The Pioneer Woman Chicken Fried Steak Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep batter from falling off chicken fried steak? ›

Another important tip is to place the breaded meat onto a sheet pan, cover and place back in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before frying. This will firmly adhere the breading onto the meat and help keep it from falling of when frying.

Use a large thick-bottomed pan and the real secret is to make sure it's very hot. Steaks aren't usually very thick, so if the pan loses heat you won't get that nice caramelisation you're looking for when the natural sugars in the meat are released.

Adding buttermilk to seasoned flour and working it with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse wet sand creates an extra crisp breading. Baking powder adds lightness to the crust. Deep frying cooks the steaks more evenly than pan frying.

The main difference between country-fried steak and chicken-fried steak is the gravy. Country-fried steak is slathered in brown gravy, whereas chicken-fried steak uses a white, peppery gravy. However, this distinction is not entirely set in stone as different restaurants will serve both with the same gravy.

Soak the meat in buttermilk. You can also use milk or a seasoned milk mixture. Let it sit for at least a half hour.

Best cooking fat for steak

Flavourless oils like sunflower, vegetable or groundnut work best, and once the steak is searing you can add butter to the pan for flavour.

There are a few reasons why this might be helpful: the dryness of flour mitigates the natural moisture of the meat, helping the Maillard Reaction happen properly. In addition, flour reacts faster to heat than raw meat, speeding up the browning process.

Hand-battered, fresh-cut sirloin served crispy and golden, topped with cream gravy.

Season the meat on both sides with Paula Deen House Seasoning. Dredge the steaks through the buttermilk then the flour. Add an inch of oil to a large heavy skillet set over medium-high heat. Add steaks to the hot oil in batches and fry until golden and brown, about 5 minutes per side.

How to keep chicken fried steak from sticking to the pan? ›

Step 4: Batter the Chicken Fried Steak

Battering your meat is important for several reasons. The batter protects the meat from the high heat of the frying oil. This is important because high heat can toughen the meat. The batter helps to prevent the steak from sticking to the pan.

Meat is not properly dry

If the meat is wet, it will make the flour soggy. In that case, breading will not stick properly and may fall off when deep frying. Therefore, you must take some paper towels and pat dry the meat on all sides.

Breading falls off because of two reasons. Not allowing the batter to sit on the steak and adhere (transforming into an almost dough) before frying, and the frying oil not being hot enough. You should always use a thermometer to manage the heat of the oil in your skillet.

Coat each morsel to be fried first in the cornstarch, covering it completely and shaking off the excess. Dip the coated food into the egg-and-milk mixture, coating it thoroughly. Roll the wet morsel into the dry flour, coating it completely.

The best way to get the batter to stick to chicken is by patting the chicken skin dry with a paper towel. You can also let the chicken sit uncovered in the refrigerator overnight. The flour just adheres better when the skin is dry, making it less likely to fall off after it's fried.