Chicken Fried Steak with Gravy
Chicken fried steak and gravy is a Southern classic. Tenderized steak cutlets are double battered and breaded, then fried until golden brown.
The Cooking Bride is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Chicken fried steak with gravy, a Southern favorite, is exactly as the name implies. A thin cut of tenderized beef steak is breaded in flour and seasonings, then fried in the same manner as fried chicken. We will figure out a way to fry just about everything in the South, y’all.
The origins of chicken fried steak and gravy
Breaded chicken fried steak is comparable to the Austrian dish Wiener schnitzel, which is prepared by breading and frying a veal cutlet. It is speculated that Austrian and German immigrants who moved to Texas in the 19th century introduced the dish to the region. Over the years a white cream gravy, similar to sausage gravy but without the sausage, was added.
Ingredients and tools you will need
The ingredients required for this chicken fried steak and country gravy recipe are pretty basic, many of which you may already have in your kitchen at home. For the steak recipe, you will need:
For the steak:
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- ½ cup milk
- 2-3 dashes hot sauce
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups vegetable oil, for frying
- 2 pounds beef cubed steak – Cube steak is the best beef for chicken fried steak. It’s typically a cheap cut of beef such as top round steak or top sirloin that has been tenderized with a meat tenderizer or meat mallet. The tenderizer leaves small indentations on the surface of the meat. If you have trouble finding it on your own at the grocery store, ask for it at the meat counter.
- Large cast-iron skillet or similar large skillet for frying – it need to be at least 12 inches in diameter.
- Heat-safe tongs – for flipping the steaks and removing them from the hot grease once they are cooked.
For the gravy:
- 3 tablespoons grease – You can use leftover pan drippings or bacon grease.
- 1-2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1-1 ½ cups milk
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Skillet – you can drain the grease from the cast iron skillet you used for frying and reuse it to make the creamy gravy.
- Wooden spoon
How to make chicken fried steak
Let the steaks come to room temperature before starting. Starting with cold meat can increase the cooking time and drop the temperature of the oil.
- Season both sides of the steaks with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Heat the cooking oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. The oil needs to reach 375 degrees F on a thermometer. Once the oil reaches temp, adjust the heat to maintain the temperature.
- While the oil is heating, let’s set up our breading station. I like to use two pie plates for the batter for chicken fried steak. Combine the eggs, milk and hot sauce in one dish.
- Then mix the flour, paprika, salt, onion powder, and black pepper in the second dish.
- To achieve the crispiest crust possible, we are utilizing a technique called double battering. Dip the steaks in the egg mixture and let any excess drain off.
- Dredge the steaks in the flour mixture until they are evenly coated and shake off any excess flour.
- Dip the coated steak in the egg wash a second time.
- Then coat them one more time in the flour. You will probably need to do this one at a time to ensure each steak gets a full and even coating.
- Carefully place the battered chicken fried steaks in the hot oil. Depending on how large your skillet is, you may need to fry the steaks in batches. You don’t want to over crowd the skillet. Doing so could cause the temperature of the oil to drop and may prohibit the steaks from being fully immersed in the oil.
- Fry the breaded steak for two minutes. Then flip and continue to fry for two more minutes until the steak is cooked through and the coating is golden brown. The internal temperature of the steak should be 145 degrees F.
- Remove the steaks from the hot oil and drain on a paper towel-lined plate or on a wire rack over paper towels to absorb any excess grease. I like to keep the steaks in a warm oven while I prepare the creamy white gravy.
Making the gravy
You can strain two tablespoons of the cooking grease from the skillet we just used for frying, or you could use bacon grease like I do. I keep a jar of bacon grease in my refrigerator, so I always have some on hand.
- Bring the grease back to heat over medium heat.
- Whisk in 1-2 tablespoons of flour. Continue to whisk until the mixture is smooth and free of lumps. Cook the flour for two minutes to remove the raw flour taste.
- Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly. As the mixture cooks it will start to thicken. As soon as it reaches your desired thickness, remove the gravy from the heat. If the gravy becomes too thick, add additional milk to thin it out.
