Sandra This Paula Deen Style Chicken Fried Steak is a crispy and tender recipe, which is made with cube steak and milk. It’s the ultimate comfort food recipe, ready in about 40 minutes.
Paula Deen Chicken Fried Steak Ingredients
For the Steak:
- 1 pound pre-tenderized cube steaks, or round steaks (4 steaks)
- Kosher salt, for seasoning the meat
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, for breading
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- Canola oil, peanut oil, or other fat for frying
For the Gravy:
- 3 tablespoons pan drippings
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 3/4 cups milk (a little more or less)
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
How To Make Paula Deen Chicken Fried Steak
- Pound the steaks thin: If not using pre-tenderized cube steak, place the steaks between two pieces of plastic wrap and use a meat mallet to pound them to an even thickness of less than 1/4 inch.
- Prep for frying: Preheat your oven to 200°F. Place a wire rack over a baking sheet and place it in the oven. This will be used to keep the cooked steaks warm. Lightly salt the pounded steaks.
- Bread the steaks: Set up two shallow dishes. In the first, whisk the eggs and milk. In the second, whisk the flour, 2 teaspoons of salt, garlic powder, and cayenne. Working one at a time, dredge a steak in the flour, pressing it in firmly. Then, dip it in the egg wash, and finally, dredge it back in the flour a second time, pressing firmly again.
- Fry the steaks until golden: Pour about 1/4 inch of oil into a large frying pan and heat to 350°F. Carefully lay a steak in the hot oil. Spoon some of the hot oil over the top to help set the coating. Fry for about 2 minutes per side, until golden brown and cooked through.
- Keep warm: Transfer the cooked steaks to the wire rack in the warm oven to keep them crispy while you make the gravy.
- Make the country gravy: Pour out all but about 3 tablespoons of fat from the pan. Whisk in 3 tablespoons of flour to create a roux. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 4-5 minutes until it’s a milk chocolate color. Slowly whisk in the milk and cream until the gravy is smooth and thickened. Season generously with salt and lots of black pepper.
- Serve: Serve the chicken fried steaks hot, smothered in the creamy country gravy.
Recipe Tips
- How to get a tender steak? The most important step is to pound the steak very thin (less than 1/4 inch). This breaks down the tough muscle fibers and ensures the steak cooks quickly and stays tender.
- How to keep the breading from falling off? The double-dredge method is key. When you dredge the steak in the flour (both the first and second time), use the heel of your hand to firmly press the flour into the meat. This helps the coating adhere properly.
- Do I have to deep fry the steaks? No. This recipe works perfectly with shallow frying in about 1/4 inch of oil. To help the top coating set before you flip, just spoon some of the hot pan oil over it for a few seconds.
- How do you keep the steaks crispy? Don’t skip the warming oven step! Placing the fried steaks on a wire rack (not a solid plate) in a low oven allows air to circulate, keeping them perfectly crispy while you finish the rest of the batch and make the gravy.
What To Serve With Chicken Fried Steak
This is a classic Southern comfort food main dish. It is almost always served with:
- Perfect Mashed Potatoes
- Southern Cornbread
- Stewed Okra and Tomatoes
- Southern Style Collard Greens
How To Store Chicken Fried Steak
- Refrigerate: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Store the gravy separately.
- Reheat: For the best results, reheat the steak in a 375°F oven or an air fryer for 5-10 minutes until hot and crispy. The microwave will make the breading soggy.
Chicken Fried Steak Nutrition Facts
- Serving: 1 serving
- Calories: 886kcal
- Fat: 49g
- Carbs: 60g
- Protein: 50g
Nutrition information is estimated and may vary based on ingredients and cooking methods used.
FAQs
The most common and best choice is pre-tenderized cube steak. If you can’t find that, a cheap cut like round steak works perfectly, as long as you take the time to pound it very thin with a meat mallet.
Lumpy gravy usually happens if the roux (the flour and fat mixture) isn’t cooked long enough, or if the milk is added too quickly or is too cold. Cook the roux until it’s smooth and colored, then add the milk slowly while whisking constantly.
This is typically because the oil was not hot enough when you added the steak. Make sure the oil is shimmering and sizzles when you drop a speck of flour in it. Overcrowding the pan can also lower the oil temperature and cause the steaks to steam instead of fry.
Try More Recipes:
- Paula Deen Bacon Wrapped Chicken Recipe
- Paula Deen Chicken Spaghetti Recipe
- Paula Deen Chicken Fried Pork Chops Recipe
Paula Deen Chicken Fried Steak Recipe
Description
A true Southern classic, this recipe features tender cube steak pounded thin, coated in a seasoned crust, and fried to a perfect golden brown, then smothered in a creamy country gravy.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°F. Pound the steaks until they are less than 1/4-inch thick.
- Set up a breading station with an egg/milk wash and a seasoned flour mixture.
- Double-dredge each steak: first in flour, then in egg wash, then back in the flour, pressing firmly.
- Shallow-fry the steaks in 1/4-inch of 350°F oil for about 2 minutes per side until golden brown.
- Keep cooked steaks on a wire rack in the warm oven.
- Make the gravy by creating a roux with 3 tbsp of pan drippings and 3 tbsp of flour.
- Cook the roux until it’s a milk-chocolate color, then slowly whisk in the milk and cream until smooth and thick. Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve the steaks smothered in gravy.
Notes
- Pounding the steak until it is very thin is the most crucial step for a tender result.
- The double-dredge and firmly pressing the flour into the meat is the secret to a coating that won’t fall off.
