Cactus Chicken Fried Steak Recipes

CHICKEN-FRIED STEAK

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200 degrees. Pour a half-inch of oil into a cast-iron or other large, heavy skillet and place over medium-high heat.
• Put flour, salt and pepper in a large zip-top bag or in a large baking dish and mix well. Pour milk into a large bowl. Dip each piece of steak in milk, shake off excess and then shake in bag of flour or press into dish of flour, making sure both sides are well coated. Shake off excess.
• Lay steaks into hot oil until skillet is full, but not crowded. Cook for about 3 minutes a side, or until a good crust is formed. You may need to do this in batches, moving steaks to a platter in the warm oven as they cook. When done, pour off all but about 4 tablespoons of fat from pan, leaving in as many browned bits as possible, and turn off heat.
• Pour milk into a saucepan and add enough water to make 3 cups. Heat over medium heat until just before boiling point.
• Turn heat under frying pan to medium. When oil is hot, sprinkle in 3 tablespoons of flour mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, quickly stirring until flour starts to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add liquid, stirring constantly to remove lumps and cook until thickened. Adjust seasoning.

CHICKEN-FRIED STEAK & GRAVY

Steps:

• Place 1 cup flour in a shallow bowl. In a separate shallow bowl, whisk eggs and 1/2 cup milk until blended. Sprinkle steaks with 3/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Dip in flour to coat both sides; shake off excess. Dip in egg mixture, then again in flour., In a large cast-iron or other heavy skillet, heat 1/4 in. of oil over medium heat. Add steaks; cook until golden brown and a thermometer reads 160°, 4-6 minutes on each side. Remove from pan; drain on paper towels. Keep warm., Remove all but 2 tablespoons oil from pan. Stir in the remaining 1/4 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper until smooth; cook and stir over medium heat until golden brown, 3-4 minutes. Gradually whisk in water and remaining milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; cook and stir until thickened, 1-2 minutes. Serve with steaks.

CACTUS CHICKEN FRIED STEAK

Steps:

• Add the Jalapeno seasoning salt to the flour and mix well.
• Dip each steak into the seasoned flour, then dip into the egg wash, (mix the eggs and water in a separate bowl for the egg wash), and dip the meat back into the seasoned flour, coating each steak well.
• Heat the vegetable oil to about 350 degrees F. in a large skillet.
• Oil should be deep enough to cover the steaks.
• Fry the coated steaks until golden brown, then drain them on paper towels and put on a heated platter that is tented with foil.
• Pour off all but 2 tbls of the oil and the drippings.
• Add 3 Tbls of the leftover seasoned flour.
• Mix well and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the oil and flour are golden brown.
• Remove from the heat and add the milk and chicken bouillon or chicken base.
• Return to the heat and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, until the gravy thickens.
• Serve spooned over the steaks.

THE BEST CHICKEN FRIED STEAK

Steps:

• Pound the steaks to about 1/4-inch thickness. Place 2 cups of flour in a shallow bowl. Stir together the baking powder, baking soda, pepper, and salt in a separate shallow bowl; stir in the buttermilk, egg, Tabasco Sauce, and garlic. Dredge each steak first in the flour, then in the batter, and again in the flour. Pat the flour onto the surface of each steak so they are completely coated with dry flour.
• Heat the shortening in a deep cast-iron skillet to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Fry the steaks until evenly golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Place fried steaks on a plate with paper towels to drain. Drain the fat from the skillet, reserving 1/4 cup of the liquid and as much of the solid remnants as possible.
• Return the skillet to medium-low heat with the reserved oil. Whisk the remaining flour into the oil. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula to release solids into the gravy. Stir in the milk, raise the heat to medium, and bring the gravy to a simmer, cook until thick, 6 to 7 minutes. Season with kosher salt and pepper. Spoon the gravy over the steaks to serve.

FRIED CACTUS STRIPS

Steps:

• Remove all needles and spines from cactus pads. Slice into 1/2-in.-wide strips. Wash thoroughly; drain and pat dry. Set aside. In a shallow bowl, combine flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. In another bowl, lightly beat eggs and milk. Combine the bread and saltine crumbs, chili powder, cayenne pepper and remaining salt; set aside. Dredge cactus strips in flour mixture, shake off excess. Dip in egg mixture, then coat with crumb mixture. , In a deep-fat fryer, heat oil to 375°. Fry strips until golden brown, about 1-2 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Serve with picante sauce.

CHICKEN-FRIED STEAK

Steps:

• Put the steaks on a board and bash with a rolling pin until about half the original thickness. Mix the eggs with the cayenne in a bowl. Combine the ingredients for the spice mix with a large pinch of salt in a separate shallow dish.
• Dip the steaks into the egg, then the spice mix, turning to coat. Pour the oil into a large non-stick frying pan until the base of the pan is covered. Fry the steaks over a high heat for 2 mins until crisp, then turn and fry for 2 mins more. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.
• If you're making the sauce, pour away all but 1 tbsp oil from the pan and stir in the flour, cooking until browned. Crumble in the stock cube. Slowly pour in the milk, whisking until smooth and fully incorporated. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 4-5 mins. Season. Add the thyme and plenty of black pepper, then squeeze in the lemon juice to taste. Serve the steaks with the sauce, and greens and corn, if you like.

CHICKEN-FRIED STEAK (CHICKEN WITH CREAMY GRAVY)

Steps:

• Season the chicken breasts with black pepper.
• In a shallow dish combine crushed cracker crumbs with flour 1 teaspoon seasoned salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, cayenne pepper (if using) and baking powder.
• In another shallow dish whisk together eggs with 3/4 milk.
• Dredge the chicken breasts in the cracker mixture then dip in the egg/milk mixture, then dredge AGAIN in the cracker mixture.
• Pour the oil into a large skillet and heat to 360 degrees F.
• Fry the breasts in hot oil for about 3-4 minutes on each side or until golden brown; remove to a wire rack and cover lightly with foil.
• Carefully drain oil but reserve the browned bits in the bottom of the skillet along with a couple tablespoons of the oil.
• In a bowl mix together 4 cups half and half cream, 1/4 cup flour 1 teaspoon seasoned salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper; whisk until combined, then add to the reserved drippings in the skillet, cook whisking constantly over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes or until thickened.
• Serve the creamed gravy with the breasts.