Chicken Fried Chicken with Southern Peppered Milk Gravy

By carvalhohm

Ingredients

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

Details

Adapted from deepsouthdish.com

Preparation

Step 1

Use rubber mallet to pound thicker part of 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 rack over baking sheet covered with paper towels; set aside.

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

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

Remove all the oil from skillet except for 1/4 cup (or transfer 1/4 cup of pan drippings into new skillet), and over medium heat, sprinkle in 1/4 cup reserved seasoned flour a little at a time. Cook, stirring constantly until light blond color. Slowly whisk in 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 gravy across center of chicken. Serve immediately with homemade mashed potatoes and green vegetable.

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

Note: If you have time, brine chicken in advance. Place into 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 seasoned flour and set that aside for gravy. Divide remaining seasoned flour into 2 bowls. Crush one sleeve of saltine crackers fine and mix with one bowl of flour. Whisk together 1 cup of milk with one egg. Dredge chicken in the seasoned flour. Dip into milk and egg mixture and dredge in cracker crumb mixture. Set on rack until ready to fry.