Chicken Fried Steak
Crispy, golden, and gloriously Southern, this chicken fried steak recipe takes humble beef and turns it into the ultimate comfort‑food classic.
Ingredients
Method
2) Cut the meat with the grain into 1-cm thick slices. Season each piece on both sides with the salt and pepper. Place the flour into a pie pan. Place the eggs into a separate pie pan. Dredge the meat on both sides in the flour. Tenderize the meat, using a needling device, until each slice is 1/2-cm thick. Once tenderized, dredge the meat again in the flour, followed by the egg and finally in the flour again. Repeat with all the pieces of meat. Place the meat onto a plate and allow it to sit for 10 to 15 minutes before cooking.
3) Place enough of the vegetable oil to cover the bottom of a 30-cm slope-sided skillet and set over medium-high heat. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the meat in batches, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Cook each piece on both sides until golden brown, approximately 4 minutes per side. Remove the steaks to a wire rack set in a half sheet pan and place into the oven. Repeat until all of the meat is browned.
4) Add the remaining vegetable oil, or at least 1 tablespoon, to the pan. Whisk in 3 tablespoons of the flour left over from the dredging. Add the chicken broth and deglaze the pan. Whisk until the gravy comes to a boil and begins to thicken. Add the milk and thyme and whisk until the gravy coats the back of a spoon, approximately 5 to 10 minutes. Season to taste, with more salt and pepper, if needed. Serve the gravy over the steaks.
Our chicken fried beef steak is a crunchy Southern staple.
Don’t be fooled by the name - there’s no chicken in this chicken fried steak recipe! The ‘chicken’ part simply refers to the cooking method. The steak is breaded and fried just as you would classic fried chicken.
Believed to have been inspired by German and Austrian immigrants bringing their sensational schnitzels to the American South, this chicken fried beef steak has since become a classic.
Tenderised topside or silverside steaks are seasoned with salt and pepper, coated in flour, dipped in beaten eggs, then back into the flour mixture for that signature crust. Once the country chicken steak-style beef is fried until crisp and golden, each piece is smothered in a creamy pan gravy made from milk, chicken stock, and pan drippings. Serve our chicken fried steak recipe with creamy mashed potatoes, collard greens, and a couple of buttermilk biscuits.
And if you’re looking for more Southern classics, how about tortilla-crusted catfish po’ boys, an iconic skillet cornbread with ham and pepperjack cheese, or finger-licking good Memphis-style hickory-smoked beef and pork ribs. Happy eatin’!
