Chicken Fried Steak Recipe
My 30-minute chicken fried steak is made with thin-pounded cube steak dredged in egg wash and a seasoned flour and cornstarch coating, pan-fried in safflower oil, and finished with a rich milk and butter gravy. The tender beef, crispy coating, and creamy gravy make this one of my favorite comfort food dinners to serve my loved ones.
Ingredients
For the Steak:
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup whole milk
- 2 dashes hot sauce
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup corn starch
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoons onion granules
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic granules
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
- 8 cube steaks
- sea salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup cooking oil
For the Gravy:
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 cups whole milk
- sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Steak: In a bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, hot sauce, salt, and pepper until combined.
- In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, corn starch, paprika, onion granules, garlic granules, pepper, and 1 ½ teaspoons of sea salt until combined.
- Next, add 1 cube steak to the bowl with the whisked eggs and milk and completely coat.
- Transfer the egg-washed steak to the bowl with seasoned flour and dredge to completely coat on each side. Place on a cookie sheet tray lined with parchment paper and repeat until all of the steaks have been breaded.
- Add the breaded steak 2 or 3 at a time to a large frying pan over medium to medium-high heat, or at 350°, and cook for 1 ½ to 2 ½ minutes per side or until browned and cooked through.
- Drain on paper towels or a cookie sheet tray with a rack. Repeat the process until all of the steaks have been cooked.
- Gravy: In a medium-size saucepot over low heat add in the butter until melted and then whisk in the flour until completely combined.
- Pour in the milk while constantly whisking and turn the heat to medium-high until nappe, or very thick.
- Finish the gravy with salt and pepper and serve with the chicken fried steak.
- Serve with optional garnishes of chopped green onions and parsley.
Notes
To make this chicken fried steak right, I recommend holding the oil at 350°F the whole time you fry. A pan in the mid-200s leaves a crust that drinks the fat instead of crisping against it, and the steaks come off greasy and soft. I fry 2 or 3 at a time to hold that temperature, because crowding the pan drops the oil fast and a cool pan ruins the plate.
Switch hands at the dredge: I keep one hand for the egg wash and one hand for the flour. Battered fingers are how I've watched the breading end up on the cook instead of the steak.
Make extra cube steaks for the freezer: I pound the whole roast, freeze the slices between parchment, and pull 2 or 3 the next time a weeknight needs a fast plate. The math works out cheaper than buying cube steak at the counter, and I've already done the prep.
Roux color matters: I keep the roux pale for this gravy. A blond or brown roux tints the cream yellow and tastes too nutty against the steak, so I whisk the flour in and add the milk fast.
Skip the pan oil for gravy: I've reused the pan oil for the gravy in place of butter, but the trade-off is steaks that sit and steam while the gravy is on the stove. Butter in a second pot is faster, and the steaks stay crisp.
Make-Ahead: I do not make this one ahead. Chicken fried steak is best straight out of the pan, while the crust is still crisp and the gravy is hot. Prep the cube steaks the day before if it helps, but bread and fry at the last minute.
How to Reheat: To reheat the steak, place it on a rack on a cookie sheet tray and bake at 350° for 4-5 minutes or until crisp and warm. If reheating the steak from the freeze, bake on a cookie sheet tray lined with parchment paper at 350° for 12-15 minutes. Heat the gravy in a small saucepot over low heat until warmed. You can also heat both of these in a microwave until warm.
How to Store: Cover and keep in the refrigerator for 3 days. This will freeze covered for up to 2 months. Bake them straight from the freezer at 350°F on a parchment-lined sheet tray for 12 to 15 minutes, until heated through and crisp.
Nutrition
Calories: 496kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 39gFat: 31gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 157mgSodium: 580mgPotassium: 687mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 352IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 124mgIron: 3mg