Cream Gravy for Chicken Fried Steak Advice

[Rocklobster]

Hey, my American friends. I am going to make Chicken fried steak soon. It is the first time I will have made it. I am wondering if you can give me some sage advice as to how to come up with the best cream gravy. I have seen loads of recipes on line but some of them seem like they would produce a fairly bland product. How do you do yours? Any secrets, or important points to remember?

 

[Zhizara]

Simple cream gravy is white sauce with salt and pepper.

 

[FrankZ]

I have never made it so I can't give you any advice on actually doing it. What I can tell you sagely is in this area they seem to think sage is a flavor, not a seasoning so be careful of how much sage you ask for, you just might get it.


I commonly refer to the meat loaf in the diners around here ans sage loaf bound with meat.

 

[Andy M.]

After you fry your prepared steaks in a skillet, drain off all but 3 Tb of the fat, leaving the brown bits in the pan. Sprinkle in 3 Tb of the flour used to coat the steaks and stir constantly to make a medium roux. Add whole milk stirring/whisking constantly. Bring to a boil and adjust the thickness with more milk if needed. Season with salt and liberally with black pepper.

That's the deal for this dish. Plain and simple and quite tasty as well.

Feel free to add seasonings of your choice such as garlic and/or onion powder, thyme, sage, etc.

 

[Katie H]

I make my cream gravy in a similar manner as Andy does, but with a twist.

We almost always have mashed potatoes with our chicken-fried steak, so I save the hot water that the potatoes were cooked in. Strain it off into a measuring cup/bowl.

After I've removed as much as the fat/grease/drippings from cooking the meat, I sprinkle in a little flour to stir into a roux, adding some of the potato water to it. To get the "cream" part, I sprinkle in dried milk granules. Don't really know how much. Whatever seems right at the time, adding more potato water as needed.

This method, I've discovered, not only uses some of the starch from the potatoes to thicken the gravy, it also gives it another level of flavor. From there, I usually just add salt and pepper to taste.

 

[pacanis]

Ditto what Andy said except... I don't pour any fat off.

 

[medtran49]

I start out like Andy but for liquid use chicken broth and cream instead of just milk.

Karen

 

[PattY1]

To serve with Steak, I add beef broth or bullion.
To serve with Chicken, I add chicken broth or bullion.

 

[forty_caliber]

After you fry your prepared steaks in a skillet, drain off all but 3 Tb of the fat, leaving the brown bits in the pan. Sprinkle in 3 Tb of the flour used to coat the steaks and stir constantly to make a medium roux. Add whole milk stirring/whisking constantly. Bring to a boil and adjust the thickness with more milk if needed. Season with salt and liberally with black pepper.

That's the deal for this dish. Plain and simple and quite tasty as well.

Feel free to add seasonings of your choice such as garlic and/or onion powder, thyme, sage, etc.

Like this but I don't allow the flour to brown. Add flour to the fat and stir long enough to coat all particles of flour. Deglaze the pan with cold milk and stir until thick.

For a treat, try deglazing with a bit of brandy or cognac before adding the milk. Imparts a nice flavor that pairs well with CFS.

.40

 

[CraigC]

You want big flavor, make a sausage gravy to smother the dish! Serve biscuits on the side to take care of the extra gravy!

Craig

 

[Andy M.]

You want big flavor, make a sausage gravy to smother the dish! Serve biscuits on the side to take care of the extra gravy!

Craig

I thought about this option before I posted since the local breakfast joint does it this way and it's great. It's a great added dimension to the meal.

 

[Zhizara]

Smothering softens the crunchiness. I'll have my sauce on the side, thank you.