It’s a Southern thang: Chicken Fried Steak, served with a peppery gravy that just melts in your mouth.
Like a lot of Southern food, Chicken Fried Steak is fried goodness and has a variety of origin stories. Most popular in the swath of the South including western Louisiana, Texas, and Oklahoma, the dish may have originated with the numerous German and Austrian immigrants in the 19th century.
It depends on who you ask, but there are some similarities to the European schnitzel dish, normally made with a thin piece of veal and coated with a crisp fried breading. It’s easy to see how the newcomers to America simply swapped out cheap beef cuts for the veal and transformed the schnitzel of their homeland. Of course, every little diner or home cook in the South may tell you a different story!
Whatever the origin, the confusing name remains. Is it chicken? Is it steak? And who fries steak? The short answer is that it’s a cheap cut of steak dipped, breaded, and fried up like fried chicken. Not to be confused with country fried steak, which is just dredged through flour before frying. The gravy on top of the two is usually different as well. Chicken Fried Steak has a creamy white gravy, while country fried steak has a brown gravy made from pan drippings.
Why I Love Making Chicken Fried Steak
Even if you’re not a ranch hand coming in for a big meal, this Chicken Fried Steak is great if you love crispy fried meat and heavenly gravy. The crispy coating envelopes the thin cut of cube steak to keep it tender and provides the perfect base for the velvet white gravy poured over top. Filling, satisfying, and flavorful thanks to the seasoning.
Also, this is a recipe that is not rocket science: an easy way to enjoy the comfort food of a diner without leaving home!
What’s the difference between a cube steak and a round steak?
A cube steak is just a round steak that has been tenderized by the butcher or meat producer – it should have little holes in it where the machinery pounded it.
What if the breading won’t stick to the steak?
Try setting the steak with the coatings in the fridge for about 15 minutes; towards the end of that time, start heating up your oil.
Serving Suggestions
If you make one thing to eat with Chicken Fried Steak, go with mashed potatoes. The mashed potatoes soak up any extra gravy and provide a creamy counterpart to the crispy steak. Additional sides would include green beans or cooked peas. If you want to up wow factor, consider serving with some cornbread.
How to Store Chicken Fried Steak
Chicken Fried Steak and the gravy are best when served up right away. However, you could make ahead and store the cooked (and cooled) steaks and gravy separately in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to serve, just gently reheat the steaks in your oven set at 350 degrees until warm (most likely 15-20 minutes). To reheat the gravy, pop it in the microwave and cook on reduced power until warmed up. Any leftovers can be kept in an airtight container for 3-4 days. This recipe does not freeze well.
Chicken Fried Steak Recipe (Cube Steak)
Ingredients
For the chicken fried steak
- 1 lb cube steak tenderized round steak
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- Pinch of salt and black pepper
- Pinch of paprika
- Vegetable oil for frying
For the gravy
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 cups whole milk
- Pinch of salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Begin with the preparation of the steak: Beat the milk with the eggs in a small bowl and set aside. Mix the flour with a pinch of paprika and season with salt and pepper.
- Work with one piece of meat at a time. Season both sides with salt and black pepper, then place it in the flour mixture. Coat with the flour then place into the egg-milk mixture. Finally, place it back in the flour and turn to coat. Place the coated meat on a clean plate, then repeat with the remaining meat.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat then fry the meat in batches, until the edges start to look golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Transfer the meat to a paper towel and repeat until all the meat is cooked.
- Heat another skillet and melt the butter. Sprinkle the flour evenly over the melted butter and mix the flour with the butter, creating a golden-brown paste.
- Pour in the milk, whisking constantly. Simmer the gravy on low heat for 5-10 minutes until thickened.
- Serve the chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and pour over the gravy sauce. Enjoy!
how much oil in skillet
Hi Rhonda, You want just enough to cover the bottom of the skillet, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep. You want enough oil to fry the steak properly but not so much that it submerges it.
turned out great
Thanks Ambre, one of my favorite recipes!
For my best CFS, it is a lot like yours. I do drain on paper towels but then I place them in a 200-250 oven where I keep a cooling rack on a cookie sheet. That keeps them crispy and warm while other parts of the meal are cooking. I choose not to dirty another pan and instead pour off a much oil as possible and keep as many crispy bits in the pan with a small bit of oil in pan. I use 2 Tbs of AP flour and no added oil, one can of 2% evaporated milk and fill empty can with whole milk. Add salt and pepper to taste before serving. For the dredge, I sometimes use DIY buttermilk (1/2 tsp lemon juice to milk and let stand for 30 min) with the egg. Place floured steaks into fridge for 30 minutes to an hour to ensure adherence of the crust while I prepare for the best mashed potatoes ever! As almost every Southerner will tell you it is sacrilegious to have CFS without it. Cornbread is good with it as well as biscuits. I’m in love with a yeasted that’s referred to as Angel Biscuits.
Hi Tannith, Love your tips, especially chilling the steaks before frying! Totally agree on the angel biscuits, I should add a recipe to my site 🙂 And nothing beats CFS and mashed potatoes!