When it comes to comfort food, Chicken Fried Steak is the real deal. Tenderized cubed steak is breaded and pan-fried and then topped with a creamy milk gravy made from the pan drippings.
Serve over mashed potatoes for an economical and filling meal the whole family will enjoy.
In addition to Chicken Fried Steak I also love making these Chicken Fried Steak Fingers. Comfort food gets even better when it becomes finger food!
To get a nice coating on the cubed steak, I first coat it in flour, then dip it in an egg and milk mixture, and then coat it a mixture of flour and crushed saltine crackers with a little seasoned salt and cayenne pepper mixed in.
I like to cook Chicken Fried Steak in my cast iron pan
. It retains heat so well and makes cooking this classic southern meal a breeze. I put almost an inch of oil in the pan, heat it over medium heat, and add the cubed steak in 2 batches. It only takes 3 to 4 minutes per side to cook.
After the meat is done cooking, I drain off all the oil and pour it through a sieve to remove any of the browned bits. Â Then I add about 1/4 cup of the oil back to the pan, add flour and then milk plus black pepper to make a thick and creamy gravy.
In no time at all, you have a delicious meal that can easily fill a hungry family, including teenagers.
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How to Make Chicken Fried Steak Video
Chicken Fried Steak
Ingredients
- 6 pieces cube steak, about 2 pounds
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup all purpose flour, divided
- 25 Saltine crackers, crushed
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup milk
- Vegetable oil
Gravy
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups whole milk
Instructions
- Season cubed steak lightly with salt and pepper.
- Place 1/2 cup flour on a plate.
- Mix remaining 1/2 cup flour, Saltine crumbs, seasoned salt, and cayenne pepper in a shallow bowl.
- Whisk together eggs and 1/3 cup milk in another shallow bowl.
- Dredge cubed steak in flour, dip in egg mixture, and then coat with Saltine mixture.
- Heat about 1/2-inch oil in a large pan (preferably cast iron) over medium heat.
- Cook steak in 2 batches for about 3 minutes per side. Remove steak to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Pour oil that is left in pan through a fine-meshed sieve into a heat-proof bowl. Measure out 1/4 cup and return it to pan.
- Add flour to pan and cook over medium heat for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk and cook until thick. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Nutrition
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i have made this recipe for years never added the crackers but sound good thank you
Made this tonight but cut it up and did steak fingers. Put it this way, I did 6 large cut up cube steak and there are none left. It was amazing.
I made broccoli, twice baked potatoes, and buttermilk Biscuits to go with mine tonight.
This is similar to my Grand mothers recipe, who was a cook for a living most of her life and one of my son’s favorite things that I make!!
Tried this before but it usually comes out tough! What could I be doing wrong?
You could be overcooking it. Also, cubed steak tends to be a little on the tough side. For a tenderer Chicken fried Steak, buy a sirloin tip steak and tenderize it yourself with a meat mallet.
All cube steak has to spend time in the oven after it’s cooked on the stove and I’m always amazed that recipes don’t call for that. I can’t believe how many recipes omit this step. You can cook this kind of meat forever on the stove top but it will remain like leather. If after you follow the above instructions, spray a baking pan or dish with cooking spray and place the steaks side by side. Cover with foil to keep from drying. Bake for 1 hour. You’ll be able to cut them with a feather 🙂
Worth trying, but at what oven temp?
I bought the cube steak already flattened and tenderized and it came out amazing in the stovetop!
Use a meat tenderizer tool and pound the crap out iDVD both sides till thin. Then season with s&p. Even the toughest cuts will be tender. USING buttermilk instead if whole milk also helps. I don’t use saltines as it tends to draw moisture from the meat.
Soak in buttermilk first it tenderizes it.
Looks wonderful!
Please continue posting these dishes!
Thank you Barbara!
Looks Amazing! BTW, do I have to use saltines, or can i use Ritz crackers too?
Yes, I think it would work well with Ritz crackers.
Looks so delicious, I think I’ll give it a try tonight. TFS!
Hope you enjoy!!
This looks amazing! I always order country fried chicken for breakfast.
Have you ever floured them a few hours before frying them? I would love to get a head start on dinner tonight but don’t want to ruin them. Will they be okay to sit in the fridge with flour/cracker mixture on?
would fry them before putting in frig,
I am also from Canada……Cube steaks are also called Minute Steaks here north of the border! They cook very fast….about a minute per side! I season them with salt and pepper and quickly sear them in butter in a cast iron fry pan. They are delicious and as their name suggests, dinner is ready in no time.
What is cube steak, I live in Canada and we dont call any of our steak this,what could I substitute. Tks
Cube steak is a cut of beef, usually top round or top sirloin, tenderized by fierce pounding with a meat tenderizer, or use of an electric tenderizer. The name refers to the shape of the indentations left by that process (called “cubing”).[
Minute steaks
I haven’t had a delicious chicken fried steak in years. And I’ve never made it myself. Yours looks fantastic! CFS always reminds me of my childhood in Texas. Good memories! Stopping by from Food Gawker. So glad I found you. Following on Pinterest.
Thank you so much! You need to give it a try yourself so you can have chicken fried steak whenever it strikes your fancy! 🙂
What a coincidence, we have cube steak in the fridge waiting to be turned into Chicken Fried Steak! Yours look divine! The crispy, crunchy coating looks perfect.
Chicken fried steak!!! Holy cow this looks amazing, I might have to make this…like right now! 🙂
It has been so long since I’ve had chicken fried steak! This looks so comforting! And now I want some mashed potatoes and green beans …. haha
Looks like such a great meal! Perfect dinner!
Oh, my! I haven’t had chicken fried steak in forever! Seeing it always reminds me of my dad, because he loved it! Such a comforting and delicious dish! Yours looks epic! Totally drooling! Pinned! Cheers, lovely!
Once in a while I like to make chicken fried steak (for a grand total of maybe 3x in my life)…mine never comes out this perfectly! I think I’m drooling…
Christin, you seriously make the BEST family-style dinners! I can only imagine how crazy the boys in my family would go over this chicken fried steak over a bunch of mashed potatoes and gravy! You’re seriously making me drool right now. 🙂
This chicken fried steak looks amazing, Christin! I used to have this years ago and one of my favorite restaurants and it was always so delicious. Definitely pure comfort food!
Made it and was the bomb! Used penzey cajun seasoning.