Chicken fried steak is a beloved Southern favorite, often considered the epitome of comfort food. This classic steak recipe is perfect for cooking tougher cuts of elk steak. Coated in a crispy, seasoned breading and smothered in creamy gravy, this is a dish the whole family will enjoy!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe:
- Unique Flavor: Chicken fried elk steak offers a distinctive and rich flavor that sets it apart from traditional beef. The lean nature of elk meat pairs exceptionally well with the crispy breading and flavorful seasonings, providing a unique taste experience.
- Family-Friendly Comfort: Just like chicken fried steak, chicken fried elk steak is a comforting and hearty dish that's sure to please the entire family. The crispy coating and creamy gravy make it a satisfying meal that evokes feelings of nostalgia and warmth, making it a hit at family gatherings and dinner tables alike.
- Hearty and Filling: Typically, people know elk steaks as lean cuts of meat. But, this dish certainly has a stick-to-your-ribs quality because it's breaded and fried. Sometimes you need a little comfort food!
Ingredient Notes:
- Elk Steak: I used elk sirloin steak for this recipe, but traditionally, people use cube steak. Cube steak (or cubed steak) is typically made from tenderized round steak. However, you can tenderize many cuts of meat to make chicken fried steak.
- Frying Oil: This recipe uses peanut oil for frying but you can use any high-temperature oil like canola oil, vegetable oil, etc.
Equipment Notes:
- Meat Tenderizer: This recipe uses a meat tenderizer/meat mallet to tenderize and flatten the elk steak. You can also place the steak between two pieces of plastic wrap and use a rolling pin to flatten the steak. Cube steak that's already been tenderized is also an option.
- Large Frying Pan: When choosing a pan for this recipe, make sure it is deep enough to accommodate at least 1 inch of oil with room for bubbling without spilling over. A deep cast iron skillet is a great choice.
Step by Step Instructions:
How To Make Chicken Fried Elk Steak:
This recipe makes a classic chicken fried steak with a buttermilk-egg mixture and seasoned flour mixture. The combination of the two makes a flavorful, crispy breading while keeping the steak tender and moist.
Prepare flour and egg mixtures in separate shallow bowls. To one bowl, add egg, buttermilk, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
To the other bowl, add flour, cornstarch, salt, garlic powder, paprika, baking powder, and black pepper. Stir to combine. Set bowls aside until ready to use.
Pat steaks dry with paper towels. Work with one steak at a time. Using the textured surface of the meat tenderizer, tenderize both sides of the meat.
Once you tenderize the meat, use the smooth side of the tenderizer to pound the meat into ¼" thick pieces.
Season the steaks all over with salt and pepper. Working with one steak at a time, coat the steak in the flour mixture. Press the flour mixture into the steak and shake off the excess.
Dredge the steak in the egg and buttermilk mixture and let the excess drip off.
Coat the steak in the flour mixture a second time. Press the flour mixture into the steak and shake off the excess.
Place battered steaks onto a wire rack on a baking sheet to let the excess flour fall off. Place the baking sheet in the fridge for 30 minutes to let the batter adhere to the steak.
Pour 1" of peanut oil into the deep frying pan. Heat over medium-high heat to 375°F.
Fry one steak at a time. Use tongs to gently lower the steak into the hot oil to avoid splashing. Cook for 2 minutes.
Flip the steak and cook for an additional 2 minutes or until the outside is golden brown and crispy.
Remove the steak to a wire rack on a baking sheet and place it in the 250°F oven. Repeat the process until you have cooked the remaining steaks.
Pro Tip: Set up your dredging station right next to your frying station. It can get a little messy so it's nice to keep the mess in one spot in the kitchen!
How to Make Country Gravy:
Because you fry this steak in oil, there are no pan drippings to use for making gravy. So, you'll have to start with butter as the base instead. The result is a creamy country gravy that's the perfect accompaniment to chicken fried elk steak.
Heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter and let it melt.
Add flour, salt and pepper. Using a wire whisk, stir to combine. Cook the mixture until it turns browned and bubbly, which should take about 2 minutes.
Add whole milk to the saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally.
Reduce to medium-low heat and cook until the gravy is thickened, about 3-5 minutes. Taste and add additional seasoning, if desired. Keep the gravy warm until the steaks finish cooking.
Pro Tip: If the gravy gets too thick while waiting for the steaks to cook, add a little more milk to thin it out just before serving.
Recipe Variations:
This recipe is pretty traditional as far as ingredients go (other than the meat). You can add a few different ingredients to switch it up a bit!
- Hot Sauce: Add your favorite hot sauce to the egg mixture to spice it up or add a couple of dashes on top when you serve it.
- Cayenne Pepper: Adding a little cayenne pepper to the flour mixture will also help spice up the breading.
