Restaurant Cooking: Chicken Fried Steak

Chicken Fried Steak Like the Pros Do It

The name comes from a steak fried like chicken, which is not exactly accurate but not wrong either. The meat starts as a steak, usually sirloin, and is put through a process called cubing which tenderizes and flattens the meat. You can do the same thing with a meat tenderizing mallet, the little cube shaped dents when you are finished is where it gets the name. Chicken fried steak is by far the most common use for a cubed steak.

This is a process driven dish. Frankly, the steps are why many people won’t bother to make it, even though it’s not hard, there are specific steps in a specific sequence to get the right results. This recipe is geared to making four individual steaks. You may want to get disposable gloves for this one too. Gloved or not, remember that you have one dry hand and one wet hand, it will make your life much easier and keep your mitt from looking like ready to fry meat when you’re done.

1. Pick up the steak in your left hand and dip in the first wash.
2. Using your left (wet) hand push the steak into the wash until coated, then move from the wash and drop into the flour mix.
3. Using your right (dry) dredge the steak in the flour until covered then remove it and place in the egg wash.
4. Left hand, make sure the steak is completely coated by the egg wash, move from the wash and place in the crumbs.
5. Right hand, be sure the steak is well coated and that you have a decent layer of crumbs below and on top of the steak. Press down firmly and repeatedly with your right hand. You will actually flatten the steak out, make sure you have crumbs above and below, continue the process until the steak has almost doubled in diameter.
6. Put paper or plastic between the steaks, cover and refrigerate for an hour (or freeze for the future) before cooking.

Chicken Fried Steak Ingredients

Chicken Fried Steak Recipe

Restaurant Quality Chicken Fried Steak

Allen Bixby

Print Recipe

Prep Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 4 people

Calories 480 kcal

Instructions

 

• Start with:

  4 – 4 ounce cubed steaks
  
• First wash, in a flat bowl whisk until blended:

  1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

  1 Tablespoon brown mustard

  1/4 cup water
  
• Flour dredge, combine in a deep plate or dish:

  cup all-purpose flour

  1 teaspoon salt

  teaspoon garlic powder

  teaspoon onion powder

  teaspoon paprika

  teaspoon fine ground black pepper
  
• Egg Wash, whisk in a large bowl:

  2 eggs

  1/4 cup cool water
  
• Bread crumbs, buy the unseasoned variety. Put the entire package in a flat dish, a rectangular cake pan works well.
• When you first drop the steak in the crumbs it will be the same diameter as when you started. Pressing the crumbs into it will make it expand but don’t go much past double the starting diameter because it will get too thin and may crumble apart. After you finish, sift the crumbs through a colander and seal tightly to store for future use.
• Cooking your chicken fried steak. Pan fry over medium heat or in an electric skillet at 350 degrees with two tablespoons of Canola oil. If you have clarified butter, or know the process, you can use that as your oil. Cook until browned, 4-6 minutes per side. 
  
• Serve with a ladle of country gravy or a couple fried eggs on top.

Notes

Here’s how Alton Brown does his chicken fried steak which is very close to our method.

Nutrition

Calories: 480kcal

Keyword chicken fried steak, Restaurant

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!