Chicken Fried Steak Recipe · i am a food blog (2024)

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Chicken Fried Steak Recipe · i am a food blog (1)

Let me start off by saying that before this post I have never eaten chicken fried steak. It’s not a big dish in Vancouver and I actually don’t see it on menus all to often, even while travelling. Apparently I haven’t been travelling to the right places, because chicken fried steak is A. Big. Deal. When I first came across the name, I was confused. Chicken? Steak? Was it chicken, steak or other?

Chicken Fried Steak Recipe · i am a food blog (2)

Apparently, CFS as it’s affectionately shortened to, is, simply steak, breaded and fried. It gets it’s name from the fact that it’s supposed to be fried in oil that has been used to fry chicken. Steak that’s been fried in oil is just known as country fried steak. So, technically, what I made was a country fried steak, but I don’t think the CFS police are going to cite me or anything. If they were to take a visit to my kitchen, I’m sure they’d go on about how I didn’t tenderize.

Chicken Fried Steak Recipe · i am a food blog (3)

See, chicken fried steak is all about the tenderizing. Pounding or forking makes a cheaper cut of meat more tender and delicious. But, at least I used the right cut of steak: chuck. Traditionally round steak, or chuck steak is reserved for coating and frying into deliciousness. And, bonus points, I made a simple little country gravy to go with.

Chicken Fried Steak Recipe · i am a food blog (4)

I’ve heard from second hand experience that chicken fried steak is drowned in country gravy. Why you would fry something to delicious golden brown crispiness and then render it soggy with gravy is beyond me, but hey, who am I to question years of tradition. And to be honest, this steak was pretty damn delicious. I think I’m going to have to get myself to an authentic Southern eatery to taste the real thing first hand. In the meantime, I’ll be indulging in this homemade version.

Chicken Fried Steak Recipe · i am a food blog (5)

Chicken Fried Steak Recipe via Alton Brown
serves 2

STEAK

  • 1 steak of choice (most people choose round steak and then pound it, I used chuck and didn’t pound)
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • oil for pan-frying (if you want to be authentic, use some oil that you have fried chicken in!)

GRAVY

  • 2 tablespoons duck fat
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup chicken broth
  • salt and pepper

Place the flour into a shallow dish and mix with the salt and pepper. Place the egg in another shallow dish. Dredge the meat in the flour, then the egg, then the flower again.

In a large frying pan, heat up about 1/2 cm of oil over medium-high. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the steak and cook until golden brown and crispy, about 4-5 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and set aside while making gravy.

In a sauce pot, melt the duck fat over medium heat. Sprinkle in the flour and cook while stirring until the flour is throughly incorporated. While whisking, slowly pour in the milk, then the broth. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, whisking occasionally until slightly thickened. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Enjoy the steak topped with gravy and extra pepper if desired.

Chicken Fried Steak Recipe · i am a food blog (6)

Chicken Fried Steak Recipe · i am a food blog (7)

17 Comments

  1. December 10, 2013 at 7:42 am

    This looks so freaking good – I wish I had a plate of it in front of me even though it’s only 10:40 a.m. Thank you for the post.

    Reply

  2. Jennifer says:

    December 10, 2013 at 7:57 am

    Beautiful photos! Chicken Fried Steak is one of my biggest guilty pleasures – so big that I only allow my self to indulge once a year. I love the addition of duck fat to the gravy. Must try your version next time.

    Reply

  3. kate says:

    December 10, 2013 at 10:52 am

    looks delicious

    Reply

  4. kate says:

    December 10, 2013 at 10:54 am

    i wonder how would it be with fish

    Reply

    1. Kimba says:

      February 19, 2014 at 8:12 am

      I’m sorry Kate, I do believe that’s a sin. This is all about crunchy meat and fat. Battered fish is, well, Arthur Treachers.

