Chicken Fried Steak with Milk Gravy

Have you ever had one of those dinner’s where you knew how unhealthy it was but you just didn’t care? Living in the country that’s pretty much every meal in a traditional home. One of the more popular country meals aside from the obvious is Chicken Fried Steak. On top of that Chicken Fried Steak is a layer of thick, creamy white gravy we like to call milk gravy. Why do we call it milk gravy? Because it’s white and made with milk, silly!
My family makes this, traditionally, using cube steak. I didn’t have cube steak tonight when John asked for Chicken Fried Steak so I improvised. I did have eye of round steak and a tenderizer. I pounded out the meat until it looked like cube steak and then seasoned it with salt and pepper.

Dipping the steaks into an egg/milk mixture then dredging in a flour & seasoning mixture was step 1. Next up I dipped the coated steak quickly in the egg/milk mixture again and dredged in bread crumbs. From there I fried 2 steaks at a time until done. The gravy is what brings it all together though.

You just can’t have Country Fried Chicken without the milk gravy – there’s legalities and all. Maybe not, but it should be. I know a lot of people are intimidated by making gravy themselves; John still wont try it. But it is so super easy. I’m not just saying that because I can do it – I’m saying it because it’s true.
The secret to gravy is in the drippings. When you’re done frying empty the grease and drippings into a large bowl. Strain the pieces of fried goodness from the drippings and add them back to the pan. Then take about 4 tablespoons of the fat and put it in the pan. Turn the heat up to medium, stir in 1½ cups of milk and bring to a boil.

Add 2 – 3 tablespoons of flour and beat with a whisk until it’s mixed well with no flour lumps. Add another 1 – 2 tablespoons to reach the desired thickness. The gravy will thicken up as you go – if it gets too thick add a little more milk to thin it a bit. Keep stirring it until you’re satisfied.
That’s how easy it is to make gravy – so stop using that canned or pouch crap!

Chicken Fried Steak with Milk Gravy

Amber

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Main

Cuisine Southern Comfort Food

Ingredients

  

• 2 1/2 - 3 cups of flour + 1/4 cup for gravy
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup milk + 1 1/2 cup for gravy
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups of breadcrumbs
• Salt
• Pepper
• 6 eye of round or cube steaks
• Vegetable Oil for Frying

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oil to 350 degrees.
• In a medium bowl mix 1 cup of milk with 1 large, beaten egg.
• In a large bowl combine flour with salt and pepper to taste.
• In another medium - medium large bowl combine breadcrumbs with salt and pepper to taste.
• Tenderize the steaks until as thin as possible. Dip the steaks, 1 at a time, in the milk egg mixture.
• Dredge the steaks through the flour mixture, making sure to evenly coat the steak.
• Quickly dip the steaks back in the egg mixture and coat with bread crumbs. Fry steaks, 1 or 2 at a time for 4 - 5 minutes per side.
• Remove the steaks to a paper towel lined plate and allow to drain.
• Strain fat from the pan for the gravy.
• Discard or save all except the large pieces and 4 tablespoons of the fat which you'll transfer back to the pan.
• Sir in 1½ cups of milk and allow to come to a boil, stirring often.
• Add 2 - 3 tablespoons of flour and whisk until smooth (at least until there's no large bits of flour.) Whisk in the remaining 1 - 2 tablespoons of flour until desired thickness is reached.
• Continue to stir until the gravy starts to thicken then transfer to your serving dish. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Slather the gravy on the Chicken Fried steak or use it sparingly - whichever you prefer.