When it's done right, a crispy, golden beefsteak bathed in rich white gravy is the very definition of carby indulgence. So let's consult the experts and learn how to craft the most delicious at-home version of chicken fried steak.
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00:00When it's done right, a crispy, golden beefsteak bathed in rich white gravy is the very definition
00:07of Carby indulgence. So let's consult the experts and learn how to craft the most
00:12delicious at-home version of chicken fried steak.
00:16When it comes to Southern comfort food, it doesn't get much better than chicken fried steak.
00:21However, whipping up this dish for yourself can prove tougher than you might think.
00:25Breading and frying the steak is straightforward enough,
00:28and making a white gravy is also pretty easy. But where the challenge really lies
00:33is in making a chicken fried steak as delicious as the kind you'd find at a restaurant.
00:39Fortunately for you, we went straight to the experts to discover their insider secrets.
00:44With the help of Derek Long, the executive chef at Oklahoma's Flint Kitchen & Bar,
00:49and Bob Bennett, the executive chef at Zingerman's Roadhouse in Ann Arbor, Michigan,
00:54you'll be whipping up a top-tier chicken fried steak in no time.
00:59Buttermilk is absolutely key for high-quality chicken fried steak.
01:03Thanks to its natural, mild acid, it tenderizes the meat without altering the texture,
01:08and also leaves it extra juicy. To maximize its usefulness, sometimes the meat is even
01:13left to marinate in buttermilk for several hours in the refrigerator, before it's dipped in the
01:18breading and then fried. According to Bob Bennett,
01:21I am pretty in love with the way we make it at Zingerman's Roadhouse.
01:25First, we dip it in buttermilk, then we coat it in seasoned flour.
01:29Soaking steak in buttermilk also helps the seasoned flour adhere to the meat.
01:33Eggs are interchangeably used for this step at a lot of restaurants. As Bennett explains,
01:38a lot of the time it is the three-step process of flour, egg, and then breadcrumbs.
01:43However, it's worth noting that the protein found in eggs tends to expand in the hot oil,
01:49which often leads to loose or flaky breading. Buttermilk reacts differently in the heat,
01:54which helps the breading actually stay on the chicken fried steak,
01:57and not stick stubbornly to the pan.
02:00If you want a flavorful, crispy steak, you'll need to approach the breading process with plenty of
02:05TLC. According to Derek Long, this typically involves a double-flour breading. This isn't
02:10overly complicated or time-consuming, and it can make a huge difference.
02:15First, dredge the steak in the breading mixture,
02:17then put it back into the buttermilk and dip it one more time into the breading.
02:22That second buttermilk dip is important because without it,
02:25the double layer of breading will have nothing to adhere to.
02:28I love bread.
02:32Once you're done, we recommend gently shaking off the excess and letting this second layer
02:36of breading sit for a moment before rushing to cook the steaks. Giving the meat a chance
02:41to absorb the extra moisture reduces the risk of your breading falling off while frying.
02:46You can even repeat this breading step for a third time, which will increase the thickness
02:51of the steak's outer layer, and in turn, make it even crispier.
02:56In some ways, chicken fried steak is a lot like schnitzel, as the meat needs to be extra thin
03:00before it's breaded and fried. And that's worth noting because according to Derek Long,
03:05we should all be taking our cues from traditional German cuisine and hammering our meat,
03:10ideally with a tenderizer or a meat hammer. As he explains,
03:14I always tenderize my meats with a hammer in the back until they are about half an inch thick.
03:20If you don't have a tenderizer, the end of a rolling pin or the bottom of a cast iron skillet
03:25will get the job done in a pinch. You could also use heavy, sealed cans or the underside
03:30of a chopping board. Whatever you use, thinning out the beef will break up some of its connective
03:35tissues, making for a juicier, more tender steak. It also makes it much easier for the
03:40beef to absorb herbs and spices, seriously boosting the final dish's flavor profile.
03:46While tenderizing is important, that doesn't mean that you should start hammering your steak
03:50into smithereens. As Derek Long warns, don't overwork the chicken fried steak in the tenderizing
03:55process or it will fall apart. Overtenderizing the meat can ruin its structural integrity,
04:01and it could also dramatically increase your odds of overcooking. By its very nature,
04:07a thin chicken fried steak is going to cook quicker than most cuts of meat. If you make it
04:12too thin, it's more likely that you'll end up with a dry, tough, flavorless, depressingly gray slab
04:17of meat. To avoid this, take it slow and steady with the tenderizer, and don't leave the final
04:23thickness up to chance, either. Pause regularly to check if you're getting close to that half-inch
04:28goal, and be sure to aim for consistent thickness across the entire cutlet so that you don't end up
04:33with an unevenly cooked steak. Flavorful chicken fried steak doesn't happen by accident. The
04:39professionals treat their seasoning like a science, and they don't exactly go light with
04:43the herbs or spices. Everyone has their personal preferences, but Derek Long's standard selection
04:49consists of garlic powder, black pepper, onion powder, and paprika.
04:54"...Paprikas. I love paprikas."
04:57Bob Bennett's go-to combo of salt, pepper, and cayenne has a little bit more of a kick.
