This Texas staple can be found in large and small towns all over the Lone Star State.
Table of Contents
❤️ Why you'll love it
- Comfort food at its finest, the best chicken-fried steak sticks to your ribs and hits the spot every time.
- This recipe results in super tender meat with a crispy, crunchy, oh-so-good breading—no soggy steaks here!
- Say "goodbye" to boring packaged sauce and get ready to savor the flavor of fool-proof homemade gravy.
Chicken fried steak and chicken fried chicken are classic Texas staples for a reason. Now, they're easy to make at home! The only thing you have to worry about is handling all of the compliments you'll receive.
This is one of our favorite dinners paired with Reese's peanut butter cup cheesecake for dessert!
🧾 Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
🔪 Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Dredge the pounded steaks first through the seasoned flour mixture, then the egg/milk mixture, then the flour mixture once again.
- Fry the steaks in a large cast-iron skillet in hot oil until golden brown.
- Cook the flour and bacon fat/butter until browned.
- Slowly whisk in the cream, simmering until thickened to a gravy. Season and add a dash of hot sauce before removing from the heat.
Tenderizing the steaks.
Seriously, making chicken fried steak is this easy. Just run to the store and get a pack of round steaks, thinly sliced and trimmed of fat.
You can get cube steaks but you will pay more and you can do the beating yourself - it is so much fun.
A great stress reliever.
Now, spread a sheet of parchment paper, butcher paper, or waxed paper on the counter and pound the steaks with a tenderizer, one of those meat mallets that has short spikes on it.
Do both sides of the meat. The steak will spread out and you will have a much BIGGER steak than before.
You can substitute boneless chicken breast for the round steak and have chicken fried chicken, another Texas specialty. No change in anything else
🥫 Storage
Chicken fried steak tastes best eaten hot and fresh, but don't worry if you have some leftovers.
Let extra pieces of steak cool to room temperature first, then place them carefully in an airtight container. They'll last in the refrigerator for three to four days.
To reheat the chicken fried steaks, place them on a microwave-safe dish and heat until just warm. Then, finish them off in the broiler (in either an oven or microwave oven) to re-crisp the breading.
If your family hasn't finished off the gravy and licked the bowl clean, you can store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to two days.
📖 Variations
- To create great chicken fried chicken, follow the same steps in the recipe, simply substituting chicken breasts in place of the steak—nothing else changes. Just make sure your chicken is cooked to 165°F before serving.
- Craving pork? You can use boneless pork chops in place of the steaks in this recipe. Follow the same directions, making sure the pork chops reach 145°F.
- If your family likes to keep things spicy, add a little more than the recommended "pinch" of cayenne pepper when mixing the breading ingredients.
- You can also garnish with red pepper flakes or parsley for some additional flavor.
💭 Things to know
Expert Tip: Frying works best in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. You want the oil to maintain a temperature of about 350°F. An oil/candy thermometer can help you achieve a perfect balance between crisp, fried breading and moist, tender steak.
- Peanut oil has a high smoke point and works great but if there are allergies or concerns any good cooking oil is fine.
- Paper towels and crispy chicken fried steak are best friends! Swap out your oil-soaked paper towels often to make sure the next batch of steaks drains properly.
- Stand back a bit and be aware of popping grease! You don't want a burn.
- When storing leftovers, separate each steak with a piece of wax or parchment paper to protect and better preserve the tasty breading.
- To make good gravy, your roux (flour and fat) needs to cook together until golden brown in color. Then, you must slowly drizzle the milk in while whisking to incorporate the ingredients together. It works best if your milk is at room temperature, or slightly warmed, rather than straight out of the fridge.
- Dredge the steaks with a pair of tongs, rather than using your fingers, to avoid a messy situation.
- Keep the steaks warm on a nice big cookie sheet in a preheated oven (just warm or 200F)
👩🍳 FAQs
Chicken fried steak actually bases its name on the manner in which it is fried. Since it mirrors the method for classically fried chicken, "chicken fried steak" was adopted to describe the popular dish. In some parts of the country the meal is referred to as "country-fried steak."
If your steaks are too wet, the moisture will evaporate when hit with the hot oil and cause a barrier between the steak and breading that impedes adhesion. To prevent this from occurring, make sure to pat your steaks dry with a paper towel before dredging and coating them.
