Chicken Fried Steak

Perfectly seasoned, crispy fried cube steak topped with a decadently creamy sauce. An economical, quick, and easy meal perfect for the whole family. It makes a fantastic meal for an intimate dinner date night, too.

Course Main

Cuisine Southern

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings

Calories 693kcal

Author Imma

Ingredients

2 pounds cube steak (tenderized round steak)
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional (adjust to taste)
1 teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried parsley
Milk

For the Gravy

Drippings from the steaks
¼ cup all-purpose flour
3 cups whole milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Cube Steaks

If making your cube steaks, pat your steaks of choice dry with paper towels. Then place one steak at a time on a chopping board covered with a plastic bag.
Pound the steak with a meat pounder or small skillet until it reaches an even ⅛-¼-inch thickness. Season with Cajun seasoning and set aside.
Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, paprika, onion and garlic powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper, thyme, and parsley in a large bowl. Pour enough milk into another large bowl and set aside.
Dredge the cube steaks in the flour mixture, dip them in the milk, and then again in the flour mixture. Coat steak well, pressing seasoned flour all over them to help it adhere to the meat. Shake off any excess flour.
Pour enough oil into a skillet to cover the bottom by ⅕ -¼ inch. Heat the oil to 350°F; it is ready when it sizzles, but don't let it start smoking. Adjust heat to accommodate temperature.
Gently place the floured steaks into the oil. Fry for 2-3 minutes per side or until the edges of the steak turn golden brown. Then remove them with a large spatula, hold for a few seconds to let excess oil drain, and remove from the pan. Set them on paper towels to remove extra oil. Keep warm.

Gravy

Pour the oil out of the pan, leaving the drippings, and add about three tablespoons of oil back to the skillet.
Whisk in the flour. Continue whisking until it's thoroughly mixed with the oil, then cook for about a minute to eliminate the raw flour taste.
Slowly add milk while stirring because you don't want the mixture to form lumps. Bring it to a simmer, then turn it down to medium heat and simmer gently until it thickens into a cream sauce – 8-10 minutes.
Pour the warm gravy over the country-fried steaks. Sprinkle with fresh parsley if desired and serve with mashed potatoes.

Notes

Let the steaks rest on a wire rack for a couple of minutes before frying them so the coating sets and stays intact.
You can either deep-fry these babies or pan-fry them if you want to cut back on oil. It works either way.
Whole milk or 2% milk works fine for this gravy.
Cubed steaks are a tougher and more economical cut of beef, so pound them with a tenderizer for a fabulicious steak dinner.
Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.

Nutrition