Enjoy comforting chicken-fried steak without the guilt in this Paleo recipe.
If you’re craving the crispy flavor of Southern food, then you’ll love this one-pan chicken-fried steak recipe smothered in a creamy gravy.
This recipe calls for minute steaks, a thinly-sliced cut of beef made from the sirloin or round portion of the cow. They are best cooked quickly at a high temperature to keep them tender, hence the name minute steak. You can also use cube steak as a substitute, which is thinly sliced and pre-tenderized.
A combination of arrowroot and blanched almond flour creates an airy dredge that adheres to the steak and fries up crisp. Blanched almond flour is made from almonds with skins removed, making for a fluffier, less gritty texture than almond meal. Arrowroot flour is a great alternative to all-purpose flour to use in dredges and to thicken sauces.
Tip: If you have a nut sensitivity, omit the almond flour and add 1 more cup of the arrowroot flour instead.
Get started by blotting excess moisture off the steaks using a paper towel. Dredge steaks in the flour mixture, dunk them in an egg mixture and then back into the flour mixture. Carefully place the coated minute steaks into a hot pan greased with avocado oil. Pan-fry for 3-4 minutes on each side, then transfer the steaks to a 225ºF oven to stay warm while preparing the gravy.
The savory gravy is made using the drippings from the steaks. The little browned bits of flour in the drippings add lots of flavor, so be sure to reserve them when draining the oil! Almond milk adds a dairy-free creaminess to the gravy while arrowroot flour thickens, perfect for drizzling onto steaks. Serve the steaks hot topped with gravy.
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Recipe Author: Jennafer Ashley
US Wellness Meats Shopping List: Grass-fed Minute Steaks
PHOTO CREDIT: Jennafer Ashley | Fresh and Fit
Prep time – 10 minutes
Cook time – 40 minutes
Total time – 50 minutes
Serves – 4
Tools
- 2 shallow dishes
- Whisk
- 10-inch cast iron pan
- Baking sheet
Ingredients
For the Steaks:
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup arrowroot flour
- 1/2 t sea salt
- 1/2 t black pepper
- 1 egg
- 4 minute steaks, pounded thinly to ¼-inch
- 1/2 cup avocado oil
For the Gravy:
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 2 T arrowroot flour
- 1/8 t black pepper
- Sea salt to taste
PHOTO CREDIT: Jennafer Ashley | Fresh and Fit
Directions For Paleo Chicken Fried Steak
- Preheat the oven to 225ºF. In one shallow dish, whisk together the almond flour, arrowroot flour, sea salt and black pepper. Beat the egg in the other shallow dish.
- Pat the steaks dry with a paper towel. One at a time, dredge each steak in the flour mixture and shake off the excess, then dunk in the egg mixture, and once again in the flour mixture. Set aside.
- Heat avocado oil in a cast iron pan over medium heat until shimmering hot. Add 1 steak to the skillet and lightly fry for 4 minutes on each side. Repeat with the remaining steaks. Place the steaks on a baking sheet and transfer to the oven to keep warm while preparing the gravy.
- To make the gravy: Drain and discard all but 4 tablespoons of oil and drippings from the pan. Add the almond milk and heat over medium heat until steaming, about 4 minutes. Whisk in arrowroot flour and black pepper. Continue to heat until thickened, 3-4 minutes. Add sea salt to taste. Serve the steaks hot with the gravy drizzled on top.
Meet The Chef
Jennafer Ashley is a Recipe Developer and Food Photographer. She is the girl behind the healthy recipes at Fresh and Fit, her recipe development company and blog of the same name. Jennafer loves to cook recipes that suit a variety of diet lifestyles- from Vegan to Paleo. Her philosophy on food is that it should be beautiful, affordable, and of course, delicious. When Jennafer isn’t in the kitchen, you can find her hiking with her German Shepherd or perusing the aisles of home decor stores.
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