chicken-fried chicken — United States

Chicken-fried chicken is a dish from the American South and Texas in which chicken breast is pounded thin, breaded, and fried like a chicken-fried steak, then served under a white pepper gravy. It is reported on diner and home-style restaurant menus across Texas and the wider South, often positioned alongside its beef counterpart, chicken-fried steak, on the same menu. It is generally treated as a heartier variation on fried chicken rather than a separate dish tradition. To prepare it, chicken breasts are pounded to an even thickness, seasoned, then dipped in seasoned flour, egg or buttermilk, and flour again before frying in a skillet with a shallow layer of oil until golden and cooked through. The pan drippings are used to build a gravy of flour, milk and black pepper, simmered until thick and poured generously over the fried cutlets, usually served with mashed potatoes or biscuits. Variations touch the breading and the gravy: some cooks season the flour heavily with cayenne and garlic powder, others soak the chicken in buttermilk for hours before frying for a more tender bite, and the gravy itself ranges from thin and peppery to thick enough to coat a spoon.