Sometimes you just need to give your diet the bird and splurge on a flavor filled calorie orgy. When that moment strikes we recommend the Chicken Fried Steak at
Texaz Grill in North Central Phoenix. Can't make it out there but need to scratch the itch?
Here's the recipe!
Chicken-Fried Steak
Servings: 4.
For the steak
11/2 pounds top round steak, cut into four pieces (or 4 cube steaks, 6 ounces each)
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 cup buttermilk
Vegetable oil, for frying
Pound beef with a meat tenderizer until flattened and almost doubled in size. (If using cube steak, make sure it has been cubed enough so as to be fork-tender. If not, tenderize until the steak is almost falling apart.)
Place flour in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Place buttermilk in another bowl. Coat each piece of tenderized beef in flour, then soak it in buttermilk for 10 seconds and dip back into flour again. Fill a cast-iron skillet with enough oil to come halfway up the side. Heat oil over medium heat to 350 degrees (when a drop of water makes the oil sizzle, it’s ready for frying). Place one steak in the pan. When the red meat juice begins bubbling out of the top of the steak (about 3 to 4 minutes), use tongs to gently turn it over and cook it 5 more minutes. Use tongs to move the steak to a grate or roasting pan to drain. Place the cooked steaks in a warm oven while repeating the process for the remaining steaks. Serve the steaks topped with gravy.
For the gravy
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper
11/2 cups milk
Chicken bouillon, to taste (paste, granules or cubes)
After cooking chicken-fried steaks, drain all but 2 tablespoons of the oil from the skillet. (If there are burned bits of flour in the skillet, completely drain and clean the pan and add 2 tablespoons of fresh oil.) Add the 2 tablespoons flour to the oil in skillet and cook on low heat for several minutes, stirring constantly until the oil-and-flour mixture, or roux, begins to smell nutty. Do not allow the flour to brown. Add black and cayenne peppers and mix well. Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly over medium heat until the gravy has thickened. Add bouillon to taste and stir well.
Per serving (includes gravy and assumes each steak absorbs about 1/4 cup frying oil): 1,161 calories, 81 g fat, 95 mg cholesterol, 48 g protein, 59 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 468 mg sodium, 63 percent calories from fat.
