Chicken Fried Steak

In my excitement over the two adapted recipes I did from The Best Thing I Ever Ate during the weekend, I completely forgot that I also made another dish worth documenting about. Chicken fried steak or country fried steak with gravy and creamed corn – yes, I went a little Southern last Saturday so my hands were really full as my mind was brimming with food ideas. In fact, there was one epic dish that I wanted to sort of revisit since my blog turned 1 but just never did. I will not mention what it is lest I fail again but I have my ingredients on stand by in case I have ample time to make it.

Going back to my country fried steak- I saved myself some prepping time by buying clod steaks which are thinly sliced already so I didn’t have to pound each slice for tenderization. I love beef clod steaks because they’re tender and cheaper than the ranchera cut. Here's my recipe

Chicken Fried Steak

Ingredients:
2 pounds beef clod steak
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 whole eggs, beaten
Vegetable oil
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

For the meat

Cut the meat in two if they are too big. Season each piece on both sides with the salt and pepper. Place the flour in a shallow mixing bowl and the beaten eggs in another.
Dredge the meat on both sides in the flour then dip in the beaten eggs and one last time into the flour. Transfer to a plate and repeat the process with all the pieces of meat. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before frying.
Pour enough of the vegetable oil to cover the bottom of a non-stick skillet and set over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the meat in batches; 2-3 pieces at a time.
Cook each piece on both sides until golden brown, approximately 4 minutes per side.
Scoop from the pan using a slotted spoon or a tong and shake off extra oil. Transfer to platter and set aside while you make the gravy.

For the gravy

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a sauce pan. Sprinkle 3 tablespoon flour and whisk until the flour becomes a little brown. Add the chicken broth to deglaze the pan. Continue whisking until the gravy starts to boil and thicken. Add the milk, ground pepper, Worcestershire sauce and thyme. The gravy should start coating the back of your spoon and that means your gravy is ready.

Creamed Corn

For me, it's the ultimate side dish for steak or fried chicken although you can eat this by itself as a snack. I love adding turmeric because it gives the corn a real bright color and it enhances the flavor of the dish.

Ingredients:
1/2 onion, diced
1 tablespoon butter
2 pinches kosher salt
4 cups frozen (thawed and drained) or canned corn kernels
1 tsp sugar or a small packet of Splenda
1 tbsp turmeric
1 cup heavy cream
fresh ground black pepper

Directions:
In a saucepan over medium heat, sweat the onion in butter and salt until translucent.
Add the corn to the saucepan and cook over medium high until the juice from the corn has tightened.
Sprinkle the corn with the sugar and turmeric. Stir constantly for about 2 minutes. Add the heavy cream and cook until the corn has softened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Season with ground black pepper and serve with country fried steak.