Cajun Archives - Page 14 of 14 - Poor Man's Gourmet Kitchen

Chicken Fried Steak with Country Gravy

I love Chicken Fried Steak!

Don’t you love a good Chicken Fried Steak? I use to order it every time I ate at this restaurant in Gillette Wyoming, on my way to Deadwood South Dakota. The Restaurant was Called Humphrey’s if I remember right; had a big Camel as their Logo. If you’re ever going to head up north for Sturgis or to see our Mount Rushmore, I suggest you hit Humphrey’s on the way there. Just about everything on the menu rocks, but I definitely recommend the Chicken Fried Steak.

Cubed steak is the way to go if your going to make Chicken Fried Steak. If you don’t purchase Cube Steak already meshed out and you need to do it your self, just pick up a Bottom Round Roast, slice each piece 1/4 inch thick and use a needling device or a tenderizing sledge hammer to just beat the hell out of it. The 3 1/2 minute Chicken Fried Steak video recipe below will cover everything else, so kick back and enjoy.

Chicken Fried Steak video tutorial by PoorMansGourmet.

Chicken Fried Steak Ingredients:

1 Bottom Round Roast or Cubed Steak (Salt and Peppered)
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups Flour
1 tsp Black Pepper
1/2 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 cooking oil
3 tbsp of the seasoned flour
2 cups Chicken Broth or Stock (I used Bouillon)
1/2 cup Milk or Whipping Cream if you’d like it richer
1 tsp Italian Seasoning or Thyme and Oregano

Cut your meat portions and tenderize them. Salt and Pepper Both sides then dredge in the flour first, then in the egg and back in the flour again for a second time. Let each steak rest for 5 minutes before frying. Add oil then the steaks and cook 3 minutes on the first side and 2 to 3 on the second side once you’ve flipped it. Remove the steak and let it rest on a wire rack.

Using the same oil, turn your heat to High and add 3 tbsp of the seasoned dredging flour. Sometimes you need to add more oil before stirring in the flour if you’re cooking more than a few steaks. Stir in the flour and make a light tan roux, allowing the flour to absorb the flavor left in the skillet. Add all of the Chicken Broth and bring it to a boil stirring constantly. Then add the milk a little add a time until it thickens. Season with Italian seasoning or Thyme and Oregano. You shouldn’t need salt or pepper because the broth has the saltiness in it and the dredging flour already had pepper. Serve your Chicken Fried Steak with The Country gravy, and Mashed Potatoes if you’ve got them!

Zing Zang Bloody Mary Mix Review

The last time I was in Las Vegas, I ended up leaving my $400 a night hotel, The Mirage, for what I was told was an all you can eat Sushi Bar. Many times over, have I learned not to trust freinds of “friends”, and WOW, was this one of those times. All we had was an address and a cab driver that knew how to get there, and little did we know that we weren’t going to a Sushi Bar like we were told.

We pulled up to an old apartment building in an old neighborhood that was straight across from a 7-eleven. A statue of an Indian Chief sat out front but no sign of a Sushi Bar in any direction; no restaurant in site. A phone call was in order. We told the cab driver to wait until we got this figured out. Then we got the “Friends of Friends” on the phone. “Yup, you’ve got the right place” they said, and out they came from the door behind the wooden Indian. We walked into the worst cluttered living room style bar I have ever seen. Not that I’ve been in any bar’s that looked like a living room, but this one sure did. All the trinkets and little ornaments you could’ve ordered from the home shopping network covered the shelves, walls and end tables of this dumpster dive of a business, and they were calling it a bar. And, as it turns out, owned by the number one Elvis impersonator in Las Vegas, Nevada! Boy were we in for a treat I thought but little did I know that I was about to be introduced to the best Bloody Mary I have ever had, made by, yep you guessed it, the number one Elvis impersonator himself.

Now I don’t know how tall Elvis was but this guy had to be at least 6′ 4″, because this guy was in loafers and he still towered over me, and I’m 6 foot. How do I know? Because when he made his entrance in his Mustard yellow double breasted suit, you couldn’t help but notice every detail; loafers with no socks, suit with no shirt but a carpet chest that made up for it. He had the hair, the side burns, gold necklace and the seventies style square rimmed sunglasses that Elvis bloomed in full season, and he was smoking a six inch cigar the size of quarter. With that kind of image burned in my mind, how would I ever forget?

Long story short, this guy, Mr. number one Elvis impersonator, with awards all over his wall to prove it, made me a Bloody Mary in a 10 inch Mug that literally was the Bomb! I don’t know what he was using, I didn’t see how he made it, but this Bloody Mary was hands down the best Vodka induced drink I have ever had the pleasure to wrap my hands around. Nothing since has ever compared. That is until I found “Zing Zang”!

Finger Lickin’ Tastey Fried Chicken

Secret Ingredient Recipe’s

Who doesn’t love Fried Chicken, seriously! From all the classics like KFC, Popeye’s, Chicken Express, Church’s Chicken, to all the favorite fried chicken sandwich’s from all the burger chains like McDonalds, Wendy’s, Carl’s Jr., Jack in the box, Chic filet, on and on, we all can agree on one thing; they all have their unique style of a fantastic crispy crust that they can market sell, and keep customers coming back for more!

Now, even if you don’t like all of the chains I’ve listed above, at least one of these fast food joints has been a regular for you at some point if you’re going to eat chicken! Right?? So, how does it compare to the fried chicken you make at home? If it’s better and you are more than happy with your homemade fried chicken, then what the hell are you even reading this for! The bottom line is, you want your chicken to taste better, and I’m here to help you make that happen. I’ve developed a very simple recipe that you can throw together very quickly if you have the right ingredients available to you; and if you don’t I’ve got the recipe for the “secret ingredient” concoction that goes in the easy version. You ready? Here goes….

Ingredients are for frying one Bird

2 cups Flour
1 tsp Black Pepper
2 tbls Slap ya Mama
1 egg
1/4 cup milk

Now, you’re thinking one of two things; what in the world is “Slap Ya Mama”, or Slap Ya Mama, the seafood boil? And the answer is YES! Slap Ya Mama is normally a seafood boil, most commonly used for shrimp and crawfish. However, it’s got all the right spices and kicks to make bad ass crispy fried chicken. If you can’t find Slap Ya Mama at your local grocery, don’t get stupid and substitute Old Bay, okay, DON’T DO IT! It’s similar but not the same. Here’s a “like” recipe for Slap Ya Mama you can throw together with your regular run of the mill house hold kitchen cupboard spices…

Slap Ya Mama Ingredients

1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
1 1/2 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
1 bay leaf

Directions

Mix all the dry ingredients. Make an egg wash by whipping the egg and milk together. Dip the chicken FIRST in the flour, then in the egg wash and back into the flour a second time, okay. Then let it stand for 5 minutes before frying. Now believe it or not, what you use for frying oil makes all the difference in the world in flavor, not just cholesterol content. If you’re a health nut, then I guess you’ll have to use the oil of your liking, (which in my opinion defeats the purpose of eating fried chicken in the first place) otherwise you NEED TO USE PEANUT OIL! I can’t stress this enough. This fried chicken recipe needs to fry in peanut oil to achieve ultimate exploding in your mouth flavor, kapeesh?! Oil should be heated to 350, with about 1 inch of oil in your pan or skillet, turning frequently. Boneless chicken takes 4 to six minutes, and bone in 10 to 12. Watch the vid below to see it in action.