Venison Chicken Fried Steak and White Gravy Recipe
It’s hard to imagine a more quintessential Southern meal than Chicken Fried Steak and Eggs. Fried to golden perfection and topped with a creamy white gravy, this wild game version using deer steak is sure to become a family favorite. The hard part is deciding whether you want to make it for breakfast or dinner.I love using antelope steak, deer steak, and elk steak for my venison recipes. But I most often use deer steak to make this dish just because I hunt a lot of white-tailed deer and mule deer here in North Dakota.COUNTRY FRIED STEAK VS CHICKEN FRIED STEAKWhat's the difference between Country Fried Steak and Chicken Fried Steak? Some food historians believe that "country fried" and "chicken fried" are just regional names for the same thing: an inexpensive cut of beef, usually the top round or bottom round, that is seasoned, breaded, and pan-fried, traditionally in a cast-iron skillet. A delicious gravy is made using the pan drippings, and both steak and gravy are served on top of mashed potatoes or with biscuits.Chicken-fried steak has a crispy coating and is appropriately named because it's prepared in the same way as fried chicken. Dipped in an egg batter, dredged in seasoned flour then fried, chicken-fried steak is often served with a peppery white gravy, either on the side or spooned over the steak right before serving to prevent the crust from getting soggy. Country-fried steak, sometimes called smothered steak, is simply dredged through the flour and fried on both sides. At this point, many cooks remove the steaks from the pan, prepare a brown gravy from the pan drippings, put the steaks back in with the gravy, cover the pan, and let it all simmer. This allows the outer layer of the steaks to be infused with that delicious gravy flavor, and steak and gravy are then served together.I happen to be one of those purists who insists on serving white gravy with chicken-fried steak and brown gravy with country-fried steak. But I won't ever get upset with another cook who likes to serve white gravy with both variations. They are both equally indulgent!COOKING TIPS FOR YOUR VENISON CHICKEN FRIED STEAKBefore you dredge your venison steak, consider these tips for perfecting your chicken fried steak recipe.To make sure the breading doesn’t fall off the chicken-fried steak, pat the meat dry before dredging. Shake off any excess liquid or flour, then let the venison steak rest for a few minutes before frying. Use oil that is hot enough when the meat hits it to ensure you end up with a crispy coating. If not, the breading may absorb the oil and become soggy and greasy.If you've every seen me give a cooking demonstration, you know I always encourage everyone to cook their venison steaks medium rare for a much more enjoyable eating experience. However, this recipe is the exception. Like almost all chicken fried steak recipes, your steak will probably have little to no pink inside. The reason is because to get a golden crust, the steak will cook to at least medium well.WHITE GRAVY RECIPEA spoonful of this creamy, savory gravy sends nearly every human being with taste buds into fits of joy. White country gravy, sometimes called white gravy or country gravy, is a simple five-ingredient recipe, and it's nearly as versatile and universal as grits to most Southerners. With just butter or grease, flour, milk, salt, and pepper, you can make this white gravy recipe that is absolutely amazing with mashed potatoes, biscuits, or this steak and eggs recipe.MORE VENISON STEAK RECIPESIf you love venison steak as much as we do, you can also check out Our 15 Best Venison Steak recipes!If you would like to come to North Dakota and experience a great deer hunt, check out the North Dakota Game & Fish Department website. And if you want me to come along with you as your camp cook, photographer, or butcher, you can find out more details here. If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #wildgameandfishDid you enjoy this Venison Chicken Fried Steak and White Gravy Recipe? Be sure to leave a 5-star rating RIGHT HERE – JUST ABOVE THE PRINT RECIPE BUTTON!
Ingredients
Chicken Fried Venison Steak
- 1 cup whole milk or half & half
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 1/2 pounds venison steak, cut into 4-ounces each
- 3/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
White Gravy
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups whole milk or half & half
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Chicken Fried Venison Steak
- Begin by placing the steaks on a cutting board and tenderize them with a Jaccard meat tenderizer.
- Set up an assembly line of dishes. Mix the milk with the eggs in one; the flour seasoned with the 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and the onion powder in another; and the meat in a third. Then have one clean plate at the end to receive the breaded meat.
- Work with one piece of meat at a time. Sprinkle both sides with remaining salt and black pepper, then place it in the flour mixture. Turn to coat.
- Place the meat into the milk/egg mixture, turning to coat. Place it back in the flour and turn to coat (dry mixture/wet mixture/dry mixture). Place the breaded meat on the clean plate, then repeat with the remaining meat.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Drop in a few sprinkles of flour to make sure it's sufficiently hot. Cook the meat, 2 pieces at a time, until the edges start to look golden brown, about 2 minutes each side. Remove the meat to a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat until all the meat is cooked.
Gravy
- When the grease is hot, sprinkle the flour evenly over the grease. Using a whisk, mix the flour with the grease, creating a golden-brown paste. Keep cooking until the roux reaches a deep golden brown color.
- Pour in the milk, whisking constantly. Add the salt and black pepper to taste and cook, whisking, until the gravy is smooth and thick, about 5 minutes. Be prepared to add more milk if it becomes too thick. Be sure to taste it to make sure gravy is seasoned correctly.
- Serve the venison steaks smothered in gravy with a fried egg or two and enjoy!
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