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Chicken-Fried Mushrooms with Creamy Mushroom Gravy

The full chicken-fried treatment on juicy oyster mushrooms — double-dredged, fried golden, and smothered in creamy mushroom gravy

Section
Vegetables
Active
50 min
Total
1 hr 10 min
Servings
4

Via Southern Living · By John Somerall

Ingredients

Chicken-Fried Mushrooms

  • 2 cups mushroom stock
  • 1 lb fresh oyster mushrooms, torn into 3–4" pieces (about 12 cups)
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
  • 2 tsp black pepper, plus more to taste
  • 1½ cups whole buttermilk
  • 2 large eggs
  • Vegetable oil, for frying

Creamy Mushroom Gravy

  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1½ cups whole milk
  • ½ cup mushroom stock
  • ¾ tsp kosher salt
  • ¾ tsp black pepper

To Serve

  • Chopped fresh chives
  • Cayenne pepper
Mushroom stock: Available in most grocery stores, or make your own by simmering dried mushrooms with water. Adds deep umami flavor to both the tenderizing soak and the gravy.
Oil temperature: Keep oil at 350°F between batches. Too hot and the crust burns before the mushroom cooks; too cool and the coating absorbs oil and turns soggy.

Directions

Tenderize the Mushrooms

  1. Bring 2 cups mushroom stock to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Place mushrooms in a large heatproof bowl.
  2. Pour the hot stock over the mushrooms and gently stir to coat. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let stand until mushrooms are mostly tender, 8–10 minutes.

Dredge

  1. Preheat oven to 200°F. Line one baking sheet with paper towels and a second with parchment paper. Set aside.
  2. Whisk together flour, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk and eggs until combined.
  3. Remove mushrooms from the stock, drain, and transfer to the paper towel–lined baking sheet. Gently pat dry.
  4. Working in batches: toss mushrooms in the flour mixture to coat. Dip into the buttermilk mixture. Dredge again in the flour mixture until well coated, shaking off excess between coats. Transfer to the parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat until all mushrooms are coated.

Fry

  1. Line a clean baking sheet with paper towels. Add vegetable oil to a depth of 3 inches in a large Dutch oven. Heat to 350°F.
  2. Working in batches, fry mushrooms — stirring and turning occasionally — until golden brown and crispy, 6–8 minutes per batch. Adjust heat as needed to maintain temperature.
  3. Transfer fried mushrooms to the paper towel–lined sheet to drain. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep warm in the preheated oven while making the gravy.

Creamy Mushroom Gravy

  1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add flour and cook, whisking constantly, until light golden brown, 2–3 minutes.
  2. Whisk in milk and mushroom stock. Cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and begins to bubble, 4–5 minutes. Whisk in salt and pepper. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.

Serve

  1. Drizzle the Chicken-Fried Mushrooms with Creamy Mushroom Gravy. Sprinkle with chopped chives and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Serve immediately.
Serve immediately: The crust stays crispiest right out of the oil. Have the gravy ready before the last batch comes out of the fryer.