Listen boos, Chicken Fried Steak is considered the GOAT of Texas comfort food. So trust ya girl Grandbaby Cakes’ who lives in good ole Dallas to show you how to make it right. I tenderize mine in a buttermilk marinade before frying it up in a seasoned breading. You won’t believe how crispy it gets. Then I top it off with a delish white gravy that’s got a nice bit of spice. Serve over garlic mashed potatoes and get your whole life. I ain’t lying to ya! The reviews speak for themselves y’all.
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Chicken Fried Steak Ingredient Notes
- Buttermilk: Grab some sour cream or plain greek yogurt and thin it out with milk. Or you can make your own by adding 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup of milk. Let it sit for 10 minutes until it starts to curdle and throw it in the recipe.
- Worcestershire Sauce: Soy sauce can be swapped in.
- Cornstarch: None around? Use more all-purpose flour.
- Cube Steaks: Round steak or sirloin steak pounded thin is fine too.
- Oil for Frying: Grab a neutral oil with a high smoke point.
- Shallots: Or onion.
- Chicken Stock: I like to grab chicken or beef stock for those deep savory notes.
How To Make Chicken Fried Steak
Step 1: Prep the Breading and Marinade The Cube Steak
- In a large bowl, toss in the flour, cornstarch, salt, garlic powder, pepper, and cayenne.
- Mix it up until combined then slide to the side.
- In a separate bowl, whisk up the buttermilk, eggs, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce.
- Pound the steaks a bit if you want to really get them super tender then dip your cube steaks in the buttermilk mixture.
- Cover with plastic wrap and let those steaks chill for at least 1 hour. Longer is always better boos.

Step 2: Bread & Fry Your Chicken Fried Steaks
- Let’s get dredging. Dip a cube steak straight out of a marinade into the seasoned flour mixture coating each side then back into marinade then finally back into the seasoned flour.
- Place your breaded country fried steak on a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat with all the steaks. Let them rest so that breading really sticks.
- Add oil to a cast iron skillet or frying pan and heat it up. Also, preheat the oven. Once oil is hot and ready, fry each steak on both sides until golden brown.
- Drain on wire racks with a paper towel lined baking sheet underneath. If you want to keep the steaks super warm, add them to the baking sheets and slide into the preheated oven while you throw together that gravy.

Step 3: Make The Gravy
- Add some of the oil from frying with drippings to a saute pan over medium. Toss in shallots and garlic and cook while stirring.
- Next stir in flour creating a good ole roux. Cook until a tan brown develops (don’t burn it boos).
- Stir in milk and stock and heat.
- Allow the gravy to thicken until it coats the back of a spoon and is super silky.

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Chicken Fried Steak Recipe
Want to Save This Recipe, Boo?
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Steaks:
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 4 cube steaks
- 4-5 cups oil for frying
For the Gravy:
- 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots or onions
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 1/2 cups chicken or beef stock
- pinch cayenne
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Optional: Ground pepper and parsley for garnish
Instructions
For the steaks:
- To a large bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce.
- To another bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, salt, garlic powder, pepper, and cayenne.
- Submerge steaks to buttermilk and marinate for at least 1 hour. (2 hours preferred.)
- Dip steaks, one at a time, into seasoned flour mixture coating each side then back into marinade then back into seasoned flour then finally place on a baking sheet. Let it rest for 15-20 minutes to make sure that the breading adheres and stays on the steaks when frying.
- Add oil to cast iron skillet or frying pan and heat over medium high heat to 350-375 F. Also preheat oven to 250 degrees.
- Once oil is hot and ready, fry each steak on each side until golden brown frying about 2-4 minutes each side. Don't overcrowd the pan. Drain on paper towels then place steaks on parchment covered baking sheets and put in the oven while you make the gravy.
For the gravy:
- Add 1/4 cup of the oil from frying to a saute pan over medium.
- Add in shallots or onions and garlic and cook for 2 minutes while stirring.
- Next stir in flour and cook creating a roux (think a delicious light brown color). Cook until browned (but not burned).
- Stir in milk and stock and turn heat up to high heat until boiling then turn heat down to medium low and allow to thicken until it coats the back of a spoon.
- Turn off heat and spoon gravy on top of steaks. Sprinkle with ground pepper and parsley and serve hot with mashed potatoes if you prefer.
Video
Notes
- Fridge: Cool your chicken fried steak to room temp, then add the steaks and gravy to separate airtight containers. Pop in the fridge. They will last for 3-4 days.
- Freezer: Make sure you wrap the steak and gravy separately. Properly stored, it can last for up to 3 months. Just thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
- Reheating: For optimal crispness, preheat your oven to 375°F and heat the steaks on a baking sheet for about 15-20 minutes. If reheating from frozen, allow an additional 10-15 minutes. An air fryer is fantastic too. I don’t recommend heating your steaks in the microwave since the crust won’t crisp up well. However you can reheat the gravy in the microwave or in a saucepan over medium heat. Just add a bit of milk or stock to thin it out if necessary.
Nutrition
Step 4: Assemble Your Country Fried Steak
- To serve it up, add your steak to your plate and ladle on that gravy boos!
- Sprinkle on a bit of parsley and serve it up!

