Chicken Fried Chicken with Southern Peppered Milk Gravy Recipe

Ingredients

For the Gravy:
2 cups of White Lily self rising flour
Pinch of kosher salt
6 turns of the pepper grinder
Cajun seasoning (like Slap Ya Mama)
3 to 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded flat
Canola oil for the skillet, plus 2 tablespoons of bacon fat
Pan drippings to equal 1/4 cup
Reserved 1/4 cup of seasoned flour
1-1/2 cups of milk
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Preparation

Step 1

Use a rubber mallet to pound the thicker part of the chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap until breast is flattened and even. Remember you're not tenderizing - just making them even. Cut in half if large. Place a rack over a baking sheet covered with paper towels; set aside.

Whisk together the flour, salt and pepper; remove and set aside 1/4 cup of the seasoned flour mixture for the gravy. Lightly sprinkle the flattened chicken breasts with the Cajun seasoning and dredge them in the remaining flour, shaking to remove the excess flour. Reserve the flour. Let them rest at room temperature for about 10 minutes. Just before cooking the chicken, dredge them into the flour again if desired, shaking off excess.

Heat the canola oil and bacon fat in a cast iron or heavy bottomed skillet over a medium high heat. Cook the chicken in batches to avoid overcrowding the skillet, until browned on the bottom; turn and finish cooking until golden brown and cooked through. Place onto the rack of the prepared pan and tent very loosely with aluminum foil to hold.

Remove all of the oil from the skillet except for 1/4 cup (or transfer 1/4 cup of pan drippings into a new skillet), and over medium heat, sprinkle in the 1/4 cup of reserved seasoned flour a little at a time. Cook, stirring constantly until a light blond color. Slowly whisk in the milk until fully incorporated and until mixture begins to thicken. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let cook for a few minutes. Add additional milk or water if needed to reach desired consistency. Taste, season with salt and plenty of pepper.

Place a piece of chicken on each plate and spoon a bit of the gravy across the center of the chicken. Serve immediately with homemade mashed potatoes and a green vegetable.

Tip: Remove 1/4 cup of the pan drippings and start the gravy in another skillet while the last batch of chicken is cooking to speed things up.

Note: If you have time, brine the chicken in advance. Place into a zipper bag filled with water and 2 tablespoons of kosher salt for about 2 hours. Drain well and proceed.

Variation: Increase flour to 4 cups and season with salt and pepper; take out 1/4 cup of the seasoned flour and set that aside for the gravy. Divide the remaining seasoned flour into 2 bowls. Crush one sleeve of saltine crackers fine and mix with one bowl of the flour. Whisk together 1 cup of milk with one egg. Dredge the chicken in the seasoned flour. Dip into the milk and egg mixture and dredge in the cracker crumb mixture. Set on a rack until ready to fry.