Chicken Fried Steak with Brown Gravy

I love to cook, but even those of us who enjoy spending hours in the kitchen need some quick and easy recipes.  This is quick and easy as well as family friendly (we all know this means our husbands will eat it, the kids are not really the issue). 

Chicken fried steak was not something I ever had as a kid.  Probably because my dad wouldn't have eaten it (see!).  As an adult, I battled vegetarianism.  When I was pregnant with my second child (a boy) I became a raging carnivore.  This of course made my husband love me more than ever (not the fact I was growing him a son, the fact that I made beef, like, all the time).  It was during this time, I discovered chicken fried steak.  It was easy and meaty and my daughter could smother it in A-1 (she is always looking for things to drown in that stuff). 

So if you are looking for a simple and easy steak(ish) dinner try this sometime.  I'm positive the man in your life will love you more than ever once you make it.

Chicken Fried Steak

Ingredients

1-1/2 c. flour

1 Tbsp. seasoned salt

1 tsp. pepper

4 cube steaks

4 Tbsp. oil

2 Tbsp. butter

2-1/2 c. low sodium beef broth

Directions

Mix the flour, seasoned salt and pepper together in a shallow dish (I use a pie plate).

Dredge the steaks in the flour mixture and let rest on a plate for 5-10 minutes.  You will notice as they sit, that the flour starts to absorb the juice from the steak and the steaks get damp again.  This is when I dredge mine a second time.  This gives them more crunchy coating.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering and add the steaks to the pan.  After a few minutes they will be nice and brown on the bottoms and the tops will look like this.  Flip them over and give them about 5 minutes on the other side.  If they are browning really fast, turn the heat down.

While the steaks are frying, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.

Dump in about 3 Tbsp. of the flour mixture you dredges the steaks in and whisk together.  It will get kind of pasty.

Add in the broth in small amounts, whisking after each addition until smooth until you have added all the broth.

Heat the gravy to a boil and then turn the heat down low to keep it hot until the steaks are done.

Look at that!  The steaks are done!  Put the steaks on a paper towel lined plate to let the extra oil soak off for a minute

then serve immediately with gravy (and, as I prefer, mashed potatoes).