Chicken fried steak — it’s a Southern classic! This recipe uses buttermilk and a variety of seasonings for a delicious and hearty meal. You can enjoy this dish for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
A Hearty Meal…Any Time of the Day!
Chicken fried steak is often served as a breakfast, lunch, or dinner because it’s a great dish any time of the day. When we talk about Southern comfort food, this dish is top on the list.
For breakfast, it often comes with a side of eggs, hash browns, biscuits, and of course the classic white gravy.
For dinner it might be accompanied by a side of mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, and biscuits.
Cuisine Differences
Chicken fried steak is sometimes confused with country fried steak, but it’s different in a couple ways: the chicken fried version is typically served with white gravy (sometimes called cream gravy), versus brown gravy (or “country gravy”) for country fried steak.
Chicken fried steak also tends to be crispier than country fried steak. What is common to both dishes is that they use cube steak and are each very Southern and very delicious!
Watch How to Make Chicken Fried Steak
Other Options for this Dish
Not really into steak? We’ve got you covered.
Try our vegan version of this dish! This recipe uses seitan instead of steak. The seitan is made using vital wheat gluten and various spices. The cooking style used in the recipe gives the seitan a firm texture that pairs perfectly with its crispy Ritz cracker coating. So if you’re a vegan or vegetarian, this is the dish for you!
And of course, sticking with good ol’ fried chicken is also a delicious option!
Chicken Fried Steak Gravy
The great thing about white gravy is that it’s so easy to make. And you probably already have all the ingredients in your kitchen.
Want to add a little extra umph to your chicken fried steak? Use sausage gravy instead! This is especially tasty if you’re serving up a brunch with chicken fried steak and biscuits.
If you don’t have buttermilk, you probably do have ingredients to make a good substitution. Try one of these easy methods. Here are a few options to make 1 cup of buttermilk:
- 1 Tablespoon white vinegar + enough milk to measure 1 cup
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice + enough milk to measure 1 cup
- 1¾ teaspoons cream of tarter + 1 cup of milk
We hope you’ll enjoy our Southern Chicken Fried Steak recipe!
Southern Chicken Fried Steak
Ingredients
- 4 cube steaks
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 3 cups canola oil for frying
Instructions
- Using a meat tenderizing tool, pound both sides of each steak.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and egg.
- In another large bowl, mix together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, paprika, black pepper, garlic powder, salt, oregano, and cayenne pepper. Mix in 3 tablespoons of the buttermilk mixture with a fork, making the dry mixture slightly crumbly.
- Dip each steak in the buttermilk & egg, making sure evenly coated, and let the excess drip off. Then dredge the steaks in the seasoned flour mixture, thoroughly coating each.
- Pour the canola oil into your large skillet or wok, and heat on your stovetop at medium-high. Let oil come to temperature (should reach approx. 425 degrees).
- Gently shake each steak to remove any excess flour, and place them into the skillet. Reduce heat to medium and fry for about 4-5 minutes, then carefully flip and fry for 4-5 more minutes. Each side should be golden brown.
- Top with white gravy.
