Chicken

Get two large but shallow bowls. Add 1 cup of flour to one. In the other, mix the eggs with 1/2 cup of milk and ensure they're well-blended.

Season each steak with salt and pepper, using about 3/4 teaspoon of each for all the steaks (1-1/2 teaspoons of salt-pepper mixture total). Dip both sides of one steak in the flour. Tap off any excess flour, dip both sides of the steak in the egg wash and then return the steak to the flour. Coat both sides once again. Remember to coat the edges of the steaks too. Repeat the dredging for the other steaks.

Add enough oil to a heavy skillet over medium heat to create a layer 1/4 inch deep. Place each steak in the oil to fry; you may have to do this in batches if you have a smaller skillet. Cook the steaks for four to six minutes on each side, ensuring the coating becomes a nice, golden brown. Check the temperature of each steak with an instant-read thermometer and cook until each is 160°F. Remove the finished steaks from the oil and place on a bed of paper towels to drain excess oil. Keep the steaks warm while you make the gravy. Editor's Tip: To check the temperature of the steaks, insert the thermometer in the side of the steak through the edge, so that the thermometer runs horizontally through the meat. To keep the steaks warm after cooking, cover them loosely with a tent of aluminum foil.

Drain most of the oil from the pan, leaving about 2 tablespoons. Add 1/4 cup of flour along with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper (these should be the amounts you have remaining after dredging, so you shouldn't have to re-measure them). Mix everything in the pan and cook over medium heat until you start to see the mixture turn golden. This should take three to four minutes. Carefully add the remaining 1 cup of milk and the water, whisking them both into the oil-flour mixture. Stir constantly while bringing the mixture to a boil, then keep stirring and cooking until the mixture thickens into a gravy. This should take only one to two minutes.