{"id":3527,"date":"2010-03-08T11:57:24","date_gmt":"2010-03-08T17:57:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hottie-biscotti.com\/blog\/?p=3527"},"modified":"2010-03-08T11:57:24","modified_gmt":"2010-03-08T17:57:24","slug":"cheryls-chicken-fried-steak","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hottie-biscotti.com\/blog\/2010\/03\/08\/cheryls-chicken-fried-steak\/","title":{"rendered":"Cheryl’s Chicken Fried Steak"},"content":{"rendered":"

This was not restaurant style chicken fried steak with the thick, crunchy exterior and white cream gravy. \u00a0This chicken fried steak had a thinner crust and the gravy was not the thick white kind with specks of peppercorns that I am used to. \u00a0The gravy I made has a thinner consistency and a darker caramel color with specks of thyme. \u00a0So, this is not exactly what you get when you order chicken fried steak at Lone Star Cafe like I remember getting as a kid. \u00a0I remember it looking something like this.\"\"<\/a>I always ordered the kids meal version, or a half order, but it always came out looking huge and daunting. \u00a0Somehow I managed to scarf down every bit along with the buttery Texas toast which I used to sop up the extra gravy. \u00a0Oh man. \u00a0Those were good times.<\/p>\n

This chicken fried steak is a bit different. \u00a0It is homemade. \u00a0It is comforting. \u00a0And it is delicious. I got the recipe from a woman I met here in Amarillo. \u00a0She grew up here and remembers having this at least once a week if not more often when she was a kid.<\/p>\n

This is beef country, people. \u00a0A great deal of the economy depends on it. \u00a0I wake up on many mornings and can smell the feed lots when I let the dog out. \u00a0My grandpa Marvin appropriately calls it the “money smell”. \u00a0Texans love their beef, but Amarillo-ans LOVE their beef. \u00a0This may be a stereotype, but it’s a stereotype that is true and in no way negative. \u00a0Beef is good, and so is chicken fried steak.<\/p>\n

The gravy recipe is not all hers, she admits. \u00a0She once watched an Alton Brown show where he added fresh thyme to the gravy. \u00a0Intrigued, she used it the next time she made her gravy and hasn’t gone back since. \u00a0You can’t help but love Alton Brown. \u00a0He stays true to what a dish originally was and only adds to it if it really and truly makes it better. \u00a0You wouldn’t catch him adding something weird like lavender to a chicken fried steak gravy, but I am sure some ridiculous chef out there has.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Cheryl wasn’t very specific in her measurements, but I think it all turned out OK. \u00a0I am a big fan of recipe following, so the term “some flour” kinda freaks me out. \u00a0But really when you think about it, the ingredients in chicken fried steak are simple and do not require a lot of measuring. \u00a0If it sticks to the steak, then that’s how much you need. \u00a0If there are naked spots, then you need more. \u00a0Pretty easy.<\/p>\n

I served this with mashed potatoes and steamed green beans. \u00a0A few slices of buttered Texas toast would have been a good idea, but I was not quite on top of things enough to get Texas toast when I was at the grocery store.<\/p>\n

Here is Cheryl’s recipe for the steaks and Alton Brown’s Gravy.<\/p>\n

Cheryl’s Chicken Fried Steak<\/h5>\n