Chicken Fried Steak

This is not the recipe you need if you are in a hurry, but if you have the time, it is worth the wait! I have adapted it from a Cook's Illustrated recipe.

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• For the fried steak

• 4  cups flour
• 5  teaspoons salt
• 1  teaspoon pepper
• 1⁄8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2  large eggs, beaten
• 1  teaspoon baking powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1  cup buttermilk
• 6  cube steaks
• 5  cups  peanut oil

• For the gravy

• 1  onion, finely minced
• 2  garlic cloves, finely minced
• 3  tablespoons flour
• 1⁄2 cup chicken broth
• 2  cups  whole milk
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

1. Set your oven to the "warm" temperature or about 200 degrees. Either place a wire cookie cooling rack on top of a rimmed baking sheet or line a baking sheet with paper towels. Set in oven.
2. Mix the flour, salt and peppers in a dish to dredge the meat.
3. In another similar dish put the beaten eggs, baking power, baking soda and buttermilk. Mix well. Some foaming is to be expected.
4. Very gently pick up a steak and lightly dry with a paper towel. Lay the steak in the flour mixture on both sides to coat evenly.
5. Pick up steak from the flour with tongs and lay each side in the egg/buttermilk mixture to evenly coat.
6. Place in the flour once more to coat both sides evenly.
7. Repeat process with each steak. Lay prepared steaks ready to fry on another cookie cooling wire rack to keep the coating intact.
8. Bring 1 inch of of peanut oil in a deep pan or dutch oven to 375 degrees.
9. Fry each steak 2 1/2 minutes each side, until the crust is a deep golden brown. Be sure the oil is back up to 375 and 1 inch deep for each batch.
10. Drain each steak on a paper towel for a moment then place on the rack in the warm oven.
11. Once the steaks are done, strain the oil into an extra pan. Put the crumbs in the strainer back in the used frying pan along with 2 tablespoons of the hot oil.
12. Brown the onion in the oil, then add the garlic. Cook for about 30 seconds more. Add the flour to the pan and stir with a whisk to brown the flour.
13. Add the broth,stirring with the whisk constantly, then the milk, salt and pepper.
14. Bring to a gentle boil then reduce heat to simmer until the gravy starts to thicken.
15. Serve the steaks with the gravy spooned over top.