A Coat Of Cornstarch Leads To A Crispier Chicken-Fried Steak

Meat lovers can definitely appreciate the unique texture and flavor of chicken-fried steak, one of Texas' iconic recipes. This popular dish comes with a tender, flavorful, and juicy steak nestled in a crispy, savory, and succulent crust for all kinds of deliciousness. Of course, you can go out to one of the best restaurants and order a chicken-fried steak to enjoy. But if eating out isn't a great option for you, homemade chicken-fried steak is the next best thing. What distinguishes chicken-fried steak from other steaks is its delectably crunchy outer layer. And if you want your homemade chicken-fried steak to be as crispy as possible, you're going to need some cornstarch.

Having a good ratio of steak-to-crispy crust in your chicken-fried steak is essential for flavorfully and texturally balanced meat. When you coat your steak with cornstarch just before you fry it, your chicken-fried steak will have a golden brown breading of extra crispy crust that wonderfully complements the tender, juicy steak meat within. And there are a few ways that you can incorporate cornstarch in your chicken-fried steak recipe to achieve that wonderfully crispy coating.

Two ways that you can fry your chicken-fried steak is by dredging it in a flour mixture that contains cornstarch, or dredging the meat in cornstarch without flour. Both methods can result in an extra crispy crust for your steak. If you choose to dredge your steak in an all-purpose flour mixture that does contain cornstarch, that cornstarch will contribute airiness to the mixture that will later result in a super crispy breading. The cornstarch will also stop gluten from forming in the flour mixture, which will help the flour become even crispier.

If you choose to dredge your steak in only cornstarch, not only will the crust of your chicken-fried steak become deliciously crunchy, but it will also cook thin enough to complement the thin inner layer of steak. This means that every time you take a bite of your chicken-fried steak, the proportion of light, crispy crust to tender steak meat will be absolutely perfect. But that doesn't mean that's all the flavor and texture that you can enjoy. Add delicious toppings to your meat to make it taste even richer.

The classic topping for chicken-fried steak is gravy, which will add some creamy deliciousness to your meat, but that's not only the gravy that will make your steak more flavorful. You can also drizzle some queso gravy on your steak for a flavorful twist. If you want to add some earthy flavor to your savory meat, then douse your chicken-fried steak with red chile gravy.

Adding certain gravies will certainly add another layer of flavor to your meat. But why not drench your chicken-fried steak in a sauce that will add several layers of flavor? If this sounds good to you, pour some Worcestershire sauce on your chicken-fried steak. It will make your meat taste savory, sour, sweet, and spicy all at once. You also don't have to settle for beef to be the inner layer of meat in your dish. Instead, try your hand at making chicken-fried bison steaks.