November 4, 2023
Review RecipeChicken Fried Steak
Table of Contents
This crispy chicken fried steak is a classic Southern dish that might just be the ultimate comfort food. Tender cube steak is breaded and fried to golden brown and then smothered in a creamy gravy that is so rich and delicious, you’ll wonder why you didn’t try this recipe sooner.
For more beef recipes, try our salisbury steak or poor man’s hamburger steaks.
CHICKEN FRIED STEAK INGREDIENTS
You’ll need:
For the Steak
- 2 to 3 cups peanut oil (enough to come up at least 1-inch of oil in your skillet)
- 2 pounds (6 – 5-ounce pieces) cubed beef steak pieces, room temperature
- ¼ cup of milk
- 4 eggs, room temperature
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon season salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
PRO TIP:
If you can not find cubed steak at your local grocer, you can use thin slices of sirloin beef and tenderize it with a meat mallet. Follow all other directions for this dish.
For the Gravy
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups whole milk
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
SUBSTITUTIONS AND ADDITIONS
GRAVY: If you do not like white gravy, you can use any brown gravy instead. The kind from the jar or packet, or even from scratch, will taste delicious with this chicken fried steak as well.
SPICY: If you’d like your steaks to come out spicy, add a dash or two of cayenne pepper to your spice mix.
HOW TO MAKE THIS CHICKEN FRIED STEAK RECIPE
PRO TIP:
The amount of servings for this dish is very adjustable. If you have a smaller family, just reduce the amount of the ingredients (except for the oil in your skillet, that will be consistent to the size of your skillet) or vice versa if you have a larger family.
STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place a baking rack into a large baking sheet tray. Very lightly spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
STEP TWO: In a large skillet (at least 3-4 inches deep), on medium-high heat, place the peanut oil. Heat the oil to 350°F. While your oil is heating, you can coat your cubed steak pieces.
PRO TIP:
I highly recommend using peanut oil for frying any type of breaded chicken or beef. It has a higher smoke point which means it will not burn as quickly as vegetable or canola oil will. Remember that no matter which oil you use, you will need to keep your oil temperature around 350°F, and the more pieces you fry, the darker your oil will get.
STEP THREE: Set up a breading station (deep-dish pie plates work great for this) by placing the milk and eggs in one dish and whisking to combine.
STEP FOUR: In a separate shallow bowl, place the flour, season salt, garlic powder, onion powder and black pepper. Stir to combine evenly.
STEP FIVE: Dip one piece of steak at a time, of the cubed steak, into the seasoned flour mixture, lightly coating both sides, then dip steak into the egg and milk mixture on both sides, and finally back into the flour mixture. Make sure the cubed beef piece is evenly coated, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Place breaded cubed steak on a large plate or rimmed baking tray, and repeat until all your cubed pieces of steak are breaded.
STEP SIX: Very carefully place 2 to 3 pieces (depending on the size of your skillet) of the breaded cube steak into the hot oil. Cook steak for 1 ½ minutes on each side or just until a light golden brown color.
PRO TIP:
Don’t worry, you will finish cooking your chicken fried steak in the oven. It will get slightly darker in the oven.
STEP SEVEN: Remove the golden brown pieces of chicken fried steak from the oil, allowing any excess oil to drip off, then place the pieces onto the prepared baking tray.
STEP EIGHT: Repeat steps 6 and 7 with the remaining steaks until all your pieces of meat are fried.
STEP NINE: Place your fried cubed steak that is on the sheet tray into the oven to finish cooking for 20 minutes.
STEP TEN: While your chicken fried steak is in the oven, you can make your steak gravy by placing, in a medium saucepan, the 4 tablespoons butter and ¼ cup flour. Cook on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, whisking until the butter has absorbed the flour and is a pale gold color. Slowly pour the milk, constantly whisking to avoid lumps, into the saucepan with butter and flour mixture. Add the kosher salt and black pepper to the gravy and allow it to cook and thicken. This will take about 5 minutes. Make sure to whisk often to avoid burning the milk.
STEP ELEVEN: Once the gravy has thickened, turn off the heat.
STEP TWELVE: When the chicken fried steak is done cooking, plate each piece and top with the gravy.
HOW TO SERVE
This homemade chicken-fried steak should be served immediately. If you want to keep it warm while you prepare the remainder of your meal, you can turn your oven down to 200°F and allow your chicken fried steak to stay warm for up to 20 minutes. Just be mindful that the longer it stays in the oven, the less tender the meat will be.
You can serve this yummy steak alongside mashed potatoes and your favorite steamed vegetable or green beans.
MORE CHICKEN RECIPES
STORAGE
IN THE FRIDGE: Store your crispy chicken fried steak in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days. Fried coating is best right after cooking.