05:03With the latter doing most of the heavy lifting. Even if this blend doesn't sound ideal for your
05:07taste buds, the most important takeaway is that there's no one right way to season your chicken
05:12fried steak, so don't be afraid to experiment. You can certainly never go wrong with classics
05:17like garlic or oregano, or if you're feeling a bit more adventurous, try adding corn chips to
05:22the mix for an extra crunch. If you're a spice lover, you can also try whipping up a Nashville
05:27Hot Chicken Fried Steak, a hybrid that uses up to three tablespoons of cayenne pepper, plus a
05:32splash or two of hot sauce in the buttermilk marinade. Salt is a key element in most savory
05:37dishes, especially something like chicken fried steak. From the meat, to the breading, to the
05:42gravy, it's a pillar in every single step of the chicken fried steak prep process. Derek Long
05:47specifically recommends kosher salt, which is known for its purity. If you want to take it a step
05:52further, you can also opt to dry brine your steak ahead of marinating and frying. This involves
05:57rubbing the steak with salts and leaving it to rest, which gives the salt time to dissolve meat
06:02proteins, draw out moisture, and form a gel that improves the steak's ability to then reabsorb and
06:08retain the moisture. Just like tenderizing, this can go a long way in improving the juiciness of
06:13your chicken fried steak. It can also improve its overall flavor, especially if you get a head start
06:18on your seasoning by adding some of your favorite herbs, as well as salt. Some people serve their
06:24chicken fried steak with green beans, while others pair it with a baked potato, french fries,
06:28or rice. At Flint Kitchen & Bar, it's served with whipped potatoes. Whatever side you choose,
06:33one thing that's non-negotiable is that you need to add plenty of thick, white country gravy.
06:39There are a few ways you can whip this up at home, but if you want to do it like Bob Bennett,
06:43you need to focus on perfecting the creamy texture. He suggests making a stock and then
06:48thickening it with roux. Alternatively, you could follow Derek Long's approach, who notes,
06:53I'm a big fan of enriching the gravy with a heavy cream to add a little more body to the gravy,
06:58and I always thicken it with a traditional blonde roux.
07:01To make a blonde roux, all you need is butter and flour. You melt the butter,
07:05and then the flour is whisked into the butter over a low heat for up to five minutes until
07:10it adopts a slightly nutty flavor. Long also recommends mixing in simple seasonings such as
07:15salt and black pepper, the latter of which is what gives Southern gravy its recognizable black flecks.
07:22One of the reasons that chicken fried steak may hit harder in a restaurant than at home
07:26is because some chefs are using much more than salt and pepper to season their gravy.
07:31Much like the seasoning of the beefsteak, this step depends a lot on personal preference,
07:35which is why Bob Bennett suggests being experimental with your herbs and spices.
07:39If you don't know where to begin, a good place to start is with ground black pepper,
07:44garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. Other tasty additions to consider include thyme and onion
07:49powder. If you're feeling extra adventurous, you can also throw in a splash of hot sauce,
07:54Worcestershire sauce, meat drippings, or lard. The latter is often swapped in for
07:59butter in traditional Southern gravy, thanks to its improved ability to thicken the sauce.
08:04They're expecting me to memorize 22 different types of lard!
08:08Considering how thin a chicken fried steak is, you can easily cook it in a pan with a shallow
08:13amount of oil and still end up with a delicious dish. But some people find that this causes the
08:18exterior to brown unevenly. If you want a truly indulgent, crunchy exterior, you'll need to deep
08:24fry your steak, whether in an actual deep fryer or in a deep-cast iron skillet filled with several
08:29inches of oil. The trick to doing this properly is placing each steak into the hot oil and frying
08:35for several minutes. You'll then want to flip the steak in the oil, preferably at a temperature of
08:40around 375 degrees Fahrenheit, and cook it on the opposite side for the same amount of time.
08:45Depending on the size of your fryer or skillet, you may want to fry each steak
08:50separately. Overcrowding may lead to accidentally steaming the steak,
08:54which could negatively impact the crispiness of the outer layer.
08:57Thanks to the breading, it's usually pretty obvious when the steak is done,
09:00as the exterior takes on a golden brown hue and a crispy texture.
09:05Meanwhile, the interior temperature should hit around 145 degrees Fahrenheit,
09:09which is right on the cusp of medium and medium well.
09:13Die-hard meat lovers know that not all steaks are equal, and when you're making chicken fried steak,
09:18you need to be even more selective with the right cuts to get the best results possible.
09:23While you can make do with a sliced, tenderized piece of any steak,
09:27the most common recommendation is a tenderized slice of rump roast, also known as a cube steak.
09:32If you want the kind served up at Flint Kitchen & Bar, you'll need to follow Derek Long's lead
09:37and track down a terrine majeure, which is a small cut taken from the shoulder that's
09:41known for its flavor. This isn't necessarily easy to come by, though, as terrine majeure
09:46is primarily sold at butcher's shops instead of grocery stores. But if it's a quality chicken
09:52fried steak you're after, then you should ideally be picking up your meat at a butcher's shop anyway.
09:57As Bob Bennett explains,
09:58the quality of the product we start with is better than what most folks buy at the grocery store.
10:03The good news, though, is that it is possible to find the good stuff.
10:06Finding a local butcher that knows their stuff is a really good start.
10:11After all the effort put into frying the chicken fried steak,
10:14it can certainly be frustrating to return for round two.
10:17But this could make all the difference between average and delicious.
10:21Me want food!
10:24To do it right, you'll need to take the chicken fried steak out of the oil as normal in round one,
10:29leave it to cool for several minutes — preferably on a wire rack — before
10:32plunging it back into the oil for a second frying session,
10:35to remove even more moisture from the breading.
10:38Again, once you're done, we suggest leaving it to cool on a wire rack
10:42so we can get rid of the extra oil as it trickles off,
10:45which will otherwise lead to a soggy batter if left to pool on the chicken fried steak.
10:50The whole process may sound laborious,
10:52but it's worth the effort for a wonderfully crunchy finish.