Chicken Fried Steak with White Gravy

My chicken fried steak with white gravy is a traditional Southern meal no one can resist! This recipe was passed down to me from my Mother!

Chicken Fried Steak with White Gravy is a traditional Southern meal that I grew up & it continues to be one of my favorite things in the whole world!

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If ever there was a traditional Southern meal it would be chicken fried steak with white gravy! This dish is comfort food at its finest.

Breaded cube steaks that are pan-fried until golden brown and then coated in a thick, white gravy.

The result is tender and comforting meat in each and every bite. Serve this classic chicken fried steak with a side of mashed potatoes (also covered in gravy of course) or buttermilk biscuits and you’ll have everyone asking for second helpings.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Classic: chicken fried steak with white gravy is a classic meal everyone loves. This recipe will become your go-to main course anytime you need comfort food.
  • Quick to whip up: though having to coat the cube steak sounds time-consuming, this recipe is on the table in about 30 minutes.
  • Easy ingredients: outside of the cube steak, this dinner requires mostly pantry staples that you have on hand making it great to make in a pinch.

Chicken Fried Steak with White Gravy is a traditional Southern meal that I grew up on. chicken fried steak with gravy served alongside a biscuit, fried squash, deviled egg and mashed potatoes

Ingredients You’ll Need

  • Cube steaks: these are pre-tenderized steaks that cook up quickly.
  • All-purpose flour: if possible, sift the flour so that it doesn’t have any clumps in it.
  • Baking basics: you’ll need baking powder, baking soda, garlic powder, salt, and pepper for the coating to come together.
  • Buttermilk: you want buttermilk because the acidity in it helps tenderize the meat while it’s cooking.
  • Eggs: to batter the cube steak.
  • Hot sauce (optional): this gives a delicious flavor to the fried steak, and you can make it as intense or light as you like,
  • Vegetable shortening: used to fry the battered cube steak to golden perfection.
  • Milk: the creamy part of the white gravy that you’ll use to scrape the pan with. Make sure not to get skim milk as it won’t be the same.

Tips For Success

Dry The Meat

In order to keep the batter from falling off the fried chicken you want to make sure that your meat is dry before dipping it. This is why you coat it in flour before dipping it. If needed, pat the cube steak dry before starting the process.

Maximize The Flavor Of The Gravy

All the flavor you need to make the best white gravy is in the pan already. As you whisk the remaining flour into the oil, scrape the bottom of the pan. This releases any of the solids into the gravy and is what gives you the most flavor.

I love to cook this in a cast iron skillet, as my mother taught me to do – but it is optional to do so.

Storing The Leftovers

If you don’t gobble up the whole batch, you can easily save some of the chicken fried steak for lunch the next day.

Let the chicken fried steak cool fully before storing it in an airtight container in the fridge. It will stay fresh for 3-4 days.

Though you can reheat it in the microwave until warmed through, it won’t have the same delicious flavor as it did when freshly made.

Instead, reheat it in the oven at 350-375F for 10-15 minutes until heated through. This will bring a bit of the crispy texture back.

chicken fried steak with gravy served alongside a biscuit, fried squash, deviled egg and mashed potatoes

What To Serve With Chicken Fried Steak

Since this is a traditional Southern meal, you’ll want the best Southern side dishes to go with it.

I love to pour that white gravy over top of mashed potatoes & buttermilk biscuits!

chicken fried steak with gravy served alongside a biscuit, fried squash, deviled egg and mashed potatoes
What Is Chicken Fried Steak Made Of?

Chicken fried steak is made from cube steak that’s then battered and fried. Cube steak is an inexpensive cut of beef that’s already been tenderized making it a cut that cooks up quickly.

Is chicken fried steak the same as country-fried steak?

Not exactly. Though they are both battered, country-fried steak tends not to be as crispy and is served with a traditional brown gravy made from stock. Whereas chicken fried steak is crispy, golden brown, and served with a creamy white gravy. Similar, but different flavors.

How do you keep chicken fried steak warm while cooking it?

If you need to fry your chicken fried steak in batches, you’ll want to keep the ones you’ve already fried warm. To do this, preheat your oven to 200F and line a tray with parchment paper. Place the cooked steaks on the baking tray in the oven while you get everything finished and ready.

What is white gravy made of?

White gravy is made by mixing flour into oil and scraping the flavor bits off of a pan from cooking fried chicken. Season it with salt and pepper as per preference. You then whisk in milk to make it creamy. It can be thickened with more flour as needed.

Chicken Fried Steak with White Gravy

Bite into Southern comfort food. This chicken fried steak with white gravy recipe results in tender bites of cube steak coated in a crispy shell and smothered with a delicious white gravy.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 1/2 pound cube steaks
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1.5 cups buttermilk
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons hot sauce
  • 2 tablespoons garlic powder
  • 3 cups vegetable shortening for frying
  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 4 cups milk
  • salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Place 2 cups of flour into a shallow bowl, or pie plate. Stir stir together the baking powder, baking soda, pepper, and salt in a separate shallow bowl; stir in the buttermilk, egg, hot sauce, & garlic powder. Dredge each steak first in the flour, and then in the batter, and again in the flour. Pat the flour onto the surface of each steak so they are completely coated with dry flour.
  • Heat the shortening in a deep cast-iron skillet. Fry the steaks until evenly golden brown – about 3-5 minutes per side. Place the fried steaks on a plate with paper towels to drain. Drain the fat from the skillet reserving 1/4 cup of the oil and as much of the solid remnants as possible.
  • Return the skillet to medium-low heat with the reserved oil. Whisk the remaining flour into the oil. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula to release the solids into the gravy. Stir in the milk, raise the heat to medium, and bring the gravy to a simmer; cook until thick, about 7 minutes or so. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Spoon the gravy over the steaks to serve.