      Reply

  5. Donna Rogers says:

    December 10, 2013 at 2:09 pm

    Your version looks awesome – I’d order that in a heartbeat! But yes, tenderizing is one of the key steps…I’ve lived in the south and can easily count a certain number of lbs on my frame are due to chicken fried steak meals! It is usually a tenderized round steak used (what I’ve used at home also), I’ve never heard the “oil used to fry chicken” but I’m failry certain the restaurants down there don’t switch their oil out to cook separate dishes. And to be honest…the plate is usally finished before any of the “crunch” is lost! Well done!!

    Reply

  6. Adrienne says:

    December 10, 2013 at 9:11 pm

    I’ll pipe in and say I believe the point of the dish is to make a cheap cut of meat tasty, like many of the dishes my grandma would make. Yours looks awesome, but I don’t know if I’d waste a good steak on such a method myself.
    Also, I always understood “chicken-fried” to mean it was floured and fried *like* chicken. Around here “country fried steak” is taken to mean the same thing, it’s just how they sometimes word it on menus so people don’t get confused.

    Reply

  7. December 10, 2013 at 9:11 pm

    Mmmm. Beauty. I remember being super confused by a chicken fried steak too…

    Reply

  8. Amanda says:

    December 11, 2013 at 6:56 pm

    Gorrrgeous photos, that gravy looks bomb and with duck fat… holy cow decadent and delicious. Have to say though, seeing as how I’m from Texas aka motherland of chicken fried steak, no one ever says CFS and it is called chicken fried steak because it’s battered and fried like chicken.

    Reply

  9. Pamela Caldwell says:

    December 15, 2013 at 6:19 am

    Try a pinch of allspice in the gravy. And use store bought ground pepper, not freshly ground.

    Reply

  10. Cheryl says:

    December 20, 2013 at 1:24 pm

    I love that you didn’t cook the steak well-done – I HAVE to try that. I’ve never tackled CFS at home, since, well, it’s everywhere here in Memphis! I adore the main photo for this post – it speaks of TV dinner kitsch elevated to gourmet peaks. Adore

    Reply

  11. strawberry says:

    February 5, 2014 at 12:27 am

    Being a woman who lived in the south and watched my grandma make that dish that I have now perfected. The gravy is extremely important. Using a cast iron skillet that does have some fried chicken grease in it is great but can be done with vegetable or canola oil. The gravy is made from some of the left over grease that you just used to fry in. Adding ground black pepper adds a nice little kick. We generally serve it with mashed potatoes with the gravy on that too. To add to the recipe you can add some garlic powder and onion powder to the flour mixture, the left over flour from coating the steaks can be used to make the gravy as not to waste anything.

    Reply

  12. Lindsey says:

    January 14, 2015 at 8:23 am

    Quick question,
    when using duck fat, is it okay to substitute for leaf lard? or where can I buy duck fat from?

    Reply

    1. steph says:

      January 14, 2015 at 3:38 pm

      hi lindsey,
      you definitely don’t need to make the gravy with duck fat, i just used it because it’s what i had on hand. just substitue in your favourite fat. hope that helps!

      Reply

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Chicken Fried Steak Recipe · i am a food blog (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep batter from falling off chicken fried steak? ›

To keep the breading from falling off chicken fried steak, follow these tips: 1. Pat dry the steak: Before breading, pat the steak dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture. This helps the breading adhere better to the surface of the meat.

What temperature should the oil be for chicken fried steak? ›

You want to cook your steaks in oil that is precisely 375°F (191°C), and though it's ok if your steak gets pretty close to well done, you should look for an internal steak temperature of 145°F (63°C)—the border line between medium and medium well. Enter the Thermapen IR.

Does soaking cube steak in milk tenderize it? ›

It's milk.

A steak that marinates in an acidic or enzymatic liquid too long, such as citrus juice or cola, becomes tough or mushy. But the acid in milk is so mild that you can soak beef in it long enough to tenderize it effectively, without damaging the proteins on the surface.

How to tenderize steak for chicken fried steak? ›

You can either use egg and a little milk before you dip it in the flour mixture, or just flour your meat by itself. Place enough oil in a PRE HEATED pan to cover the bottom, but you don't need inches of oil. Take your floured cube steak and place it in the pan over medium heat.