Recipe Tips
- Use a Cube Steak and Pound!: Breaded cube steak recipes are my fave y’al! The beauty of a cube steak is that it has already been tenderized by being beaten with a mallet. Now could you do a bit more work and really get that baby tender? Yep! This will really help those muscle fibers break down even more. This not only means it cooks evenly, but it also absorbs flavors better.
- Press Flour into the Steak: Don’t just lightly dredge your steak in flour—press it in boos! This is really gonna make that flour stick to that steak so it doesn’t go anywhere!
- Let the Breaded Steaks Rest: In order to get that chicken fried steak fried up right, that breading has to stay put. Letting the steaks rest after you dredge will make sure they have time to set.
- Grab a Cast Iron Skillet: I love frying with a cast iron skillet because it retains heat so well and helps those steaks fry up evenly.
- Don’t Crowd the Pan: Make sure you fry in batches so the oil temperature doesn’t lower and make the country fried steaks soggy.
- Save Those Drippings: Pan drippings are gold y’all. Add those cooked up bits to the gravy for some bomb flavor.
- Brown the Roux: If you like extra rich gravy or want to add more color, take a moment to let the roux cook to a beautiful golden tan hue. It’s gonna add more flavor y’all.
- Test Oil Temperature: Before frying, drop a tiny bit of country fried steak breading into the oil. If it sizzles immediately and rises to the top, your oil is good to go. The right temperature ensures that your steak fries to golden perfection without getting soggy or burnt.
More Fried Recipes
- Fried Green Tomatoes Recipe
- THE BEST Fish And Chips Recipe (Video)
- Fried Okra Recipe
- Buttermilk Fried Chicken Recipe
- Fried Chicken Gizzards Recipe
- Chicken Fried Chicken
*Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating and leave comments below!* Post a photo of how your version of the recipe came out on Instagram (using #grandbabycakes)!!
I made the Chicken Fried Steak this evening for our dinner. It was delicious.. will definitely make it again. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Sincerely
Kathi Jarabek
One day we will be seeing your little one on TV doing her own cooking show! She is adorable!
You are so kind! Thank you Brenda!
Do we have to fry, can it be baked
This recipe can be oven fried but it truly is better fried. I would consider it a cheat meal.
I just got a cast iron skillet and I knew my first meal cooked in it would be CFS! I remember one time my mom made it and I was worried because it had hot sauce in it. I don’t really like hot sauce but I love spicy. I saw that your recipe had HS and Cayenne and I decided on this one!
Best choice ever! This is the most flavorful CFS I have ever had and I didn’t even make the gravy. This will be my go-to recipe!
Fantastic!!!
I made hs recipe tonight and it was great!
Can this be made/cooked and then frozen for freezer meals?
Yes you can definitely do that.
How long do you fry the steak just till brown??
Until brown! It easiest cooks through because it is thinned out.
There is also a device named “Fast Cutlet Maker V2” that flattens the meat and create a nice cube pattern on it. It’s popular in Poland.
OMG I already have your cookbook but here I am printing off all kinds of recipes! CFS is one of my fave foods of all time! Here in Texas we love a cream gravy on ours- very simple with no broth- just flour, milk, residual oil, S&P, maybe some onion & garlic powder. Do you think it would still be tasty if I subbed the broth for the same amount milk? (2 c total) I’m sorry if this has already been asked- I did not have time to read all the comments. Thank you so much!
Absolutely! Knock yourself out and make it your own!
Jocelyn, I need to send a huge thanks for this recipe. I followed all of your instructions and this turned out FABULOUS! My husband is one happy guy! I would like to suggest putting the meat on a rack of some sort when you put it in the oven to keep warm. I didn’t and the underside got a bit soggy. This is a keeper.
We live up here in Canada and we have very few restaurants that serve Chicken Fried Steak. Whenever we visit the USA, my husband always orders it. Thanks for sharing your recipe as the whole family loved it and the kids said it is definetly a keeper!!
Hooray that makes me so happy!
I used this exact recipe except for one thing. I only had thin cut ribeye steaks on hand. Oh my….tender plus crispy. Your recipe is a keeper. I know it isn’t traditional, but try it with the thin cut ribeye. Once pounded out, it is amazing! Thanks for the recipe. Wonderfully tasty!