- Seasoned Salt: Use seasoned salt in place of regular salt in the flour mixture for a little extra flavor.
- Smoked Paprika: Replace the regular paprika with smoked paprika for a smoky twist.
- Gravy: Chicken fried steak is usually served with a creamy white gravy. But, you can use brown gravy, mushroom gravy, onion gravy, or your favorite homemade gravy instead.
What to Serve With Chicken Fried Steak:
Chicken fried steak is a classic comfort food meal that needs classic comfort food sides to go with it. Creamy mashed potatoes and roasted garlic green beans are my favorite sides for this dish.
You can also serve it with other potato dishes, corn on the cob, buttermilk biscuits, or veggies to balance out the richness. No matter how you choose to serve it, you'll want to make this chicken fried elk steak over and over again!
Recipe FAQ's:
Traditionally, country-fried steak is served with brown gravy while chicken-fried steak is served with a creamy gravy. Chicken fried steak usually has a thicker breading while country fried steak is usually dipped in just flour before frying. However, both terms are often used interchangeably.
Letting the steaks rest for 30 minutes in the fridge after breading them allows the breading to adhere to the meat which prevents it from falling apart after cooking.
To ensure crispy breading, make sure your oil is at the right temperature. 375 degrees F is perfect for frying. It's not so hot that the breading burns before the meat is done but not so cool that the breading soaks up too much oil. Additionally, placing the fried foods on a wire rack on a baking sheet in the oven while you cook the other batches will help keep the breading crispy.
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Recipe:
Chicken Fried Elk Steak with Country Gravy
Equipment
- deep frying pan
- Small Saucepan
- 2 wire racks
- sheet pan
Ingredients
Steak:
- 4 elk sirloin steaks (or round steaks, cube steaks, etc.)
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- peanut oil, for frying
Gravy:
- 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 2 cups whole milk
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Steak:
- Preheat oven to 250°F. Prepare a sheet pan with a wire rack to keep the steaks warm until you have finished cooking all of them.
- Prepare flour and egg mixtures in separate shallow bowls. To one bowl, add egg, buttermilk, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. To the other bowl, add flour, cornstarch, salt, garlic powder, paprika, baking powder, and black pepper. Stir to combine. Set bowls aside until ready to use.
- Pat steaks dry with paper towels. Work with one steak at a time. Using the textured surface of the meat tenderizer, tenderize both sides of the meat. Once you tenderize the meat, use the smooth side of the tenderizer to pound the meat into ¼" thick pieces.
- Season the steaks all over with salt and pepper. Working with one steak at a time, coat the steak in the flour mixture. Press the flour mixture into the steak and shake off the excess.
- Dredge the steak in the egg and buttermilk mixture and let the excess drip off.
- Coat the steak in the flour mixture a second time. Press the flour mixture into the steak and shake off the excess.
- Place battered steaks onto a wire rack on a baking sheet to let the excess flour fall off. Place the baking sheet in the fridge for 30 minutes to let the batter adhere to the steak.
- Pour 1" of peanut oil into the deep frying pan. Heat to 375°F.
- Fry one steak at a time. Use tongs to gently lower the steak into the hot oil to avoid splashing. Cook for 2 minutes. Flip the steak and cook for an additional 2 minutes or until the outside is golden brown and crispy. Remove the steak to a wire rack on a baking sheet and place it in the 250°F oven.
- Repeat the process until you have cooked the remaining steaks.
Gravy:
- While the oil is heating, prepare the gravy.
- Heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter and let it melt.
- Add flour, salt and pepper. Using a wire whisk, stir to combine. Cook the mixture until it turns browned and bubbly, which should take about 2 minutes.
- Add whole milk to the saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce to medium-low heat and cook until the gravy is thickened, about 3-5 minutes. Taste and add additional seasoning, if desired. Keep the gravy warm until the steaks finish cooking.
Serving:
- Top each steak with gravy. Serve hot and enjoy!
Notes
-
- I used elk sirloin steak for this recipe, but traditionally, people use cube steak. Cube steak (or cubed steak) is typically made from tenderized round steak. However, you can tenderize many cuts of meat to make chicken fried steak.
- You can use any high-temperature oil like canola oil, vegetable oil, etc. in place of peanut oil
- If you don't have a meat tenderizer, you can also place the steak between two pieces of plastic wrap and use a rolling pin to flatten the steak. Cube steak that's already been tenderized is also an option.
- When choosing a pan for this recipe, make sure it is deep enough to accommodate at least 1 inch of oil with room for bubbling without spilling over.
- Set up your dredging station right next to your frying station. It can get a little messy so it's nice to keep the mess in one spot in the kitchen!
- If the gravy gets too thick while waiting for the steaks to cook, add a little more milk to thin it out just before serving.
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