This Chicken-Fried Steak is a delectable southern classic with tender cube steak double breaded, fried to golden perfection, and smothered in creamy flour and milk-based gravy made from the pan drippings. There is nothing quite as delicious as chicken fried steak with gravy! Oh my gosh! I could eat this dish for breakfast!
This meal is always a huge hit with family and friends. It is the ultimate comfort food and hits that sweet spot just right. Plan or call your butcher ahead of time because sometimes cube steak can be difficult to find.
How to make Chicken Fried Steak
Start by salting and peppering the cube steak on both sides. Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, and black pepper in a large shallow bowl. Whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, and hot sauce in a medium shallow bowl. Dredge the cube steaks in the seasoned flour mixture, then into the egg mixture, and back into the flour mixture. Refrigerate on a clean baking sheet for 20 minutes.
Using a large skillet, fry up in the oil until golden brown, turning once to brown the other side. Move the fried cube steaks to paper towels or a wire rack to drain for a few minutes. Then move to a clean baking sheet and place in the oven on warm.
Then, remove all but 4 tablespoons of the oil from the skillet. Please do not remove the pan dripping from the skillet, as they add depth and flavor to the gravy. Now, over medium-low heat, sprinkle the flour over the oil. Then whisk for 2-3 minutes while the mixture cooks and browns. Slowly add the milk, whisking as you do. Continue whisking until smooth and creamy. Now simmer for about 5 minutes or until thickened—season with salt and pepper to taste. Finally, pour the warm gravy over the crispy fried steaks.
Recipe notes and helpful tips
- Cube steak, also known as round steak, is a cut of beef (usually top round) that has been tenderized and flattened with a meat tenderizing mallet.
- Salt and pepper the cube steaks well before breading.
- There is no need to deep fry these. Fry them up in about 1/8 – 1/4 inch oil in a cast iron skillet or Dutch oven.
- Keep the fried steaks in the oven on warm while you finish them and while you are making the gravy. It will keep them crispy till the meal is served.
- Let the steak sit after breading for about 20 minutes. This helps to ensure a good coating with the breading.
- If gravy becomes too thick, add 1/4 cup milk at a time till the desired consistency.
- To reheat, place on a baking sheet in a 400-degree oven for about 10-12 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
What to serve with Chicken Fried Cube Steak
- Mashed Potatoes, of course!
- Southern Green Beans
- Oven Roasted Corn
- Homemade Biscuits
- Scrambled Eggs if you are going for breakfast.
- Southern Collard Greens
- Turnip Greens
- Fried Okra
More chicken recipes you will love!
Chicken Fried Steak Recipe
Classic crispy southern chicken fried steak with an easy finger-licking good pan cream gravy made from the drippings.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes plus chilling time
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: dinner
- Method: pan fried
- Cuisine: Southern
Ingredients
Chicken Fried Steak
- 4 cube steaks
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoons garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 dash hot sauce
- vegetable oil or canola oil
Gravy
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 3 cups milk
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Salt and pepper the cube steak on both sides. In a large shallow bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, and black pepper. In a medium shallow bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, and hot sauce.
- Dredge the cube steaks in the flour mixture, and shake off the excess flour. then dip into the egg mixture and back in the flour mixture. Refrigerate in a single layer on a baking sheet for 20 minutes.
- Heat about 1/4 inch vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Fry the cube steaks until golden brown, turning once to brown the other side. Work in batches. Move the fried cube steaks to paper towels to drain for a couple of minutes. Move to a clean baking sheet and place in the oven at 225 degrees.
- Drain all but 4 tablespoons of the oil from the skillet. Do not remove the browned bits from the skillet. Over medium-low heat, sprinkle the flour over the oil. Cook for 2 minutes, whisking constantly. Slowly add the milk while whisking. Continue whisking until smooth and creamy. Simmer for 5 minutes or until thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve the warm gravy over the crispy fried steaks.
Notes
- Cube steak, also known as round steak, is a cut of beef (usually top round) that has been tenderized and flattened with a meat tenderizing mallet.
- Salt and pepper the cube steaks well before breading.
- There is no need to deep fry these. Fry them up in about 1/8 – 1/4 inch oil in a cast iron skillet or Dutch oven.
- Keep the fried steaks in the oven on warm while you finish them and while you are making the gravy. It will keep them crispy till the meal is served.
