You know how death row inmates can request anything they want for their last meal? Not that I expect any of us to be on death row anytime soon. I just think that it’s fun to think about what we would choose as our last meal. It can be any crazy combination of food that you can think of. And while I don’t have a definite answer for myself, I know that my last meal would have to include a crispy chicken fried steak with gravy.
Is it Chicken, or is it Steak?
This is where people always get confused… the name. You see despite the dish being “chicken fried” there is no actual chicken involved.
So why is it called “chicken fried” steak?
Well, the answers really nothing special, it’s simply because the steak is prepared in the same way that one would fry a chicken. That means it’s coated in a mixture of eggs, flour, and spices, and fried in oil until crispy.
What Type of Steak to Use
Chicken fried steak is typically made out of round steak that has been tenderized. In fact, they have a special machine that tenderizes the steak by making a bunch of small cuts into the meat. And if you are lucky you should be able to find these steaks at your local grocery store labeled as “cubed steak”.
However, if your store doesn’t sell “cubed” steak then you can easily tenderize your own. To do it simply place the round steak between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound it with the flat side of a meat tenderizer. Then once the steaks are about ½ inch thick you can finish tenderizing with the pointed side to make it extra tender.
If you want to learn more about meat tenderizers then I highly recommend that you check out our lesson on how to use them.
Tips, Tricks & Suggestions
- Not a big fan of beef? Then simply swap out the round steak with either some chicken breast or pork chops. Just follow the same instructions for tenderizing, breading, and fry the meat.
- One trick for making extra crispy breading is to spoon some of the hot oil over the steak as it fries. This will help to ensure that both sides are getting fried at the same time.
- I like to keep it simple and serve my chicken fried steak with some mashed potatoes, and baked asparagus.
Chicken Fried Steak Recipe
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients
4 Cube steaks, about ¼ pound each
Salt & pepper to taste
2 Cups of all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons of baking powder
1 Tablespoon of corn starch
2 Teaspoons of seasoned salt
1 Teaspoon of black pepper
2 Eggs, beatten
½ Cup of whole milk
Neutral flavored oil for frying
For the gravy:
¼ Cup of the oil and pan drippings
¼ Cup of all purpose flour
1½ to 2 Cups of whole milk
Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- (Optional) Preheat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit, or 93 Celsius. This will simply be used to keep the fried steaks warm while making the gravy.
- Prep and coat the steaks: Sprinkle each steak with salt and pepper to taste, and set them aside. Then get out two shallow walled dishes. In one mix together the flour, baking powder, corn starch, seasoned salt, and black pepper. In the other one mix together the beaten eggs and milk.
Then dredge one of the steaks in the flour mixture, making sure to press the flour into the meat with your hands. Follow this up by dunking the steak in the egg and milk mixture. Then return the steak to the flour mixture and dredge it again. Set this steak aside and repeat the process until all of the steaks are coated.
- Fry the steaks: Get out a large walled pan/skillet and pour about ½ inch layer of oil into it. Place this over medium-high heat and wait for the oil to get hot. To check if the oil is hot enough simply toss in a pinch of flour, if it sizzles it’s ready. Slowly place one of the coated stakes into the pan/skillet and let it fry in the oil for 3 to 5 minutes on each side, or until the breading is golden brown and crispy.
Remove the steak from the pan and place it on a wire rack and into your heated oven to stay warm. Repeat this process until all of the steaks are fried.
- Make the gravy: Remove all but ¼ cup of oil/drippings from the pan. Turn down the heat to medium and sprinkle in the ¼ cup of flour. Stir with a whisk until the two ingredients combine and form a roux. Make sure to keep stirring and let the roux cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until it has become slightly brown in color. Then pour in 1½ cups of milk and stir until it has incorporated into the roux. Don’t worry if it clumps up at this point just keep stirring. At this point, you can add in more milk if the gravy is too thick, or let it cook for another minute or two if it’s too thin. Once it’s to the consistency that you like simply add salt & pepper to taste.
- Remove the chicken fried steaks from the oven and place them on individual plates. Pour some of the gravy over top and enjoy immediately.
Chicken Fried Steak Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 Cube steaks about ¼ pound each
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 2 Cups of all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons of baking powder
- 1 Tablespoon of corn starch
- 2 Teaspoons of seasoned salt
- 1 Teaspoon of black pepper
- 2 Eggs beatten
- ½ Cup of whole milk
- Neutral flavored oil for frying
For the gravy:
- ¼ Cup of the oil and pan drippings
- ¼ Cup of all purpose flour
- 1½ to 2 Cups of whole milk
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- (Optional) Preheat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit, or 93 Celsius. This will simply be used to keep the fried steaks warm while making the gravy.
- Prep and coat the steaks: Sprinkle each steak with salt and pepper to taste, and set them aside. Then get out two shallow walled dishes. In one mix together the flour, baking powder, corn starch, seasoned salt, and black pepper. In the other one mix together the beaten eggs and milk. Then dredge one of the steaks in the flour mixture, making sure to press the flour into the meat with your hands. Follow this up by dunking the steak in the egg and milk mixture. Then return the steak to the flour mixture and dredge it again. Set this steak aside and repeat the process until all of the steaks are coated.
- Fry the steaks: Get out a large walled pan/skillet and pour about ½ inch layer of oil into it. Place this over medium-high heat and wait for the oil to get hot. To check if the oil is hot enough simply toss in a pinch of flour, if it sizzles it’s ready. Slowly place one of the coated stakes into the pan/skillet and let it fry in the oil for 3 to 5 minutes on each side, or until the breading is golden brown and crispy. Remove the steak from the pan and place it on a wire rack and into your heated oven to stay warm. Repeat this process until all of the steaks are fried.
- Make the gravy: Remove all but ¼ cup of oil/drippings from the pan. Turn down the heat to medium and sprinkle in the ¼ cup of flour. Stir with a whisk until the two ingredients combine and form a roux. Make sure to keep stirring and let the roux cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until it has become slightly brown in color. Then pour in 1½ cups of milk and stir until it has incorporated into the roux. Don’t worry if it clumps up at this point just keep stirring. At this point, you can add in more milk if the gravy is too thick, or let it cook for another minute or two if it’s too thin. Once it’s to the consistency that you like simply add salt & pepper to taste.
- Remove the chicken fried steaks from the oven and place them on individual plates. Pour some of the gravy over top and enjoy immediately.
