Allergy-Friendly Chicken-Fried Hamburger Steak

Recipe By: Joel Schaefer and Mary Schaefer

Chicken-Fried Steak originated in Texas, where the steak was prepared like fried chicken and served with a peppery white sauce. Our version keeps the great taste – but sidesteps the allergens of dairy, wheat and egg. If you prefer, you can use tenderized cube steaks instead of hamburger patties. To take this dish to the next level, we pair our steak with a Southwestern “cheeze” sauce.

Makes: 4 servings
Free of: gluten and all top allergens

Ingredients

Southwestern ‘Cheeze’ Sauce

1 tbsp roasted garlic (see Recipe Notes)
2 cups (475 mL) unsweetened hemp milk
1 1/2 cups (350 mL/about 1 large) roasted sweet potato or yam, pureed (see Recipe Notes)
2 cups (8 oz/475 mL) pepperjack-style cheeze shreds, such as Daiya
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Chicken-Fried Hamburger Steak

2 tbsp flaxseed meal (see Recipe Notes)
6 tbsp lukewarm water
2 cups (475 mL) gluten-free flour bland, such as King Arthur GF multi-purpose
2 tsp dried thyme, crushed
2 tsp dried oregano, crushed
2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp cayenne pepper
3/4 cup (175 mL) alternative milk, such as unsweetened hemp milk
4 (4 oz/113 g) unseasoned hamburger patties
1/4 cup (60 mL) vegetable or canola oil

Recipe Tips

To roast garlic, preheat oven to 400°F. In a small bowl, toss 1 cup peeled garlic cloves with 1 tbsp vegetable oil. Wrap garlic in 2 sheets of aluminum foil. Bake 30-40 minutes, until garlic is soft. Place garlic in a small food processor and blend until smooth.

To roast sweet potato, preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Wash and cut 1 large sweet potato in half lengthwise. Rub each half with vegetable oil and season with salt and pepper. Place flesh side down on baking sheet. Bake 35-45 minutes, until tender. Cool, remove skin, and puree.

If egg allergy is not an issue, use 2 eggs in place of flaxseed meal and lukewarm water.

Instructions

For cheeze sauce, in a medium saucepan, combine roasted garlic, hemp milk, and roasted sweet potato puree. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking occasionally.
Reduce heat to low, add pepperjack-style shreds and whisk until melted. Season with salt and pepper. (If making in advance, cool and place in refrigerator until needed.)
For the hamburger steak, preheat oven to 425°F.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flaxseed meal and water. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour blend, thyme, oregano, black pepper, salt, and cayenne pepper. Divide into 2 shallow pans or pie pans. Set aside.
Return to flaxseed mixture and whisk again. Then whisk in hemp milk. Transfer to a third shallow pan and set aside.
Taking one hamburger patty at a time, coat in first pan of seasoned flour. Shake off excess flour and dip into liquid mixture to coat all sides. Let excess liquid drip off. Place in second pan of seasoned flour and coat evenly, pressing flour on all sides.
Place on sheet pan lined with foil. Repeat steps 6 and 7 with remaining 3 pieces of meat.
Heat oil in sauté pan on medium-high. When it begins to simmer, add 2 pieces of meat. Cook 2 minutes on each side, turning with tongs. Return meat to sheet pan. Repeat procedure with remaining 2 pieces of meat. When all meat is browned place in oven and bake 5 minutes.
To serve transfer each hamburger steak to a serving place and top each with 1/3 cup of warm Southwestern Cheeze Sauce.

Joel Schaefer and Mary Schaefer are the husband-and-wife culinary team behind https://www.yourallergychefs.com/. Chef Joel is the former Special Dietary Manager at Walt Disney World who developed the food allergy program used across the Disney properties and cruise line.