Chicken fried venison is tenderized, breaded, and fried golden brown before being smothered in a luxurious country gravy.
There is nothing "chicken" about this chicken fried venison recipe. The name simply reflects that the deer steak is battered and fried similar to how fried chicken is prepared. Although perfectly tender on its own, venison is not as tender as chicken meat, so it is pounded flat to make it fork-tender and ensure it is thin for quick frying.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Venison steak - I prefer not to use the best cuts, like venison loin in this recipe because it would be a waste of a really tender cut. Since the meat is being tenderized and flattened with a meat mallet I recommend using a slightly tougher steak cut from the hindquarter. This would be a good use for a shoulder steak as well.
- Cooking oil - Any high-temperature frying oil, like canola oil or peanut oil, would work well.
- Buttermilk - Regular milk can be substituted, or to make your own buttermilk add 1 ½ tablespoons of lemon juice to the 1 ½ cups of milk and let sit for at least 5 minutes.
- Large eggs
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder - Using baking powder and baking soda creates an airier breading on the venison. However, it can be omitted if you don't have any on hand.
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
- Ground sage - Fresh or dried thyme would be a good substitution. Garlic powder and onion powder would also be great additions.
- Cayenne pepper
- Butter
- Milk - Milk is needed to make country gravy, but this can be served with brown gravy instead, if you prefer, by substituting beef stock.
How to make it
Begin by cutting the venison into individual portions and pound flat with the pointed side of a meat mallet. Then season each side of the steaks with salt and black pepper.
Prepare a dredging station by mixing your wet ingredients in a shallow bowl, and your dry breading ingredients in a separate bowl. Dredge the deer meat in the dry mixture, shaking off any excess. Then dredge it in the wet mixture letting the excess drip off and return it for one last dredging through the dry mixture.
Tip: The second dredging is the secret to an even, crispy breading!
Add frying oil to a large cast iron skillet and heat to 325 degrees. Place the breaded venison in the hot oil and fry until golden brown, then flip and repeat. Add additional oil as needed for each batch.
Tip: It is best to use a heavy-bottomed skillet, such as cast iron, to limit temperature fluctuations.
Tip: I recommend using a digital thermometer to ensure the oil is at the right temperature before you fry. If you don't have one, try sprinkling some flour into the oil, if it sizzles you are ready to go.
After the venison is fried to golden perfection, remove it from the oil and set it on a wire rack or paper towels to drain.
How to make country gravy
Country gravy is simple to prepare and requires minimal ingredients: flour, butter, milk, salt, and pepper. It can be prepared while the venison is pan-frying.
Set a small saucepan set over medium-low heat and melt the butter, sprinkling the flour on top. Whisk the flour mixture to form a roux. Continue to stir to prevent scorching the flour, and cook for two minutes to cook out any raw flour taste.
Dribble in the milk, a few splashes at a time, allowing the liquid to fully incorporate before adding additional splashes. Adding milk slowly prevents lumps from forming. As the gravy thins out more milk can be added at a time. Continue until all milk has been added.
Finish the gravy by bringing it to a simmer and cooking until it thickens. At this time season it generously with salt and pepper. It is important to taste the gravy as you season it to ensure the flavor comes out. You want it to taste salted, but not salty.
Tip: If the gravy is too thin, just simmer it longer, it will thicken as it simmers. If the gravy is too thick, dribble a small amount of milk in to thin it back out.
Serve the country gravy over the fried venison cutlets.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Leftover chicken fried venison should be stored with the fried venison and gravy in separate airtight containers to prevent the crispy breading from getting soggy. The leftovers can be stored in your refrigerator for up to one week.
The leftover gravy can be reheated in the microwave and will likely need a dribble of water or milk to thin back out to the proper consistency. Leftover fried venison is best to gently warm in a 325-degree oven until heated through. This will ensure the fried venison retains its crispy coating.
Chicken Fried Venison
Equipment
- Large skillet
Ingredients
- 2 pounds venison steak (steak from the hind quarter or shoulder recommended)
- ½ cup cooking oil
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons salt (plus more for seasoning venison)
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper (plus more for seasoning venison)
- ¼ teaspoon ground sage
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Country Gravy
- ¼ cup flour
- ¼ cup butter
- 2 cups milk
- fresh ground pepper (to taste)
- salt (to taste)
Instructions
- Cut venison steaks into individual portions, approximately ¼ - ⅓ pound each. Pound flat and tenderize with a meat mallet.
- Season venison with salt and pepper.
- Set up your dredging station by mixing the wet batter ingredients (buttermilk and eggs) together in a dish, and combine all of the remaining dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, and seasonings) in a separate dish.
- Dredge the venison in the dry mixture, and shake off any excess. Then dredge in the wet mixture, letting any excess drain off. Finally, return the venison to the dry mixture for a final coating. Set breaded venison on a wire rack while breading the remainder and preparing to fry.
- Add cooking oil to a frying pan and the bring oil to 325 degrees. Add breaded venison, working in batches as needed, and fry for 3-4 minutes per side until golden brown. Add more oil for each batch if needed.
- Remove fried venison from oil and let drain on a clean wire rack.
Country Gravy
- The gravy can be prepared while the venison cooks, or you can keep the venison warm in a 225 degree oven while you prepare the gravy separately.
- Melt butter in a small saucepan set over medium low heat. Sprinkle flour into the melted butter and whisk for 2 minutes while the raw flour taste cooks out.
- Slowly dribble milk into the saucepan a little at a time, while continuing to stir. Ensure the milk is fully incorporated before adding more, to prevent lumps. As the gravy thins out more milk can be added at once. Continue until all milk has been added.
- Bring the gravy to a simmer to thicken and add salt and pepper. As the gravy gets to your desired consistency it is important to be tasting for salt. Too little salt and the gravy tastes bland. Add more salt until it tastes salted, but not salty.
- Serve gravy topped over chicken fried venison.
Notes
Nutritional Information
This recipe was originally published on June 24, 2020.
Michaela U.
Mine may not have looked like perfection, but it tasted really good. Even my picky eaters asked for more. Thank you for this recipe!
Ken
You cannot get the beautiful fried crust without deep frying the venison. I tried this recipe last night and it just seared the meat in the pan and looked nothing like the pictures. Taste was okay, but nothing to rave about. Maybe use an air fryer instead?
Fox Valley Foodie
Did you use enough oil? 1/2 cup of oil in a 9" skillet, as called for in the recipe, should be plenty to fry up golden brown. The food in the photos was cooked using the recipe we are discussing.
Tracy
I'm from Missouri where almost everyone hunts (I now reside in Florida).
I adore your blog; I'm afraid to try this recipe but every recipe of yours I've tried has come out beautifully so I'm going to take a leap of faith and try this out. I'll let you know how it goes. I have some beautiful venison backstrap in my freezer I'm dying to pull out and cook.
Timothy Maher
Love venison! As a hunter i 've always enjoyed the bountiful harvest in the fall. If you ever have a chance to try pronghorn antelope. It's milder and can really amazing in all types of recipes!
Fox Valley Foodie
I have gone antelope hunting in Wyoming a few years back and I am currently saving up preference points for a return trip. It is a fantastic meat!