Alton Brown

Chicken Fried Steak

Thin, crispy, and topped with a classic pan gravy, chicken fried steak is the unofficial state dish of Texas, and it's based on Wiener schnitzel. How did a nice little German cutlet become the cornerstone of Lone Star cuisine? Cultural adaptation. During the nineteenth century, thousands of Germans emigrated into the Hill Country of central Texas, and when they got there, they found there was lots of beef, but very little veal. So, they just adapted their Wiener schnitzel recipe by tenderizing tougher cuts of meat. Even the light gravy they put on their chicken fried steak has roots in German cuisine in the form of ramen schnitzel, a fried cutlet with a cream sauce. Over time, chuck wagon cooks started making it, which resulted in the myriad varieties we have today. This recipe first appeared in Season 10 of Good Eats.Photo by Lynne Calamia