This easy Chicken Fried Steak recipe is made with tender cube steak in a simple breading, pan fried till golden brown then topped with a silky country gravy.
Serve chicken fried steak with fluffy mashed potatoes, corn on the cob or a side of parmesan roasted green beans for an unforgettable meal.
What Cut of Meat is Used For Chicken Fried Steaks?
Chicken Fried Steak is made with tenderized beef cube steak. You can find this in the meat section of your grocery store or ask your butcher to tenderize it for you.
If you can’t get ahold of cube steak you can use round steak or sirloin steak instead. Be sure to thoroughly tenderize it with a meat mallet or a similar tool. Other options include flank steak or skirt steak, which also require tenderizing.
Chicken Fried Steak Recipe
Country Fried Steak and Chicken Fried Steak are actually the same recipe! When I worked at Chili’s years ago, there was a country fried steak recipe on the menu and people would CONSTANTLY order it as “chicken fried steak.”
The reason some people say “chicken” instead of “country” is because the steak is breaded and fried, similar to how you make Fried Chicken. Don’t be confused…there is no chicken in this steak recipe.
Ingredients Needed
Skip the diner, toss that gravy packet to the side… let me show you how to make crispy steak at home in no time! Here’s what you’ll need… as always, you can find the full list of ingredients located in the printable recipe card below.
- Cube Steaks – pre tenderized steaks that look like they have tiny cuts all over them.
- Eggs – for binding the breading to the steaks
- Milk – you can swap with buttermilk if you have it on hand, which can help tenderize the steaks even more. Milk will also be used to create the white gravy that covers the steaks.
- All Purpose Flour – used to create the crispy breading that coats the steaks. feel free to swap with a gluten free option if desired. You’ll also need flour to thicken the gravy.
- Seasonings – a mixture of salt, pepper, garlic powder and cayenne give the breading on the steaks a nice flavor.
- Oil For Frying – use a light oil like avocado oil, vegetable oil or canola oil for frying the steaks.
How To Make Chicken Fried Steak with Gravy
With just a handful of simple ingredients, you can whip up this cozy meal in no time, let me walk you through the process.
Prepare The Cube Steaks
Start by seasoning your tenderized cube steaks with salt and pepper. If your steaks are thicker, you can tenderize them more by using a meat mallet or similar tool.
PRO TIP: The thinner the steaks, the better! They’ll cook quickly when pan fried, allowing the breading to brown and not burn.
Coat, Dip, Coat – Repeat
Press your cube steaks into the flour mixture, making sure it’s coated on both sides, then shake off any excess flour.
Dip the steak into the milk and egg mixture, coating both sides.
Finally, place the steak back into the flour mixture, really making sure it’s coated on both sides again.
Once the steaks are coated in their breading, place them on a plate until. you’re ready to fry them.
Fry Until Golden
Place enough oil in a large, heavy bottomed pan to fill it about 1/4″ inch deep. We don’t need a lot of oil for frying, just enough to come up half the side of the steaks.
PRO TIP: Heat the oil over medium-high heat. The temperature should reach 350 degrees F. for proper frying temperature.
Why Is The Breading Soggy? Why Is The Breading Burnt?
If the oil is not hot enough, the breading on the steaks will quickly be saturated with the oil, causing your steaks to have a soggy breading. That’s no fun.
If the oil is too hot, the breading on the steaks will burn and the steaks on the inside run the risk of not cooking all the way through.
The proper temperature for frying food is 350 degrees F. Use an instant read thermometer to check the temperature, or you can drop a little bit of the flour mixture in the oil and it’ll bubble instantly.
Keep Steaks Warm in Oven
After you’re done frying up the steaks, keep them warm in a 200 degree oven while you whip up the gravy. Placing the steaks on a cookie rack keeps the coating nice and crispy while they stay warm.
Make The Country Gravy
Remove the used oil from the pan used to fry the steaks (I like to use this grease trapper to separate any solid bits from the oil). Then return the pan to the stove top and add in about 1/4 cup of the oil and heat it over medium.
Whisk in the flour, cooking until it’s lightly browned and scrap any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Those browned bits add loads of flavor to the gravy! This browned mixture is called a roux (pronounced rue).
PRO TIP: if you don’t want to use the leftover oil, you can also swap the oil for 1/4 cup of butter.
