chicken fried steak

Answer: Fried anything.

Question to The Husband: "What is your favorite food?"




I have never 4-inches-of-oil fried anything in the house, (and now I know why, as I'm going to be washing the burners for the next hour...) and when we pull out the deep fryer (used outdoors), TheDH is always the fry cook. But for Father's Day this year, I thought I'd make something he'd really love— Chicken Fried Steak.

A double coated, well-seasoned, crispy bite of red meat is EXACTLY what he loves, and it was worth the oily mess to try out this recipe.

Tyler Florence's Chicken Fried Steak

2 lbs boneless rib-eye steaks, cut ½ inch thick
2 tbsp table salt, for brine
vegetable oil, for frying
2 cups flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. paprika
½ tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. onion powder
½ tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. black pepper
1 scallion, green part only, chopped

Using the smooth side of the meat mallet, gently pound the steaks to tenderize and flatten them. Place in a shallow baking dish, cover with cold water, and add table salt to create a brining solution. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.

In a deep skillet, heat 4 inches of oil over medium-high to 350° F. Preheat oven to 200 F and set a wire rack over a rimmed cookie sheet.

In a shallow bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, paprika, garlic and onion powders, salt and pepper. One by one, lift the steaks out of the brining solution and drop into the seasoned flour. Coat well; shake off excess. Repeat, dipping coated steaks back into the solution, then the flour.

Slip steaks into the hot oil. (Do not fry more than 2 pieces at a time, as this will lower the temperature.) Fry until golden brown, about 5 or 6 minutes on each side. Remove and place on wire rack; place in preheated oven to keep warm while frying the other steaks. Let rest 10 minutes before cutting. Sprinkle with scallions. Serve with white gravy, if desired.