Chicken fried steak
|
|
Chicken fried steak or country fried steak is a food preparation associated with soul food and Southern U.S. cuisine, particularly Texas. It is a piece of beef steak, coated and fried as if it were a piece of fried chicken.
Chicken fried steak is prepared by taking a thin cut of beef steak and tenderising it by pounding. It is then either immersed it in batter or dredged in flour to which salt and pepper, and possibly other spices have been added. After this the steak is either deep-fried, or, more commonly, skillet fried. The frying oil is traditionally butter, lard, or other shortening. However, in recent years health concerns have caused most cooks to switch to vegetable oil.
The cuts of steak used for chicken fried steak are usually less expensive, less desirable cuts such as chuck steak and round steak, and occasionally flank steak. This method is seldom used for higher quality cuts of steak such as rib-eye or sirloin, since the results are very similar to those achieved with lesser cuts and the expense is far greater. The method is also sometimes used for chopped, ground, or especially cubed steak. It is traditionally served with cream gravy and generally mashed potatoes and other vegetables.
Varients are common, with Chicken fried chicken having appeared on many menus substituting a bonesless chicken breast for the piece of steak.