- Season the chicken fried steak gravy with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve warm drizzled over the hot steaks.
Storage, freezing and reheating instructions
Storage. Wrap any cooled leftover steaks first in a paper towel to absorb any excess moisture, then with a layer of plastic wrap. The steaks can be stored in the fridge for 3-5 days,
Freezing. Wrap the steak as instructed above and freeze for up to a month. Thaw completely before reheating.
Reheating. For best results, place the steaks on a baking sheet in a 350-degree oven and bake until heated through, about 10-15 minutes. You can also reheat fried steaks in the air fryer at 350 degrees for 5-7 minutes.
Frequently asked questions
Many people use the name interchangeably. While the fried steaks are prepared in a similar manner, the difference comes down to the gravy. Instead of white gravy, country fried steaks are smothered in a brown gravy made from the pan drippings.
Tenderizing the steak does two things: it makes the steak thin so it cooks faster and more evenly, It also makes the steak less chewy. You can tenderize your steak at home by pounding the meat with a rolling pin or meat mallet.
More than likely your cooking oil isn’t hot enough. Either the oil wasn’t allowed to heat to 375 degrees before adding the steak to the pan, or too many steaks were added to the pan at once and the temperature dropped.
It may look like blood, but it’s actually water and myoglobin, a protein found in skeletal muscles. This is normal when you shallow fry food and it won’t hurt you to eat it. However, it can look a bit unappealing. If that’s the case, simply flip the steaks when you start to notice the red liquid oozing from the top. Repeat until the steaks are cooked through.
Serve your chicken fried steak meal with
Chicken Fried Steak with Gravy
Ingredients
For the steak:
- 2 pounds beef cubed steak
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- ½ cup milk
- 2-3 dashes hot sauce
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups oil for frying
For the gravy:
- 3 tablespoons grease
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups milk
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
For the steaks:
- Season both sides of the steak with salt and pepper. Set aside and let the cubed steaks come to room temperature.
- Combine the eggs, milk and hot sauce in a shallow dish.
- Combine the flour, paprika, salt, onion powder, and black pepper in a second shallow dish.
- Heat the cooking oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it reaches 375 degrees. Adjust the heat to maintain the temperature.
- While the oil is heating, coat the cubed steaks in the egg mixture and let any excess drain off.
- Next, dredge the steaks in the flour mixture until it is evenly coated. Shake off any excess.
- Repeat the process, coating in eggs and then dredging in the flour a second time.
- Working in batches, carefully place a coated steak in the hot oil. Fry for 2 minutes.
- Flip and continue frying for 2 more minutes until the steak is cooked through and the coating is golden brown.
- Drain on paper towels.
For the gravy:
- Bring three tablespoons of pan drippings or bacon grease back to heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Whisk in the flour. Continue to whisk until the mixture is smooth and free of lumps.
- Cook the flour and grease for two minutes.
- Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly. As the mixture cooks it will start to thicken. As soon as it reaches your desired thickness, remove it from the heat. If the gravy becomes too thick, add additional milk to thin it out.
- Serve warm drizzled over the hot steaks.
Hi Dana! Cubed beef steak does not refer to the cut — like stew meat. It means beef tenderized and flattened by pounding with a meat tenderizer. Hope that clears things up.
Hi, I have a question about the cubed beef steak, what do you mean by cubed steak because I’m confused, it doesn’t look cubed?, Thank you
You’re welcome, LaReta!
Thanks for the tip, Rick.
Yes the flour is enough! I like to dip in flour then egg then crushed saltines. Then fry . Then gravy.. Thank you for recipe.
When I make the gravy, if I use 2 tablespoons oil or butter the I use the same amount of flour. I stir it until it becomes a paste..adding flour if needed to get the paste. Now I’ll add 2 cups of milk. If too think just add a bit more milk.
Cream gravy does not mean use cream. It means it pours like cream, consistency of cream
I’m from Texas and have been eating this all my life (59 yrs). My only question is the amount of flour you listed. I don’t think 1/2 cup is nearly enough. Especially to double dip.