As Easy As It Gets Chicken-fried Steak

Total Time: 21 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 6 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 4 cube steaks (one for each of your diners)
• 1/3 cup flour
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 1/4 cups dry bread, crumbs (panko may be used)
• 1/3 cup salad oil

Recipe

• 1 mix the flour, salt and pepper together in a bowl; i use soup bowls. you may measure these, as i do, rachael ray style ~ in other words i eyeball the amounts. in a second bowl. whisk together the milk and egg until lemon colored. i a third bowl, add the dry bread crumbs. line the bowls up assemble-line style.
• 2 dredge the meat in the seasoned flour, knocking off excess. dip floured meat in the egg and milk mixture, coating well. then dredge in the bread crumbs, again, coating well.
• 3 heat a cast-iron skillet (traditional but your own skillet will work) over medium-high heat. add oil. when oil is hot enough to spit back at you if you sprinkle water on it, add meat and brown 2-1/2 minutes per side for rare, 4 minutes per side for medium and 6 minutes per side for well-done. turn only once. as you see, this goes fast and the meat requires your full attention while cooking. remove meat to a serving dish and keep warm.
• 4 notes: a traditional meal of chicken-fried steak includes:.
• 5 mashed potatoes: use a prepared mix or refrigerated potatoes.
• 6 country gravy: use an envelope of country-style gravy and prepare according to package directions.
• 7 green beans: canned beans work well, perhaps flavored with some bacon.
• 8 biscuits: use refrigerated baking powder style biscuits. these are a vital part of the southerner's meal.
• 9 salad: a wedge of lettuce or tossed green salad goes well.
• 10 dessert: that's up to you. mississippi mud cake was a fave in our home (recipe is posted).
• 11 remember to prepare as much as possible of the menu beforehand so that once the meat is cooked, you're ready to heat.
• 12 to make chicken-fried chicken, i follow this same recipe, but i use pounded boneless skinless chicken breasts (your butcher will do this for you). i do like panko on the chicken.