Chicken Fried Steak is classic comfort food of tender cube steak fried until golden and topped with creamy country gravy!
As a southern girl, I take my fried food pretty seriously and Chicken Fried Steak is one of those simple recipes that brings back so many happy memories. My mom makes an awesome Chicken Fried Steak and an even better gravy, and after years of watching her make it she passed the recipe on to me. It’s all about getting the seasonings in that crispy outer crust just right. This is hands down the best Chicken Fried Steak recipe. I like to serve up our steaks with crock pot mashed potatoes for an easy weeknight dinner that the whole family will enjoy.
CHICKEN FRIED STEAK
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What is Chicken Fried Steak?
Tender, juicy, cube steak is dipped in eggs and flour and fried until it has a crisp outer crust. Then a creamy white gravy is made from the drippings, flour, and milk.
How to Make Chicken Fried Steak
First, you fry your steak. You start with a mix of flour, salt, pepper, paprika, and just a pinch of cayenne. Getting those spices just right is important because that’s where all of the flavors in your Chicken Fried Steak recipe are going to come from.
Once you have your flour seasoned you set up and assembly line with your cube steak, a bowl of flour, and a bowl of whisked eggs and milk. Then you dredge the slices of cube steak in the flour mixture, then the egg mixture, and back into the flour mixture, making sure each piece is well-coated.
Each piece of flour-coated steak goes into a hot skillet filled with vegetable oil. My #1 tip for getting a perfectly fried steak is, don’t rush! Let the steak cook until it is nice and brown on the bottom, then flip it and let it continue to cook until you have a crispy, medium brown, crust on the steak. As each piece finishes set it on a paper towel-lined plate to help remove excess grease.
How to make Chicken Fried Steak Gravy
Once all of your steaks are cooked it’s time for part two: the gravy. Country Fried Steak is nothing without a thick, creamy, peppery, white gravy and it’s super simple to make. You mix a few tablespoons of reserved grease from the steak together with flour and you cook it in your skillet until it just begins to turn golden. This is called making a roux. To the roux you add milk, salt, and pepper and bring everything to a boil, stirring the whole time. As it boils it will thicken and turn into a smooth, peppery gravy that you’ll want to eat with a spoon.
I serve my easy Chicken Fried Steak over homemade mashed potatoes, or with some homemade baking powder biscuits, top it with a thick layer of creamy country gravy, and every bite brings me back to when my mom used to make it for me as a kid. Totally delicious, comfort food.
Try these other Southern food favorites!
- Southern Oven Fried Chicken
- Ambrosia Salad
- Mississippi Sin Deviled Eggs
- Smothered Fried Pork Chops
- Drunken Pimento Cheese
- More dinner recipes…
Tools used to make this Country Fried Steak recipe
Mixing Bowl: These mixing bowls are perfect for mixing and serving. I love the varied sizes so I always have to right size bowl for all my mixing needs.
Whisk: This is my favorite set of whisks. There’s a size for every job and the thicker handles give me a good grip.
Dredge Trays: These trays are the best when I’m coating meat for dinner. They interlock so there’s no drip between trays and everything is easy to manage!
Cast Iron Skillet: This cast iron skillet is one of my most treasured pieces of cookware. I’ve had mine for years and make everything from breakfast to dinner and dessert in it!
Tongs: A good pair of tongs is a kitchen essential. I like having a couple sizes – a longer set for grilling and a shorter set for stovetop cooking.
Ingredients
Chicken Fried Steak
- 2 pounds Cube steak
- 1 ½ cups Whole milk
- 2 Eggs
- 2 ½ cups Flour
- 2 teaspoons Salt divided
- 1 teaspoon Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon Cayenne
- ¾ cup Vegetable Oil divided
Instructions
Chicken Fried Steak
- In a bowl combine milk and eggs, whisking together until they are fully combined.
- In a separate bowl combine flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, pepper, paprika, and cayenne, whisking together.
- Place cube steak, the flour bowl, and the egg bowl next to each other in an assembly line.
- Using the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt lightly salt the steak.
- Dip the steak into the flour lightly coating it.
- Dip the steak into the egg mixture.
- Dip the steak back into the flour, making sure it is well coated before sitting aside. Repeat steps for each piece of cube steak.
- Heat a skillet with ½ a cup of vegetable oil in it over medium heat. You will know it is hot enough when you toss a small piece of flour into the oil and it sizzles.
- Add the steaks to the oil, cooking in batches. Cook until the outer crust is a medium brown and crisp. Then turn and continue to cook until the other side is the same and the meat is cooked through. Approximately 3-5 minutes per side.
- Set cooked pieces of steak on a paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess oil. Continue the process until all of the steaks are cooked. If needed add the remaining vegetable oil.
Gravy:
- Once all of the steaks are cooked drain the oil from the pan reserving ¼ cup in a heat-proof container.
- Add the oil back to the pan and heat over medium heat. Add the flour to the oil and whisk together until it forms a roux and the flour becomes light golden brown. Approximately 2 minutes.
- Add the milk to the roux and continue to cook and whisk, bringing the gravy to a boil. Add salt and pepper and stir until the gravy is smooth and has thickened to the desired consistency. Approximately 5 - 10 minutes.
- Serve over the Chicken Fried Steak.
Nutrition
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