crust to tear off the sides of your steak.  After you've turned the steak once, you then allow the steak to fry for 3 - 4 minutes per side until the crust is a light or darker caramel color (that is light brown).  

Take out steaks immediately allowing the excess grease to drip back into the fying pan before placing on two paper towels to drain excess oil.  Season with an additional - light sprinkle of extra garlic salt and allow to cool. 

Continue to fry all steaks until they are finished.  You may have to add more oil to the frying pan as you go. If you do this allow the oil to heat to the correct temperature before frying the rest of you steaks.  You can also keep them warm in your oven on a heat proof dish on the warming element of your settings.

Click here for the recipe for Chicken Fried Marinated Deer Steak - 

another way to fry up a family favorite! 

For the gravy:

Once all steaks are fried, carefully pour all but 1/4 cup of oil out of the frying pan in a heat proof dish and heat oil to just smoking.  You'll want the small left over cooked bits of steak batter to stay in the pan with the oil to help 'season' your gravy.  Add to the hot oil your water or milk that has had 1/4 cup All Purpose Flour added to it and whisked together until smooth.  Pour this milk/water and flour mixure into the hot oil and continue whisk to blend together.  Allow mixture to come to a light brown color (usually takes one minute) and bubble as it boils.  Then add 2 more cups of water and continue to cook on a medium heat, whisking continously.  Season as you whisk the gravy with extra salt/sea salt or black pepper.  

Some people prefer milk to water in their gravy.  Either way, this gravy is so delicious and easy to make.  It just takes time and watching your gravy and not leaving the pan as it continues to cook.  You can add more or less water or milk to make to the desired consistency/amount of gravy you'd like to serve. 

Spoon the gravy over your steak and mashed potatoes for the perfect dipping sauce! 

You can use this chicken fried method or fying steak with chicken, pork, deer/venison, goose or dove.  It's great with any meat you chose to batter and fry up in this way.  

With this meal above is also my recipe for my Sure is the BEST Broccoli Rice Casserole that is my husband's favorite.  This side is usually what I prepare for his birthday dinner each fall or as a special side at the holidays.  

Hope you'll give my chicken fried steak and gravy a try.  In a world where we don't fry things near as much as we once did, it's a welcome treat every once in a while to enjoy a little chicken fried steak. Because after all, it's comfort food... and sometimes that is reason enough!

Happy frying!

Alise - The Ranch Kitchen 

Why I Blog and Post My Recipes

Today as I was posting one more recipe the realization struck me pretty hard.  I've been doing this blogging thing now over nine years.  Over 190 blog posts later and with almost 187 recipes to date, this blogging - recipe thing is a pretty big part of my life. 

One for my very first post for Nolana's Family Hot Sauce

Someone recently asked me when they saw the large photographer's light in my house, just why I needed that?  The answer came off my tongue strangely quite easily and I told them that because I cook mostly at night, I need the professional light to photograph my food for my recipe and blog site.  It's funny how my family is now used to me taking photos of almost everything we cook and when a recipe is good they will nonchalantly say, "Make sure you put that on your site".  To me that is the ultimate compliment! 

When I think about it, I don't do this blogging thing to for anything else other than to share and teach others about cooking and my love for it.  My recipes aren't difficult, fancy or require four different cheeses for a simple 'mac and cheese' dish or expensive cuts of meat. I made that promise to myself years ago that the recipes I shared would be those that any cook could make, on any budget and be both economical and family friendly. 

While all my recipes may not be the leanest or the most cutting edge, they are my tried and true family recipes that either I created for my daughters and husband, or are the handed down from of my sweet mom and dear Granny. I feel pretty blessed to have watched some awesome cooks in my lifetime like the both of them.

The Ranch Kitchen's Beef Stroganoff! The #1 most popular recipe to date!

I may use a soup can now and then to thicken a sauce or a little too much Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning, but when you find a good thing there is no need to change it.  I like to think my Granny is looking down from heaven and is proud I love cooking so much and in the process shared a few of her recipes.

My greatest wish is that my legacy for my girls will be one of love, sharing and teaching and giving through service to others through this blog and my life's work.  My blog and recipe site are yet another way as the educator I am to continue to teach others how simple and fulfilling cooking is and how one of greatest joys is to enjoy our family around a good meal.  There is simply no need for our youth or new cooks to think cooking is hard or tedious.  

So as I post yet another of my recipes to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Tumbler, remember it's just the teacher in me helping another student learn.  It's also the momma in me sharing my recipes with my girls and the advocate 'agvocating' about our beloved agricultural lifestyle.  And it's just me sharing my passion and enjoying what I've always loved...cooking and ultimately writing.  It's my way to do something that's just for me.  As a mom and wife we all give so much of ourselves each day. My blog is my outlet and believe it or not, my ultimate downtime.

Deep down I'd like to thank all my friends, subscribers and especially my family for following, sharing and liking my recipe posts.  What started as a way to share recipes on my blog for my girls while at college has turned in to so much more and for that I am very humbled and thankful. 

So stop by my site from time to time, try a recipe, save or share it and tell me if you liked it! I hope maybe just one recipe will inspire a meal around your table with family and friends.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart and from The Ranch Kitchen blog and site.  

Remember, no one said cooking had to be hard! 

Alise Nolan - The Ranch Kitchen