- Let the steak sit after breading for about 20 minutes. This helps to ensure a good coating with the breading.
- If gravy becomes too thick, add 1/4 cup milk at a time till the desired consistency.
- To reheat, place on a baking sheet in a 400-degree oven for about 10-12 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Keywords: country fried steak, how to make chicken fried steak, fried cube steak, what is chicken fried steak
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Lima
Such a great and easy chicken fried steak recipe. I served it with mashed potatoes and your southern green beans. So yummy!
★★★★★
Justine
This is comfort food! So delicious!
★★★★★
Anjali
This is comfort food at its best!! Hearty, filling, and so delicious!
★★★★★
Carrie
This is such a classic southern comfort food recipe. We really enjoyed it and will make it again.
★★★★★
Kay
What a flavorful and delicious recipe to try for dinner. Thanks for sharing.
★★★★★
Angee
Sounds delicious, thanks for sharing! I’ve been looking for a recipe that will keep the steaks crispy (like at an old mom-and-pop restaurant I visited years ago – it was the best!). I’m anxious to try this and see if it’s similar. It sounds like it might be what I’ve been missing 🙂
Is the 20 minutes in the fridge set in stone? Meaning, I’d like to make this as time permits earlier in the day. Would it hurt if it were breaded and in the fridge for several hours?
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
Sorry about the delay! Yes, you can bread them up several hours in advance. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
Mary Pidgeon
Chicken fried steak is my favorite food for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I’m making this recipe tomorrow night for dinner and will come back to let you know how we like it. I have to cook so much chicken, because it’s my husband’s favorite, that I am always looking for new ways to make it. But this one’s for me . Thanks for sharing
Beth Pierce
My pleasure Mary! I sure hope you enjoy it!
Kenzie
Such a yummy recipe and so easy to follow! Definitely will be making it again for the family!
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
Thanks Kenzie! So glad that you liked it!
Des
Easy and yummy
★★★★★
Denay DeGuzman
This recipe reminds me of childhood. My mom loved making chicken fried steak. Your recipe tastes just like hers: so delicious!
★★★★★
Claudia Lamascolo
My husband loved this. The chicken stays crispy not soggy and the gravy is wonderfully seasoned!
★★★★★
Marlynn
This is such a yummy dish to make when we have guests over. So comforting and easy to make!
★★★★★
Pam
We call it country fried steak, but by any name you are correct. This right here is the ultimate comfort food!
★★★★★
Bintu
This sounds incredible, real comfort food! I love the sound of that gravy!
★★★★★
Adrianne
My mouth is watering and I reckon I can taste that crunchy coating just looking at the pics. The gravy sounds like a good combo also. Got to love green beans, I could eat them everyday!
★★★★★
Anjali
Yum!! This is comfort food at its best! So satisfying and delicious!
★★★★★
Jamie H
This is homemade goodness right here! I always feel like chicken fried steak sounds hard to make, but you make it sound easy!
Dannii
This isn’t really a thing here in the UK, but it looks amazing. Super comforting and I can’t wait to try it.
★★★★★
Diane Benson
This was my first time making chicken fried steak and it was amazing! Even better than my favorite restaurant!
★★★★★
Katie
Tastes just as good as our favorite restaurant. So crispy and tender!
★★★★★
Kristyn
I have always loved chicken fried steak! The gravy is creamy & delicious. It tastes great paired with any side!
★★★★★
Biana
Yum! This looks delicious, chicken fried steak is with mashed potatoes and green beans is a perfect dinner idea!
★★★★★
Elizabeth
My goodness gracious me this sounds good! I had to Google what a cube steak was though… never heard of that before!
★★★★★
Caylie
Such a great comfort food! I remember this from growing up. Definitely gonna make this ASAP!!
Sharon
This chicken-fried steak is a classic restaurant favorite you can easily make right at home. I love the scratch-made pan gravy for topping.
★★★★★
Pam
You are so right. There is nothing like it. We call it country fried steak, or even just “cubed steak”.
★★★★★
Sandy
Can self rising flour be used in the coating?
Beth Pierce
I do not work with self rising flour. I am hoping one of the readers will be able to answer this.
Beti
Everyone loved this Chicken Fried Steak! It was incredibly delicious!
★★★★★
Cathy
This is perfectly seasoned and SO crispy delicious!
