{"id":51348,"date":"2022-10-12T13:00:12","date_gmt":"2022-10-12T21:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fromfieldtotable.com\/?post_type=blog&p=51348"},"modified":"2022-10-28T11:55:07","modified_gmt":"2022-10-28T19:55:07","slug":"what-is-chicken-fried-steak","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/fromfieldtotable.com\/blog\/what-is-chicken-fried-steak\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Chicken Fried Steak & Who Doesn\u2019t Love It?"},"content":{"rendered":"

When my wife Sandy and I go out to eat at the local restaurants we find chicken fried steak on almost every menu. You won\u2019t find Chicken Fried Steak at what I call plastic menu operations such as Fridays, Applebee\u2019s etc, nor will you find Chicken Fried Steak on high end restaurant or resort menus. Chicken Fried Steak is usually exclusively found at ma and pa establishments, local hole in the wall operations, and of course, it is a tradition for most home-cooked meals. No one really asks, \u201cwhat is chicken fried?\u201d because no matter the origins or regional styles, this menu item is extremely popular with rural hard working people who are not concerned about eating spa cuisine, calories, and or cholesterol. We want wholesomeness, good flavor, and something that fills up our plates and bellies. If you were concerned about health you could make substitutions and changes to make a healthier version but then what\u2019s the sense in that?\u00a0 I like Chicken Fried Steak as a hunting camp menu item. In camp, it is one of those meals that must be prepared fresh, not precooked or frozen and reheated. In camp, it is similar to having elk tenderloin or fresh liver and onions on the menu.<\/span><\/p>\n

A Taste of Home<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Chicken Fried Steak is one of the most criticized dishes served in restaurants because everyone compares to how mom made it, or how they prepare it at home. No matter how good it is, it\u2019ll never compare to moms or the one prepared at home. There\u2019s no comparison to the ambiance of moms cooking in the kitchen or the one you\u2019ve prepared in hunting camp. No sense in trying to compare, mom is always gonna win out. \"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

There are as many variations of Chicken Fried Steaks as there are mom and pop restaurants. I\u2019ve seen just about every type of meat used from venison<\/a>, caribou, grouse, and turkey. The consistent factor regarding the meat is that it is tenderized by pounding, cubing, or jaccard or all three. I prefer cuts that are Less Than Tender such as the bottom round and sirloins rather than using the loin or backstrap.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is Chicken Fried?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

All Chicken Fried Steaks are coated with some type of coating such as flour, buttermilk or egg batter, or cornstarch mixture. This is a standard procedure for pan frying or deep frying. The best pan I\u2019ve used to prepare these dishes is a nice heavy, straight-sided cast iron pan that holds and retains the heat.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some people call this cooking method a low or shallow deep fry or a deep pan fry. Either way, it is cooking with lots of fats and or oils. The standard rule when pan frying is that the sauce is prepared away from the pan the meat has been cooked in. Meaning the sauce is prepared in another utensil because the pan the meat is cooked in has too much oil, floatiest, etc. to prepare the sauce. The saut\u00e9 cooking method has less fat and the objective is to prepare the sauce from the fond (brown stuff on bottom of the pan) so a sauce dish will be served smothered in sauce. Chicken Fried Steak is the exception to the pan frying rule because the sauce is made in the same pan the meat is cooked in.\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

How To Cook Chicken Fried Steak<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The basic procedure and guidelines to prepare Chicken Fried Steak are:<\/span><\/p>\n