Simple fix: over low heat, slowly whisk in a little more warm milk and simmer until it comes back to your desired consistency.
To thicken gravy, mix a tablespoon of milk with a tablespoon of cornstarch or flour in a separate, small bowl. Then, whisk this into your gravy, letting it simmer for a few more minutes. Repeat once more, if necessary.
📚 Related recipes
Searching for some more good 'ol Southern comfort foods? Look no further:
- The most tender fried chicken has a not-so-secret secret ingredient—this Cajun Fried Chicken is crisp, juicy, and good any night of the week.
- Southern Smothered Chicken comes with all the comfort, but none of the hassle. Done in one pan and just thirty minutes? It doesn't get better than that.
- Gravy so good, you'll want to start and end your day with it. Try this easy Crockpot Biscuits and Gravy recipe and you'll see why it's a fan favorite.
🍽️ Serve with...
Need inspiration? Check out these 81 side dish ideas to serve with chicken fried steak!
- Buttermilk Biscuits
- Mashed Potatoes or these country style red skinned mashed potatoes
- Southern Green Beans (with or without potatoes!)
- Old-Fashioned Homemade Banana Pudding or White Texas Sheet Cake
📞 The last word
Chicken fried steak is just thin cut round steak pounded with a meat mallet until you don't want to strangle your family anymore it is tender.
The fibers in that tough piece of beef are broken up it results in a cheap yet tender piece of meat.
Once you put real Texas cream gravy on it, well, you could bread and fry a slice of skunk and put cream gravy on it and it would be wonderful. Almost. Maybe.
Oh my, my... I do love my Texas chicken fried steak topped with a thick layer of white gravy and plenty of black pepper.
Give me a bowl of fried okra to go along with everything else on the plate, a warm blackberry cobbler (with ice cream) to finish... and I'm a happy girl.
If you want to change things up a bit try these creamy jalapeno cheese grits in place of mashed potatoes!
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Chicken Fried Steak
Print Pin Recipe Save Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
Steak
- 4 pounds round steak
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, (more or less)
- Peanut oil, or vegetable oil
- Salt and Pepper , to taste or seasoned salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- Pinch of Cayenne
- Pinch of smoked paprika
Gravy
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup bacon drippings, , or butter
- 3 cups half and half cream, ,heated to a simmer
- Salt and pepper to taste, (go for lots of pepper)
- Few drops of Louisiana Hot Sauce
Instructions
Steak
- Let the meat come to room temperature, about 30 minutes and no more.
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Beat the eggs and buttermilk together and set aside.
- Mix the flour, salt, pepper, baking powder,and cayenne together on a plate and set aside.
- Dredge one of the steaks through the flour on both sides, dip in the egg and then dredge through the flour again.
- Repeat with remaining steaks.
- Heat ½ oil in a heavy frying pan over medium high heat until a drop of water pops when dropped in.
- Add steak and fry on both sides until golden brown.
- Remove from oil and drain briefly; place on cookie sheet in oven.
- Repeat with each of the other steaks.
- Turn the oven off but leave the steaks in there while you make the gravy.
- Serve with a generous amount of gravy over top.
Gravy
- Whisk the flour into the hot drippings (or melted butter) until it forms a clump.
- Slowly whisk in the cream, beating to ensure there are no lumps.
- Simmer, stirring, until the gravy thickens.
- Taste and add salt and pepper and hot sauce.
- Serve hot over the chicken fried steak.
Notes
- Peanut oil has a high smoke point and works great but if there are allergies or concerns any good cooking oil is fine.
- Stand back a bit and be aware of popping grease! You don't want a burn.
- Dredge the steaks with a pair of tongs, rather than using your fingers, to avoid a messy situation.
- Keep the steaks warm on a nice big cookie sheet in a preheated oven (just warm or 200F)
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
First published November 14, 2014. Last updated May 9, 2022 for better images and readability.
Paula Porter says
Could this be fried in a deep fat fryer? If so, how long would you fry them for?
Marye says
I never have done it that way so I really can't say.
Linda D says
This is the holy grail of chicken fried steak, but I was taught:
Season that piece of meat before dragging through the seasoned dredge
And if it's not chicken fried steak it is chicken fried chicken.
Don't think there is a single home style restaurant in Texas that would leave those two off their menu!
Marye says
I agree, Linda. So good!