Texas Chicken-Fried Steak with Gravy
Updated Apr 27, 2025
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This Texas-Style Chicken-Fried Steak with Gravy is true southern comfort food at its best. A good steak recipe doesn’t have to use fancy cuts of meat — in fact, this tasty beef recipe turns a cheap cut like cube steak or round steak into something tender, juicy, and full of bold, crispy flavor.
Besides tasting great, this classic southern dish goes together in less than 30 minutes. Read on and learn how to make this delicious chicken-fried steak with gravy!
Table of Contents
About this Chicken-Fried Steak
Flavorful beef dinners are what I grew up with, and it’s one of the reasons we have so many different beef dishes on Platter Talk. Some of our favorite ways to make beef include holiday favorites, like this no-fail prime rib, our beefaroni from scratch, and this irresistible jerked beef on the grill.
Thanks to the simple seasoned flour coating and a quick fry in hot oil, you get a crunchy, golden brown crust and creamy homemade gravy that makes this meal a southern favorite anywhere in the world.
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This southern meal is perfect for Sunday dinner, a casual weeknight meal, or even celebrating Texas Chicken Fried Steak Day in October, or any other time of the year!
🥄 Substitutions and Variations
- Use brown gravy instead of cream gravy if you like a heartier flavor.
- You can swap cube steak for beef cutlets or another tenderized piece of meat.
- For an extra-crispy version of chicken-fried steak, try adding bread crumbs to the second dredge.
- Lightly sprinkle a little hot sauce on top of the finished steak for extra kick!
🥩 What You’ll Need
This is a real home cooks kind of meal — no fancy equipment, just hearty ingredients and some southern kitchen tricks.
Ingredients
For the Chicken-Fried Steak:
- 2 lbs cube steak (or round steak, tenderized well)
- 3–4 cups all-purpose flour (for dredging)
- 3–4 eggs (for the egg mixture)
- ¼ cup water (to thin the eggs for easy dipping)
- Seasoned salt or meat tenderizer
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Garlic powder and onion powder (for extra flavor)
- Vegetable oil or canola oil (enough oil to fry)
For the Creamy Gravy:
- 2 tablespoons leftover oil (from the frying pan)
- 1/8 cup all-purpose flour
- 2–3 cups whole milk
Recipe Details
Category: Dinner, Comfort Food, Southern Recipes
Cuisine: American
Skill Level: Moderate
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Main Ingredients in Chicken-Fried Steak
Cube steak, flour, eggs, milk, oil
Equipment Needed:
Meat mallet or rolling pin, large cast-iron skillet, shallow bowls, wire rack, heatproof bowl
🔥 How to Make Texas-Style Chicken-Fried Steak with Gravy
(See the recipe card at the end for the full recipe with directions.)
This is the kind of meal where the steps are simple — it’s just all about doing them right. Get your oil hot, your flour seasoned, and take your time for golden perfection!
Dredge and Bread the Steaks
- Mix the egg wash: Crack the eggs into a shallow bowl, add a splash of water, and whisk to make an egg mixture.
- Prepare the seasoned flour mixture: In another bowl, stir flour with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Dredge the steaks:
- Coat each steak lightly in flour first (this sticks the egg wash better).
- Dip into the egg mixture.
- Coat a second time in the seasoned flour, pressing it in well to make a thick crust. Shake off excess flour.
Fry the Steaks
- Heat your oil: Add enough oil to your large frying pan or large skillet to cover the edges of the steak. Heat over medium-high heat until shimmering.
- Cook: Fry each steak about 4–6 minutes per side until they reach golden perfection. The crispy crust should be golden brown and crunchy.
- Drain: Place steaks on a wire rack set over a paper towel-lined plate to keep them crispy.
Make the Creamy Country Gravy
- Use the pan drippings: After frying, keep about 2 tablespoons of cup of the grease in the pan.
- Make a roux: Sprinkle 1/8 cup flour into the oil and whisk constantly over medium-low heat to make a golden-brown paste.
- Pour in the milk: Slowly add whole milk, whisking the whole thing to break up any bits stuck at the bottom of the pan. Stir until thickened into a creamy gravy (about a couple of minutes).
📝 Top Tips for Best Results
- Tenderize the steak thoroughly — a cheap cut becomes the most tender when pounded thin.
- Fry at medium heat or medium-high heat to get a crispy crust without burning the breaded steak.
- Rest breaded steaks on a clean plate for a few minutes before frying to help the coating stick better.
- Use an airtight container to store leftover steaks and reheat them in the oven to keep the crust crispy.
- Always fry in a large cast-iron skillet or heavy skillet for the best heat control.
❓ Quick Recipe Questions and Answers
Yes! You can use beef cutlets or any cheap cut like round steak — just be sure to tenderize it well.