Why does my breading fall off my country fried steak? ›

Use hot oil.

If your oil isn't hot enough before you add the steaks, the breading can fall off of the steaks because the eggs (the “glue”) don't cook instantly. It can also cause oily, gummy chicken fried steak because the breading soaks up the oil instead of becoming crispy upon contact.

How do you get batter to stick to meat when frying? ›

When it comes to breading meat, most breading procedures are basically the same. But taking the extra time to soak your meat in buttermilk and let the flour set will ensure that your breading is fully adhered for the perfect breaded pork chops or breaded chicken.

Why is my chicken fried steak tough? ›

There are a few secrets to making chicken fried steak well, first is tenderizing the meat. If you're using round steak, you'll want to hammer it out with a meat tenderizer, which can be a little messy, but makes the steak very tender. Otherwise, you can skip this step if you buy pre-tenderized cube steaks.

Is there a difference between chicken fried steak and country fried steak? ›

The main difference between country-fried steak and chicken-fried steak is the gravy. Country-fried steak is slathered in brown gravy, whereas chicken-fried steak uses a white, peppery gravy. However, this distinction is not entirely set in stone as different restaurants will serve both with the same gravy.

How much oil do you need to fry a steak? ›

You could sear a steak without any additional oil. Using a well-heated skillet (at high heat for six minutes) made of cast iron or carbon steel, the fat from the meat could be all the fat you need. But adding a little oil (a teaspoon at the most) just to help get it going.

What does soaking steak in milk do? ›

Milk-soaked beef softens and becomes tender without drying out or getting mushy. Making milk marinades is not difficult once you understand the basics.

What is the best liquid to tenderize meat? ›

Simply soak your beef cuts in these natural tenderisers before cooking, and we guarantee the beef will be fall-apart tender!
  • 1) Tea. Tea contains tannins, which are a natural tenderiser. ...
  • 2) Coffee. ...
  • 3) Cola. ...
  • 4) Pineapple, pawpaw, figs, kiwis. ...
  • 5) Ginger. ...
  • 6) Baking Soda. ...
  • 7) Vinegar. ...
  • 8) Beer or wine.
Nov 9, 2016

What does soaking meat in buttermilk do? ›

Buttermilk is a secret weapon of many restaurant chefs. They pre-soak chicken, fish and other meats overnight before cooking to give it a hint of tanginess. The good bacteria in buttermilk also speed up the breakdown process; hence it's perfect as a meat tenderizer.

How do restaurants make their steaks so tender? ›

Most fine restaurants age their beef to intensify the flavor and improve the tenderness of the cut. Aging is done by letting the meat sit (in very controlled conditions) for several days or weeks.

What do restaurants use to tenderize steak? ›

When we are dealing with potentially tough cuts of beef, we will oftentimes utilize marinades with higher levels of acids like lemon juice, vinegar, or buttermilk. These marinades will help break down the muscle fibers to make them easier to cook and tenderize.

How do you get breading to stick to country-fried steak? ›

Press the flour into the meat.

The first time you dredge the steaks into the flour, use the heel of your hand to really press it in. That way, the coating will adhere better.

Why is my fried chicken batter fall off? ›

Meat is not properly dry

If the meat is wet, it will make the flour soggy. In that case, breading will not stick properly and may fall off when deep frying. Therefore, you must take some paper towels and pat dry the meat on all sides.

How do you keep batter from falling off when frying? ›

Webstaurant Store brings even more tips: Once you've coated your food with flour, cover it and leave it in the fridge for an hour so that the flour becomes sticky and attaches to the food more efficiently. Second of all, for best results, don't overcrowd your pan while frying food.

Why does the flour come off my fried chicken? ›

Dry the Chicken:Make sure the chicken is dry before dredging it in flour or breadcrumbs. Pat the chicken pieces with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Wet surfaces can prevent the breading from sticking. Use an Egg Wash:Dip the chicken in an egg wash before coating it with flour or breadcrumbs.

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