Chicken Fried Steak

Eight weeks until August. I have started the last phase of the freezer project — everything labeled with date and contents, organized by protein first and then by dish type, the things that reheat best at the front, the soups and stews that are most flexible in the middle. Forty-one containers. I counted them Sunday. Forty-one recipes in the booklet and forty-one containers in the freezer. I did not plan this. Sometimes the numbers align and you accept them.

CJ came alone this weekend — Shanice is feeling the late-pregnancy tiredness more this week and stayed home, which was the right call. He sat at the kitchen table Saturday morning and watched me cook and we talked the way we don't always get to talk when other people are around — without the shape of a social occasion giving structure to the conversation. He asked me if I was scared. I said of what. He said, of everything. Of the baby, of the things you can't prepare for. He wasn't really asking about me. I said, I'm not scared. I said, when you become a parent you realize that the fear is not the main thing. The love is so much louder. He was quiet for a while. Then he said, I hope you're right. I said, I'm right about most things that matter. He said, that's unfortunately true. I said, unfortunately? He said, it makes it hard to have a counter-argument. I told him that was by design.

CJ asked me if I was scared, and I told him the love is louder than the fear — but what I didn’t say is that love also looks like a labeled container in a freezer, something that will be there on the night when the baby won’t stop crying and no one has slept and dinner feels impossible. Chicken fried steak is one of the recipes I’ve made more than almost anything else over the years — it reheats well, it’s filling in a way that actually sustains you, and there is something about the weight of it on a plate that signals: someone took care of this. That’s what I want them to have.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 cube steaks (about 6 oz each), tenderized
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
2 large eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
Vegetable oil, for frying (about 1/2 inch depth in skillet)
3 tbsp reserved pan drippings (for gravy)
3 tbsp all-purpose flour (for gravy)
2 cups whole milk (for gravy)
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper (for gravy)

Instructions

Season the flour. In a shallow dish, whisk together 1 1/2 cups flour, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne, salt, and pepper. In a second shallow dish, whisk the eggs and buttermilk together until combined.
Dredge the steaks. Pat the cube steaks dry with paper towels. Working one at a time, dredge each steak in the seasoned flour, pressing to coat, then dip fully into the egg wash, then back into the flour. Press firmly so the coating adheres. Set on a wire rack and let rest 5 minutes.
Heat the oil. Pour vegetable oil into a large cast-iron or heavy-bottomed skillet to about 1/2 inch depth. Heat over medium-high until it reaches 350°F, or until a pinch of flour dropped in sizzles immediately.
Fry the steaks. Working in batches of two, carefully lower the steaks into the hot oil. Fry 3–4 minutes per side until deep golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a clean wire rack set over a baking sheet. Do not stack. Season lightly with salt immediately out of the oil.
Make the gravy. Pour off all but 3 tablespoons of the drippings from the skillet. Over medium heat, whisk 3 tablespoons flour into the drippings and cook, stirring constantly, for 1–2 minutes until the paste turns light golden. Slowly pour in the milk, whisking continuously to prevent lumps. Cook 4–5 minutes, stirring often, until the gravy thickens to a pourable consistency. Season generously with cracked black pepper and salt.
Serve or store. Plate each steak and ladle gravy over the top. To freeze: cool steaks completely on a rack, wrap individually in plastic wrap, then foil, and freeze up to 3 months. Store gravy separately in a sealed container. Reheat steaks in a 375°F oven for 20 minutes; rewarm gravy on the stovetop over low heat, adding a splash of milk to loosen if needed.

Nutrition (per serving)

Chicken Fried Steak — The Kind of Meal That Says Someone Is Ready for You