Let the breaded steak rest for a few minutes before frying and make sure you coat it well in the seasoned flour mixture.
It’s best made fresh, but you can reheat the creamy gravy slowly on the stovetop if needed. Just add a splash of milk if it gets too thick.
Serve it with creamy garlic mashed potatoes with parsley, hash browns in the air fryer, green beans and stuffing casserole, or collard greens for a full southern meal!
📚 Good to Know
Did you know chicken-fried steak was inspired by German immigrants and their beloved wiener schnitzel? It’s one of the ultimate dishes that blends American and European traditions into something truly special.
Today it’s a southern classic, whether you’re frying it up at home or grabbing it at your local diner.
Serve this Texas-style chicken-fried steak and gravy with classic sides like mashed potatoes, hash browns, collard greens, or green beans for the full comfort food spread. Trust me — next time you’re craving fried chicken recipes or favorite recipes from the south, this Texas-Style Chicken-Fried Steak with Gravy is the one to make!
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Texas Chicken-Fried Steak with Gravy
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Ingredients
For the Chicken Fried Steak
- 2 l bs round steak
- All purpose flour for dredging, 3-4 cups at least
- 3-4 eggs
- Season salt/meat tenderizer
- Salt
- Pepper
- Cooking oil
For the Gravy
- Left over oil from chicken fried steak
- 1/8 cup All purpose flour
- 2-3 cups milk
Instructions
For the Chicken Fried Steak
- Prepare steak by tenderizing with a meat hammer. Because this is a cheaper and tougher cut of meat, the steaks should be tenderized extensively (you should be able to see through portions of the steak). After tenderizing, cut steaks into portions sizes (about the size of a hand) and tenderized further by sprinkling season salt/meat tenderizing salt on steaks. You can do this part ahead of time so the tenderizing salt can do its jobs.
- Fill large skillet with oil (I use canola) and heat on medium. Oil should get very hot.
- While the oil is heating, you dredge steak. Fill a large container with flour. You may season flour with salt and pepper. Crack the eggs into a large bowl, add ¼ cup of water to eggs, and whisk.
- To dredge, dip steaks in flour and lightly coat. Next immerse in egg mixture, and finish by dredging again in flour, this time thoroughly coating the steak.
- When oil is hot, use tongs to place steaks in pan. Steaks will cook 4-6 minutes per side (see pictures for ideal color of crust).
- If making a large quantity, I preheat the oven to 200 degrees and place finished chicken fried steak in an oven save dish to keep warm.
For the Gravy
- After you have finished the chicken fried steak, draining skillet until you have about 2 tablespoons of oil left in the pan. Sprinkle 1/8 cup of flour into pan and immediately begin whisking to mix with oil. Have milk ready!!!
- As soon as flour is whisked in, begin pouring milk. There isn’t an exact amount (my mother always told me, “Pour until there is enough!”). Here I have estimated between 2-3 cups.
- When pouring, constantly whisk and break away bits left over from frying and mix into the gravy. Keep heat at medium and stir constantly. Gravy should thicken after several minutes.
Notes
🔥 Top Tips
- Pound the steak thin with a meat mallet or rolling pin for tender, juicy results.
- Double-dredge the steak in seasoned flour and egg mixture for a thick, crispy crust.
- Fry over medium-high heat and drain on a wire rack to keep the breaded steak golden brown and crunchy.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I love it when someone else does my cooking, especially if it was this yummy chicken fried steak! My hubs is from Montana, he grew up on this! Yum, yum and yum!
I hear you. I love cooking but I definitely won’t turn down someone else preparing a meal for me 🙂
I saw the picture and thought “hey there beautiful comfort food” Ah that brings me back to my moms cooking! YUMMMO
Winner winner chicken dinner! This looks incredible and is one of our favorite recipes in the wintertime! Yummy!
That coating looks absolutely perfect, am going to bookmark this to try later!
Words cannot describe how much i want to eat this RIGHT NOW!
Oh, now you o ought to just be ashamed! This is some good eating right here! I remember when Mom cooked chicken fried steak when we were growing up. My husband would probably propose to me again if I cooked this. #merrymonday
I agree, sometimes the best meals are the ones that someone else makes…lol. BTW- Just watched the video and now I want chicken fried steak 🙂 Drooling.
Can’t wait for you to try this!
Oooh, this brings back so many great memories. So, in college, our dorm hall cafeteria didn’t have really great food. Aside from the carnitas tacos or personal pizzas, pretty much everything was subpar. But! Some very special sunday mornings, they’d bring chicken-fried steak that would knock your socks off. I absolutely loved it and have always had a soft spot for the food since. I am so excited you shared this recipe as it look positively delicious. It was also so fun to watch April, an expert on the food, whip this up. What a lovely friend you have, and what a lovely dish you’ve shared! XO
Thanks, Beeta! Wish you could have joined us!!