These easy chicken fried steaks are a delicious way to enjoy tender cuts of beef. And the gravy is a must – everything tastes better drenched in a creamy rich gravy, especially when it comes to this breaded steak recipe.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is the best oil for chicken fried steak?
Vegetable oil, canola oil, and peanut oil are the best choices for frying although in this case, we’d recommend sticking with peanut oil as your first choice. Olive oil doesn’t have a high enough smoke point for frying.
Why does this mention chicken when the meat used is beef?
This popular dish does not have any chicken in it. The reference comes from the way it is breaded and fried much the way fried chicken is.
Can I store leftovers of this recipe?
Leftover chicken fried steak will keep in the fridge for a couple of days but it will start to lose the crispy texture of the breading. Freezing this is not recommended.
MORE RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
- Fried Chicken Sandwich
- Baked Bruschetta Chicken
- Chicken and Dumplings
- Hamburger Steak
- Chicken Pot Pie
- Steak Rolls
- Steak Bites
- Longhorn Parmesan Crusted Chicken
- Korean Chicken
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- Shake and Bake Chicken
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Chicken Fried Steak
This is the best chicken fried steak around with its crispy breading and rich gravy.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 23 minutes
Total Time 33 minutes
Servings 6
Ingredients
Steak
- 2 to 3 cups peanut oil enough to come up at least 1 inch in your skillet
- 2 pounds cubed beef steak pieces room temperature (6 – 5-ounce pieces)
- ¼ cup milk
- 4 eggs room temperature
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon season salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Gravy
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups whole milk
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place a baking rack into a large baking sheet tray. Very lightly spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large heavy-duty skillet (at least 3 to 4 inches deep), on medium-high heat, place the peanut oil. Heat the oil to 350°F. While your oil is heating, you can coat your cubed steak pieces.
- Set up a breading station (deep-dish pie plates work great for this) by placing the milk and eggs in one dish and whisking to combine.
- In a second dish, place the flour, season salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper. Stir to combine evenly.
- Dip one piece at a time of the cubed steak, into the flour mixture lightly coating both sides, then into the egg mixture on both sides, and finally back into the flour mixture. Make sure the cubed beef piece is evenly coated, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Place breaded cubed steak on a large plate or rimmed baking tray, and repeat until all your cubed steak pieces are breaded.
- Very carefully place 2 to 3 pieces (depending on the size of your skillet) of the breaded cube steak into the hot oil. Cook for 1 ½ minutes on each side or just until a light golden brown color. Don’t worry, you will finish cooking your chicken fried steak in the oven. It will get slightly darker in the oven.
- Remove the golden brown pieces of chicken fried steak from the oil, allowing any excess oil to drip off, then place the pieces onto the prepared baking tray.
- Repeat steps 6 and 7 until all your pieces of meat are fried.
- Place your fried cubed steak that is on the sheet tray into the oven to finish cooking for 20 minutes.
- While your chicken fried steak is in the oven, you can make your gravy by placing, in a medium saucepan, the 4 tablespoons butter and ¼ cup flour. Cook on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, whisking until the butter has absorbed the flour and is a pale gold color. Slowly pour the milk, whisking constantly to avoid lumps, into the saucepan with butter and flour mixture. Add the kosher salt and black pepper to the gravy and allow it to cook and thicken. This will take about 5 minutes. Make sure to whisk often to avoid burning the milk.
- Once the gravy has thickened, turn off the heat.
- When the chicken fried steak is done cooking, plate each piece and top with the gravy.
Notes
PRO TIP: If you can not find cubed steak at your local grocer, you can use thin slices of sirloin beef and tenderize it with a meat mallet. Follow all other directions for this dish.
PRO TIP: The amount of servings for this dish is very adjustable. If you have a smaller family, just reduce the amount of the ingredients (except for the oil in your skillet, that will be consistent to the size of your skillet) or vice versa if you have a larger family.
PRO TIP: I highly recommend using peanut oil for frying any type of breaded chicken or beef. It has a higher smoke point which means it will not burn as quickly as vegetable or canola oil will. Remember that no matter which oil you use, you will need to keep your oil temperature around 350°F, and the more pieces you fry, the darker your oil will get.
PRO TIP: Don’t worry, you will finish cooking your chicken fried steak in the oven. It will get slightly darker in the oven.
Nutrition
Calories: 1270kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 105g | Saturated Fat: 28g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 25g | Monounsaturated Fat: 45g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 255mg | Sodium: 1759mg | Potassium: 833mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 674IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 259mg | Iron: 5mg
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Comments
Gloria says
What a delicious meal!
Mr Cloak n Dagger says
Ive never left a comment b4 but yall are knocking these recipes outt the park!!!! I tried you ham n swiss sliders (5 star perfect!) Im doing your french dip sliders & lipton meatloaf. Keep up the good eats im a huge follower 4 sure!