Catalina
This is the kind of dinner that my family loves. I will make it for dinner tonight!
★★★★★
Erin
This Chicken Fried Steak is looks absolutely delicious! Yummy!
★★★★★
Vik
Delightfully crunchy and oh so tasty!
★★★★★
Anna
My Hubby loved this dish! It’s his favorite comfort food! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
★★★★★
Amanda
This looks amazing! My idea of comfort food!
katerina
My family loved this Chicken Fried Steak! It was incredibly delicious!! I will definitely be making this again and again!
★★★★★
Julia
Seriously delicious comfort food meal! The coating is so flavourful!
★★★★★
Beth
Such a classic southern dish and one of our favorites! Your version is spot on. Thanks!
★★★★★
klor
Everything about this is perfection. The chicken was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The gravy was also amazing.
★★★★★
Courtey
Such a great comforting dish. The breading on the steak was perfectly crisp. We will definitely be making this again!
★★★★★
Cate
This looks so delicious and easy to make! I’ve never made my own chicken fried steak but I can’t wait to try it, thanks for the recipe!
Andrea
I really like that the seasonings are added to the flour so it makes the crispy outside flavorful. The entire plate looks marvelous.
★★★★★
Jennifer
This chicken fried steak looks super crispy and sounds fantastic. Perfect comfort food.
★★★★★
Biana
Chicken fried steak looks amazing! Am going to be making it for dinner very soon.
★★★★★
LIma
Love this – what a great recipe – I am going to try it in a sandwich!
★★★★★
whitney
It’s the gravy for me… can’t even eat it without it, it’s so delicious!!
★★★★★
Sara
This is my kind of comfort food! Served this for the family, and it was a hit all around the table! Delish!
★★★★★
Elizabeth
There is also an appliance named “Fast Cutlet Maker” that smash the flesh and after it have clear squared pattern on it. It’s mostly popular in Poland.
★★★★
wayne pittuck
I have tried to make this but for some reason the gravy doesn’t turn out I make good chicken, turkey pork and beef gravy but tis white gravy eludes me somehow lol
Beth Pierce
There are all kinds of white gravies for chicken fried steak with the most popular being the white gravy with lots of pepper in it and very little other spice. You can serve chicken gravy with your chicken fried steak if that is what you like and what you are good at making. That is what makes cooking fun!
Sharla
I made this last night, except I didn’t use the Cumin, and all I had was the smoky paprika, but it tasted very good. And the gravy was excellent, too! My husband and son requested that I make it again soooon….haha! They about ate the kettle and all…haha! Very good recipe!
bpierce
Smoky paprika would be really good also. You are very funny! You are cracking me up. Glad that you liked it!!
Nancy
Made this today and it was Delicious!
Thank you for sharing your recipe.
God bless!
bpierce
So glad that you liked it. You are most welcome!
Bobbi Johnson
I’m sorry, but while your recipe sounds good, I’m a bit OCD and saw NOTES
Serve with mashed potatoes and use the extra grave to smoother them!
You might want to correct that from grave to gravy and smother them, not smoother them. 🙂
bpierce
Thanks for the heads up. I found it hard to believe that I had those words spelled like that! I must have been enjoying a Bloody Mary while I was tying that one. LOL!
D.Alfano
What is the purpose of the instant potato? I love eating chicken fried steak but when I make it the crust doesn’t want to stay on.
bpierce
Yes indeed the starch in the potato flakes does help it adhere better. Give it a whirl and let me know what you think!! Happy cooking!
Debbie Ray
D Ray
It helps if you make sure your oil is hot enough before you put your meat in. I usually heat it until a drop of water dropped into the oil sizzles or pops then put the meat in. Let each piece of meat sit without turning it for a couple of minutes giving the batter time to crust & turn golden brown. Then turn with a spatula. It helps to go under the crust completely to keep the crust intact. Hope this helps since the batter is what makes it Country Fried! Yummm ?
bpierce
Great advice Debbie! Thanks for the time to post! 🙂
Phyllis
I always do chicken fried steak in an electric skillet so I know the temperature is 365. The high heat must be what keeps the crust on. If you have a clip on thermometer you could use a frying pan.
Myrna Ty
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I love cooking and will try this very soon.
bpierce
You are so very welcome! Enjoy!