This easy Chicken Fried Steak recipe is done in just 30 minutes! Tender beef is topped with a thick gravy made quickly with drippings from the pan. Perfect easy and comforting dinner for busy nights!
Original post: January 2019 | Updated: May 2021
Why This Recipe Works
Chicken Fried Steak is one of those meals that gets ordered at restaurants but isn’t made in a lot of home kitchens. That needs to change! Because it is a surprisingly quick and easy meal and done in 30 minutes. Who doesn’t love a comforting 30-minute meal?!
Change up your dinner this week and throw this dish together. The flavor in this easy chicken fried steak recipe will shock everyone at the table, I promise.
You may carry the misconception that this is a time intensive meal, but it isn’t! The gravy comes together quickly and I can’t even describe how flavorful it is. The pan drippings work their magic!
Recipe Ingredients
Steak – Use cube steak for this recipe or any variety of steak that has been tenderized. You could also use round steak, which would need to be pounded to 1/2-inch thickness. Place the steaks between two pieces of wax paper and pound with the back of a heavy wooden spoon or meat mallet.
Flour – Replace all-purpose with a gluten-free variety of flour to makes this a GF meal.
Buttermilk – If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you have a few options! Replace it with milk or easily make your own batch of buttermilk using 2 easy ingredients!
Canola oil – Vegetable oil is a suitable substitute for canola oil.
How To Make Easy Chicken Fried Steak
Make The Steak
Sprinkle salt and pepper over the steaks on both sides. Add the flour to a medium bowl. In a separate medium bowl, combine the eggs, buttermilk, baking powder and baking soda. Whisk until smooth.
Place the steaks, one at a time, into the flour, then dunk entirely in the egg mixture, followed by one last coating of flour (make sure entire surface is coated).
Heat the canola oil in a cast iron (or heavy) skillet over medium-high heat. Add the steaks to the skillet, cover and cook 4-5 minutes per side. Transfer steaks to a plate and cover to keep warm (do not clean skillet).
Make The Gravy
Reduce heat to medium and add the flour, salt and pepper to the skillet. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly, or until mixture has turned brown and has thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in buttermilk and water. Whisk until smooth.
Add extra water (2 Tbsp at a time) for a less thick gravy. Pour over steaks on individual serving plates and serve with mashed potatoes or rice!
Recipe Notes
- I love the thick gravy in the recipe, but if you’re looking for a thinner version add more water to the recipe (2 Tbsp at a time, stirring after each till desired consistency is reached) and shorten the cooking time by a minute or two. It’s delicious either way!
- If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, make your own by combining 1 cup of milk with EITHER 1 tablespoon of lemon juice OR 1 tablespoon of white vinegar. Mix well and let sit for 5-10 minutes, or until small curdles stick to a spoon.
FAQ About Chicken Fried Steak
To reheat chicken fried steak, transfer to a foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes or until warmed through.
I’m probably not the only person in the world who is rather confused by the name of this dish. Is it chicken? Is it steak? Another version of the name is Country Fried Steak, which is much more appropriate because CHICKEN IS NOT INVOLVED here. The reason “chicken” is in the title is because the method used for frying the meat is similar to the way chicken is pan-fried. I know, weird. The typical type of meat used to make Chicken Fried Steak is tenderized cube steak. Steak is coated with a flour mixture, pan-fried in oil to create a breading, then served over mashed potatoes alongside gravy.
A comforting heaping pile of warm mashed potatoes tastes best with Chicken Fried Steak, but feel free to use rice, quinoa or pasta instead! Roasted Vegetables or Zoodles and Mushrooms would be great served on the side, as well as steamed green beans or broccoli.
Cube steak is typically used to make chicken fried steak, but if you can’t find it substitute with round steak or top sirloin. Whichever cut you use, be sure to pound the steaks so that they are between 1/4- and 1/2-inch thickness uniformly.
Related Recipes
Easy Chicken Fried Steak Recipe
Ingredients
Make The Steak
- 4 6 oz cube steaks pounded to 1/2-inch thickness
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 cup canola oil
Make The Gravy
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
MAKE CHICKEN FRIED STEAK
- Sprinkle salt and pepper over the steaks on both sides. Add the flour to a medium bowl. In a separate medium bowl, combine the eggs, buttermilk, baking powder and baking soda. Whisk until smooth.
- Place the steaks, one at a time, into the flour, then dunk entirely in the egg mixture, followed by one last coating of flour (make sure entire surface is coated).
- Heat the canola oil in a cast iron (or heavy) skillet over medium-high heat. Add the steaks to the skillet, cover and cook 4-5 minutes per side. Transfer steaks to a plate and cover to keep warm (do not clean skillet).
MAKE GRAVY
- Reduce heat to medium and add the flour, salt and pepper to the skillet. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly, or until mixture has turned brown and has thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in buttermilk and water. Whisk until smooth.
- Add extra water (2 Tbsp at a time) for a less thick gravy. Pour over steaks on individual serving plates and serve with mashed potatoes or rice!
Notes
- I love the thick gravy in the recipe, but if you’re looking for a thinner version add more water to the recipe (2 Tbsp at a time, stirring after each till desired consistency is reached) and shorten the cooking time by a minute or two. It’s delicious either way!
- If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, make your own by combining 1 cup of milk with EITHER 1 tablespoon of lemon juice OR 1 tablespoon of white vinegar. Mix well and let sit for 5-10 minutes, or until small curdles stick to a spoon.
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