Go Back
+ servings
Chicken fried steak served over mashed potatoes with green beans on the side, and white peppery gravy on top.
5 from 14 votes

Chicken Fried Steak

Ready in 30 minutes, thin pieces of cube steak are coated in seasoned flour and fried until golden and then served with a creamy white gravy.
Author Diana
Servings 4 servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Rest time 10 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 (900 grams) cube steaks about ⅓ to ½ pound each, about 2 pounds (900g) in total
  • 1 teaspoon salt to season the steaks
  • 1 cup (120 grams) cornstarch
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup (250 ml) buttermilk
  • 1 tablespoon tabasco hot sauce or any other hot sauce
  • 2 cups (240 grams) all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • Oil for frying. Vegetable, canola, or peanut oil

For the gravy

  • ¼ cup (30 grams) all purpose flour
  • 2 ¼ cups (530 ml) milk 2% (semi-skimmed milk)
  • 1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

  • Pat the steaks dry with paper towels, then pound into ¼ inch thickness (either in a ziploc bag or between 2 pieces of plastic wrap). Then season with salt.
  • Prepare a dredging station. In one shallow bowl place the cornstarch, in a second bowl combine the egg with ¾ cup of buttermilk and hot sauce. And in a third bowl, combine the flour with salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and baking powder.
  • Drizzle the remaining buttermilk in the dry flour mixture that was made in step 2, and then using your hands rub the mixture until it’s coarse like wet sand.
  • Dredge the steaks one at a time: coat in cornstarch and shake off any excess, then dip in the egg mixture and let any excess drain off, and finally press into the flour mixture so the mixture adheres well to the steak. Shake off any excess, and place on a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining steaks.
  • Meanwhile, heat the oil in a dutch oven, or a large frying pan, or a wok to 350°F/180°C. Cook the steaks one at a time, drop in oil and cook until crispy and golden 4-6 minutes in total. Then remove from oil, and drain on paper towels.
  • To make the gravy, add ¼ cup of oil to a saucepan (use oil from frying the steaks). Add flour, whisk and cook for 1 minute (it will become a little brown). Then slowly whisk in milk, and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper and allow to thicken. Remove from the heat, and serve it over the steaks.
  • Serve steak with mashed potatoes and green beans or peas.

Notes

  • Bring cutlets to room temperature. You never want to add cold meat to a hot pan. By the time it heats up, the coating has absorbed too much of the oil resulting in a soggy outer layer. Bring them out of the fridge about 30 minutes ahead of starting the recipe.
  • Pat the steaks dry with a paper towel. The coating will stick better.
  • Don’t overcrowd the pan. It’s best to fry the steaks one at a time to ensure you get a nice crunchy crust.
  • Make sausage gravy. Some people like to add crumbled-up breakfast sausage to their gravy for added flavor and texture. It's amazing both ways!
  • Keep the first batch warm. As you fry the steaks, keep the ready ones in a 225°F/110°C oven to keep them warm.
  • Add the browned bits from the bottom of the pan you fried the steaks into the gravy saucepan. They’ll give it lots of great flavor!

Nutrition

Serving: 1steak | Calories: 532kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 176mg | Sodium: 1060mg | Potassium: 808mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 172IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 167mg | Iron: 4mg