The South has always been known for its interesting take on chicken-fried steak (chicken-fried anything, really). Even chicken-fried chicken has made a resurgence, reappearing on menus across America. Let’s be honest, can anything be bad that starts with “chicken-fried”?
*crickets*
Exactly.
All this to say that we’re thrilled to announce that we’ve done it again:
Introducing our all-new Fuzzy’s Taco Shop chicken-fried taco. This bad boy is hand-battered and stuffed with fried fajita-style beef or chicken and Latin-fried potatoes and topped with creamy verde sauce and shredded cheese, all on a flour tortilla. Each one is yours for only $2.99 a pop.
Can you say “yum”? OK, now say it 10 times and pinch yourself. You’re not dreaming. This is a real thing, and it’s available for a limited time only at your nearest Fuzzy’s.
We know chicken-fried steak isn’t traditionally Mexican, but we celebrate all types of food. Anytime we can pull from a different genre of food and fuse it with our own, the world becomes a better place. So in honor of our newest limited-time-only offer, we’re taking a look back to find out just where chicken-fried steak came from. After all, there’d be no chicken-fried taco at Fuzzy’s without it.
Chicken-Fried Origin Story
What was once referred to as “country-fried steak” or “pan-fried steak” has contradicting origins. (Off to a good start, no?)
Some say the first American recipe was featured in the Los Angeles Times in 1924. It appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press in 1936 and the Household Searchlight Recipe Book of Topeka, Kansas in 1949. Historians believe, however, that the dish has been around since the early 1800s.
Back in the day, before the FDA and refrigeration, preparing meat was a bit trickier. When meat was of questionable quality, an easy way to make it palatable was breading and frying it. Some say chicken-fried steak actually traces its origin back to Bavaria and the Wiener schnitzel. This dish was similarly prepared, made with veal instead of beef, and was brought to America by German immigrants who eventually settled in Texas.
Another story says Jimmy Don Perkins, a short-order cook in a cafe in Lamesa, Texas, created it by accident. According to myth, Jimmy Don read two separate orders for chicken and steak as one ticket and did his best to create it. Thus, chicken-fried steak was born. Lamesa still hosts a chicken-fried steak festival every year, FYI.
The world may never really know where chicken-fried steak originated. What do we know? That you can now get the chicken-fried taco at your local Fuzzy’s for a limited time. Come and get it.
