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Yields:
4 serving(s)
Prep Time:
20 mins
Total Time:
1 hr
The pinnacle of comfort food, well-made chicken-fried steak is hard to resist. One bite of this juicy, tender beef surrounded by a crispy, salty breaded exterior, and you’ll be transported to your favorite Texas diner. Paired with velvety, rich gravy (of course), this fried masterpiece is much easier to make at home than you may think. In around an hour, you’ll have the most satisfying, filling weeknight dinner on your hands right at home. Read on for all of our top tips on how to perfect it:
The best cut of beef for chicken-fried steak.
If we’re being honest, don’t spend a lot of money here. A lot of the complexity of well-marbled steaks will be lost in the frying process. Our top choices for this recipe would be a top round steak or a sirloin—thin, not too marbled, and inexpensive.
How to make the best chicken-fried steak.
— Pound your steak. This will not only help your steaks to cook evenly, but will tenderize them, which is a must for less-expensive cuts like these.
— Add cornstarch to your flour mixture. Cornstarch is a great ingredient to add to your dredging station when frying food. It adds an airiness that ends up becoming perfectly crispy while frying—trust us, don’t skip this.
— Help your batter stick. After coating your steaks, allow them to rest in the fridge. Not only will this help your breading mixture adhere to your steaks, but it will give you time to make your gravy!
The gravy.
One of the best parts of chicken-fried steak has to be the creamy gravy spooned on top. We created a simple white gravy for this recipe, seasoned with salt, pepper, and paprika. Tip: Since we're not using pan drippings, this gravy can air on the side of bland, so make sure you season generously. Don’t be shy!
Serving ideas.
In our book, a plate of chicken-fried steak just isn’t complete without creamy mashed potatoes and green beans, but feel free to serve alongside your fave sides, like fried okra, collard greens, coleslaw, or loaded baked potatoes.
Made it? Let us know how it went in the comment section below!
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Ingredients
For the steak
- 4
(6-oz.) top round steaks
- 1 cup
whole milk or buttermilk
- 1
large egg
- 1 cup
all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup
cornstarch
- 1 tsp.
garlic powder
- 1 tsp.
onion powder
- 1/2 tsp.
cayenne pepper
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil, for frying
For the gravy
- 4 Tbsp.
butter
- 1/4 cup
all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 cups
whole milk
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp.
paprika
For serving
- 1/4 cup
freshly chopped parsley
Cooked mashed potatoes
Cooked green beans
Directions
- Step 1Place steak between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet until 1/4" thick.
- Step 2Set up dredging station: In one shallow bowl, whisk together milk and egg. In another shallow bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, and spices, then season with salt and pepper.
- Step 3Dredge each piece of steak in milk then in flour mixture. Repeat until all steak is coated in breading. Place in fridge while you make gravy.
- Step 4In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add flour and cook until golden and bubbling, 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk in milk and season with salt, pepper, and paprika. Bring mixture to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Step 5Cook steak: In a large skillet over medium heat, heat 1/2" to 1" oil until hot but not smoking. Fry each piece of steak until golden, about 4 minutes per side. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate, and season with salt and pepper while hot.
- Step 6Garnish with parsley and serve hot with gravy, mashed potatoes, and green beans.
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