Pioneer Woman Chicken Fried Steak Recipe For Kitchen Newbies

A cube steak is delicious, but do you know how to take it to the next level? It is to make pioneer woman chicken fried steak.

Have you ever heard of this recipe before? It involves breading the cube steak in a well-seasoned coating before frying it on the pan. The result tastes out of this world with crispy crust and fantastic flavor.

Here I will guide you through making a perfect dish of Ree Drummond chicken fried steak.

What Is The Difference Between Country Fried Steak And Chicken Fried Steak?

Have you been mixing up the two dishes?

It is a common misconception that country fried steak and chicken fried steak is the same. They both involve dipping extra tenderized cube steak in a batter, frying it in a skillet, and covering it with gravy before serving.

That is not to mention both dishes are the favorite comfort food for a lot of people.

However, there are still some differences.

The first one is apparent: it is the color of the gravy.

Country fried steak is covered in golden brown gravy. Meanwhile, chicken fried steak generally goes with white cream gravy.

While country fried steak is popular in the southern US, the chicken dish is a household name in Kansas, Texas, and Oklahoma.

Other differences are subtle, and only those picky eaters might notice.

For example, chicken fried steak comes with a crispier coating, and gravy is served on the side. On the other hand, some love smothering the country fried steak with gravy before the final step.

How To Make Chicken Fried Steak?

Ingredients

For the chicken fried steak, you will need:

• 1 ½ cups of whole milk
• 3 pounds cube steak (round steak that has been extra tenderized)
• 2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs (large ones)
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• ¾ teaspoon paprika
• Seasoned salt
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper
• ½ cup of canola oil (vegetable oil is okay)

For the gravy, you should prepare:

• 3 cups of whole milk
• ⅓ cup of all-purpose flour
• Seasoned salt
• Black pepper

For serving, I recommend mashed potatoes and black-eyed peas. Sandwiches are another good suggestion.

That is all about ingredients. I believe you can find them all in the grocery store or supermarket nearby.

Let’s get to the main part now!

Instructions

Steak

Step 1

Place three bowls on the table. 

The first is for the milk and the eggs, while the second is for the flour and the spices including seasoned salt, paprika, cayenne, and black pepper. Make sure to mix them well.

Place the extra tenderized cube steak in the third bowl.

Step 2

Sprinkle salt and pepper evenly on both sides of the steak. Coat it in the second bowl (flour mixture), then the first bowl (milk/ egg mixture), then the second bowl again.

Once the steak is well-coated, place it on a clean plate.

Repeat with the other cube steaks.

Step 3

Put the canola oil and butter in a large skillet and heat it over medium heat. Wait until the oil is hot enough.

Step 4

When the canola oil is ready, add 3 pieces of cube steak a time and fry it until the edges of each turn golden. Each side will take about 2 minutes to be well-cooked.

Step 5

Prepare a plate lined with paper towels to put the steak on. Keep warm.

You have finished making a mouthwatering chicken fried steak. Here comes the gravy!

Gravy

Step 1

After cooking and taking out the extra tenderized steak, you will find grease left on the pan. Pour it into a bowl (a heatproof one!).

Put the skillet back into the stove (do not clean it just yet!). Return ¼ cup of grease onto the skillet and heat it over medium-low heat.

Step 2

When the grease is hot, sprinkle all-purpose flour over it. Mix the flour with the grease until the mixture becomes a golden brown paste.

Adjust the amount of flour and grease depending on the paste. If it looks overly greasy, you should add more flour. On the other hand, add more grease if the paste looks clumpy.

Step 3

Pour the paste in the milk and whisk it. Add salt and pepper and cook it until you find the gravy thick and smooth.

If the gravy is a bit too thick, you can fix it by adding more milk.

Step 4

Just kidding, no more steps!

Now serve the steak along with mashed potatoes or sandwiches as you want. And do not forget to pour gravy over everything!

Grab a bite and tell me how you feel.

Will the crunchy cube steak mixed with the creamy gravy satisfy your appetite? Or you love the mashed slice of potato with deep gravy on?

I know all of this feeling. When I first made this dish, I was taken aback at how it tasted. I even felt like coming back to my grandma’s chicken, which was always filled with simple yet flavorful dishes.

Then, I made this Ree Drummond fried steak many times and gradually developed my own recipe. Hopefully, it is useful for you.

The Bottom Line

Nothing compares to a taste of pioneer woman chicken fried steak on a lazy Sunday afternoon. The well-seasoned coating, the crispy crust, the creamy gravy, all of which combines to take a humble cube steak to the next level as in a luxury restaurant.

Have you tried my recipe yet? Share the results with me and other readers. We would love to know your experience.

And if you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask me. I will try to answer you as soon as possible.

Thank you for reading! See more interesting articles from BeefsteakVeg.