Once the flour mixture is cooked and lightly browned (about 2 to 3 minutes), gradually whisk in the milk until the gravy becomes smooth and creamy.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. Plenty of pepper makes the gravy have loads more flavor!
Serve Chicken Fried Steaks with Country Gravy
Once that gravy is smooth and ready to go, serve up those crispy fried steaks with a slathering of white country gravy on top.
It’s a good old fashioned Southern dinner that’s fit for a king.
Suggested Kitchen Tools For Frying
Before you even get started preparing the country fried steaks, here are a few kitchen tools that I think make breading and frying foods a breeze.
- Shallow Sheet Pans – these mini sheet pans are large enough for breading things like steaks, chicken, pork and more. They keep the kitchen counter clean while moving the breaded items from one pan to the next. A set of three is perfect for breading anything!
- Cast Iron Pan – I love using a heavy bottomed cast iron pan, especially one that is enamelled for a non-stick surface that’s easy to clean and won’t rust on me. It’s perfect for one pan meals, and goes right from the stove top into the oven for easy cooking.
- Instant Read Thermometer – every kitchen should have an instant read thermometer. Getting your oil temperature just right is crucial for frying breaded items and a thermometer will help you do just that. It’s also great for checking meat temperatures.
- Grease Trapper – this silicone grease trapper is perfect for draining off any excess oil, separating any bits and allowing you to safely discard the used oil or grease once it’s cooled.
Make Ahead and Storage
You can prepare the steaks ahead of time (breading them and frying them), then let them cook and store them in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Or freeze for up to 3 months.
To reheat, simply place the defrosted steaks on a lined baking sheet in the oven at 350 degrees, until they’re heated through and crisp again. You may also use the air fryer to reheat the steaks.
Gravy can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave or stove top until heated through. You may need to add a dash of milk to make the gravy smooth and creamy again.
More Cozy Southern Recipes
Craving more delicious and comforting Southern recipes? Here are a few more of my favorite classic diner recipes that I know you’ll love.
- Old Fashioned Peach Cobbler – simple ingredients with maximum flavor!
- Buttermilk Biscuits – flakey, buttery and so easy to make. Don’t forget the gravy!
- Creamed Spinach – these creamy greens are absolute perfection and so simple to make.
- Crispy Fried Chicken – forget KFC, this crispy chicken is where it’s at!
I can’t wait for you to try this easy Chicken Fried Steak recipe. Let me know what you think in the comments below!
Chicken Fried Steak and Country Gravy Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb. cube steak, tenderized *see notes
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup milk
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- Canola oil for frying, enough to cover ¼" deep in pan **see notes
For Country Gravy
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 2 cups milk, whole milk or 2%
- 2 tsp black pepper, more to taste
- ½ tsp salt, more to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and place a cooling rack on top of it. Place this inside the oven to hold the cooked steaks when they're done frying.
- Season the cube steaks with salt and pepper on both sides, pound extra thin with a meat mallet or similar tool.
- In a shallow dish, combine 2 eggs and ½ cup milk then whisk together. In a separate shallow dish combine 1 ½ cups all purpose flour, 2 tsp salt, 2 tsp black pepper, 2 tsp garlic powder and ½ tsp cayenne pepper, whisk together.
- Press the tenderized steaks into the flour mixture, coating both sides. Shake off any excess flour, then dip the steak in the egg mixture on both sides. Next place the steak back into the flour mixture, once again coating both sides. Repeat this process for all of the steaks.
- Meanwhile, heat a heavy bottomed pan (I like to use my cast iron skillet) over medium-high heat with enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan, and about ¼ inch deep. Once the oil has reached 350 degrees F. add in two steaks at a time. Don't over crowd the pan. Cook the steaks for about 3 to 4 minutes per side, until they're golden brown and cooked to your liking.
- Place fried steaks on the wire rack in your oven to keep warm while you make the gravy.
For the Country Gravy
- Drain off all but ¼ cup of the grease from the pan and turn the heat to medium. Whisk in ¼ cup of flour and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until the mixture is a deep golden brown color.
- Gradually whisk in the 2 cups of milk, creating a silky smooth gravy. Season with 2 tsp black pepper and salt to taste. Serve the hot gravy over the browned and crispy steaks. Enjoy!
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