The Southern Comfort Meal Willie Nelson Loves

Willie Nelson is an internationally renowned musical icon, but when it comes to comfort food, the singer sticks true to his Texas roots. In an interview with Southern Living, the Texas-born singer revealed that his Southern meal of choice is a must-try Texas food, chicken-fried steak. The battered, fried steak dish typically comes accompanied by a creamy white gravy and classic Southern sides such as mashed potatoes, green beans, and the Lone Star State's signature Texas toast. Chicken-fried steak is popular across the South, but like so many things, it's even bigger in Texas. By some estimates, Texans consume a whopping 800,000 orders of chicken-fried steak every day, and the state officially recognizes Texas Chicken-Fried Steak Day every year on October 26.

While chicken-fried steak is certainly indulgent, it's actually quite in keeping with Nelson's relatively modest culinary tastes (the country music icon eats the same simple breakfast every day). Historically, the dish has been a budget-friendly and tasty way to stretch tougher cuts of meat. Paired with a creamy gravy made with leftover pan drippings, it's an efficient, delectable, and incredibly comforting meal.

Chicken-fried steak might sound a bit confusing to the uninitiated: is it steak? Is it chicken? Is it a steak, fried by a chicken? However, you can rest assured there's no poultry involved in the preparation. In fact, chicken-fried steak is pretty much exactly what it sounds like: steak, fried so that it looks like fried chicken. Regional variations abound, but Texas-style chicken-fried steak typically consists of thin, tenderized cuts of steak, coated with a flour mixture, fried, and served up with a creamy white gravy (by the way, these are the best cuts of meat for tender chicken-fried steak). 

The exact origins of chicken-fried steak are unclear, but it seems that the indulgent dish originated in Texas in the 1800s. Some theories suggest that chicken-fried steak was created by German and Austrian immigrants, who adapted traditional schnitzel recipes to ingredients available in the Lone Star State. A more entertaining but sadly disproven story posits that the plate was invented by mistake, after a restaurant chef mixed up orders for fried steak and chicken. What is clear is that chicken-fried steak is the perfect comfort dish for Willie Nelson: humble, widely beloved, a little mysterious, and truly Texan. If you want to try whipping up this Southern comfort classic for yourself, don't miss Ree Drummond's ridiculously easy chicken-fried steak trick.