Southern Chicken Fried Steak with White Gravy

Tender, juicy, and crispy chicken fried steak served with creamy white gravy and all your favorite sides. Does it get any better than that? Fried in just ¼ inch of hot oil like your favorite fried chicken, this classic dish takes less than 30 minutes to make. 

 

Crispy Chicken Fried Steak With Gravy 

This Southern favorite hails from good ol’ Texas, but has roots in Germany and Austria and closely resembles the classic dish known as wiener schnitzel. While wiener schnitzel is made with veal, chicken fried steak is made with tender cube steak that’s pounded into thin cutlets and then fried like, well, fried chicken! Hence, the name.

It’s a Cracker Barrel classic but the homemade version is so much better.

While a traditional recipe calls just for flour and seasoning for the breading, I added a little something special to make it even crispier. 

For a truly crispy and golden brown crust, my secret ingredient is to use crackers! I like using saltines, but you can use any type of buttery cracker that you like. I think these would be amazing with Ritz. You can also use panko to get a crispy crust.

I find that the packaging saltines come in is sturdy enough to crush the crackers in, but you can dump them in a ziplock and use a rolling pin to finely crush them if you need a little extra power to get them to the right consistency. The addition of the crackers to the flour really turns this from a regular meal into an awesome one. 

Now top that amazing crispy steak with a white Southern gravy. Add some buttermilk yeast rolls to catch any extra gravy. It doesn’t get much more Southern than that.

When serving chicken fried steak, I like to go all out with a full Southern comfort food spread. From mashed potatoes and mac and cheese to cornbread and biscuits. And don’t forget skillet apples and of course a creamy gravy, this is one of those Sunday suppers that was made to have the whole family come around for.

Is This The Same As Country Fried Steak? 

Almost! The main difference between the two actually comes down to the type of gravy it’s served with. Chicken fried steak is served with peppery white gravy while country fried steak is served with brown gravy. Some say that chicken fried steak is when you use a deep fryer and country fried is when you use a large pan, but that’s up for debate!

This recipe is not deep fried, just pan fried in a skillet.

Why This Will Become A Family Favorite 

• Versatile – This tenderized steak dish is succulent and savory which makes it easy to pair with so many of your favorite side dishes. You can even use leftovers in a sandwich, on a salad, or in a wrap! 
• Tender Steaks – The best cuts of beef are the most tender. Whether you buy pre-tenderized cube steaks from the grocery store or do it yourself, the final result is fork tender and melts in your mouth. 
• Hearty and Comforting – This is one of those recipes that just feels like a big hug. Sometimes that’s all you need from a home cooked meal! 

Ingredients For Chicken Fried Steak With Cream Gravy

Meat – You can find cube steak at your local store or butcher shop. 

Breading – Saltine crackers, you could also use panko. Flour, and baking powder.

Spices – Dry mustard, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. 

Egg – This acts as a binder for the breading! 

Liquids – Milk to coat and canola oil for frying.

What Cuts Of Meat Should I Use?

Traditionally this is made with cube steak, but you can also use other inexpensive cuts of meat like round steak. The key is to use a meat tenderizer on all sides of the meat to make it super thin and tender before breading and frying. You can certainly use another cut of meat if you like! 

Easier Than You Think Chicken Fried Steak 

Step One: Season Steaks

Let steaks sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Salt and pepper both sides, pound until thin with a meat mallet if not already thin.

Step Two: Make Breading

In a pie plate combine finely crushed crackers, flour, baking powder, dry mustard, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper.

In a bowl, whisk the milk and eggs together. 

Step Three: Dredge

Dredge all sides of the steak in the seasoned flour mixture, coating both sides. Dip into the egg mixture and then return to the flour mixture.

Place on a wire rack and let rest for 10 minutes.

Step Four: Shallow Fry

In a heavy skillet, like a cast iron or Dutch oven, add ¼-inch of oil and heat over medium heat until it reaches 350º with a kitchen thermometer. Add breaded steaks to the oil, it should sizzle. Cook until browned, about 2 minutes and turn to cook the other side for 2 minutes or until a thermometer reads 140º. Remove to a wire rack and let rest for 5 minutes.

A Few Recipe Notes 

• Let the steaks rest after coating them to help the coating stay in place while they are cooking. 
• To make sure the oil is hot enough to fry the steaks, drop a small amount of the saltine and flour mixture into the pan. It should sizzle immediately, once hot enough, you can add the steaks to the pan. It should read 350º with a thermometer.
• Use buttermilk instead of regular milk to help tenderize and flavor the meat even further. The acidity of the buttermilk will help break down any leftover toughness. 

If you loved this recipe, give it a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating! Also, snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #butterandbaggage and tagging me @butterandbaggage.