Chicken Fried Steak with Gravy is a southern comfort dish that always hits the spot! Flavorful, crispy fried steaks are served with the most decadent creamy gravy. The best part? It’s ready to serve in just 30 minutes!
What’s in Chicken Fried Steak with Gravy
You might just have all of these simple ingredients already on hand!
- Cube Steaks: This is the most common steak for chicken fried steak because of how well it’s tenderized and flattened.
- Milk: Whole milk works best.
- Egg: I like to use free range organic eggs when possible.
- All-Purpose Flour: You can swap this with gluten-free flour if needed.
- Seasoning Salt: This adds great but subtle flavor to the steak.
- Black Pepper: Freshly ground black pepper creates the most noticeable flavor.
- Oil: You’ll need vegetable oil for frying.
- Butter: You can use reserved oil from cooking the steaks instead if preferred.
PRO TIP: If you can’t get cube steak, be sure to use a meat tenderizer to flatten your steaks so that the cook evenly and are nice and tender.
Is chicken fried steak made with beef?
Yes! This classic southern recipe features cube steak that’s pounded, breaded, deep fried and served with thick gravy. It gets its name because it’s prepared in a similar way to fried chicken.
Cube steak is perfect for this recipe. It’s an inexpensive cut that has been pre-tenderized so it’s super flavorful. It looks a bit like ground beef in the store, but it’s definitely not.
If you can’t find cube steak, you can use flank or skirt and use a meat mallet to pound it down.
This chicken fried steak is best served as soon as it’s made so that the coating is nice and crispy. You can dredge the steak a few hours ahead of time and keep it covered in the fridge til you are ready to cook. The gravy can be made a couple of days ahead and reheated on the stovetop to serve.
Typically, the only difference is the gravy! Chicken fried steak is slathered in white gravy while country fried steak usually has brown gravy.
How to Store/Reheat
Once cooled to room temperature, you can store your leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Keep in mind that once the gravy is slathered on the fried steak, it’s best served fresh! Reheat leftovers in the microwave in 30 second intervals until warmed through.
How to Freeze
Freeze chicken fried steak without the gravy for up to 3 months in an airtight freezer safe container. I recommend letting it slowly thaw in the fridge prior to reheating.
Serving Suggestions
This Southern dish is traditionally served with a side of mashed potatoes, and of course the gravy, but any potato or veggie side will work well. Try it with:
5-Star Review
“Thank you for your delicious recipe. Means a lot to Texans and Southerners.” – Debra S.
More Easy Beef Recipes We Love
Easy Chicken Fried Steak Recipe with Gravy
Ingredients
For the Chicken Fried Steak
- 1 pound cube steaks
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons seasoning salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Vegetable oil for frying
For the Gravy
- ¼ cup butter or reserved cooking oil from steak
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- Kosher salt to taste
- Ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
For the Chicken Fried Steak
- In a shallow bowl, whisk together milk and egg. In a separate shallow bowl, whisk together flour, seasoning salt, and pepper.
- Place each piece of steak in the flour mixture, turning to coat and shaking off the excess. Place the steak in the milk mixture, then dredge it through in the flour mixture, coating well. Place on a wire rack and repeat until all steak is coated. Allow to rest and make the gravy.
- When ready to cook, heat cooking oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. Fry the steak in batches for 2 minutes on each side, flipping once, until golden brown. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain while cooling. When the steak is finished cooking, reserve ¼ cup of the cooking oil.
- Serve with warm gravy.
For the Gravy
- In a large saucepan set over medium heat, add the butter (or reserved cooking oil.) Whisk in flour and cook for 2-3 minutes, adding more if needed, until golden. Slowly whisk in milk, then season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Cook, whisking frequently, for 6-8 minutes until gravy is thickened and smooth. Taste and season as needed, then serve with steak.
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
- If you can’t get cube steak, be sure to use a meat tenderizer to flatten your steaks so that the cook evenly and are nice and tender.
- Pat the steak dry before dredging it, this will help the coating to stick to the steak.
- Make sure the oil is hot before cooking the coated steaks. If the oil isn’t hot enough, they won’t get nice and crispy.
Nutrition Information
Pretty bland as written. The gravy was to thick and needed another 1/2 cup milk to thin out. I made it again with changes that helped the flavor a lot. I seasoned the steaks with salt and pepper before dried in the flour that was seasoned with 1/2 black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon paprika (or smoked paprika) and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder. I took the steaks out of the buttermilk mixture, into flour mixture, then back into buttermilk mixture and back into the flour mixture. Then pan fried them. The double coating made for an excellent fried coating. I also used the seasoned flour to make the gravy with the reserve oil and pan drippings, which helped give the gravy flavor. Don’t use butter to make the gravy, you use the reserved oil with the pan drippings.
Thanks for sharing what worked for you, Miss B!
Hello, I used it recipe as a base for my dinner. I seasoned the steaks with salt, pepper, garlic salt and paprika before putting them in the flour dredge and egg and so forth. I also added the garlic salt and paprika to both dredges and to us it was super flavorful. So Thank you very Much….
Garlic salt and paprika sound like great additions. Thank you for sharing your modifications, and I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Hi , and thank you for making this favorite dish of Texas and a basic beloved Southern dish. I only wish your recipe weren’t so bland and lacking in seasoning. Also you never make the gravy with butter, but thank you for reserving the oil meat was cooked in to make gravy. The gravy is whisked together constantly in the first one to two minutes them cooked for ten more only or else the milk will begin to become grainy and ruin. Please use half and half with Tobasco or hot sauce dashed in for a kick of flavor in the milk and egg coating and in the gravy. Also if possible with dietary needs please season the flour dredge also. Same with the delicious milk based gravy. Again thank you for your delicious recipe. Means a lot to Texans and Southerners
Definitely modify to your liking! Everyone has different tastes and sometimes it’s hard to cater to all!