Chicken fried steak is a delicious southern classic – a beef steak that’s battered and fried like fried chicken When done right, it has a crispy, crunchy coating enveloping a tender and juicy piece of beef But getting that coating just right can be tricky. If your chicken fried steak batter seems to fall off or get soggy, don’t worry – there are some simple tricks to help keep that coating crisp and attached.
Start with the Right Cut of Meat
It’s important to pick the right cut of beef before making chicken fried steak. You want something that’s affordable yet still fairly tender. A lot of recipes call for cube steak, which is beef round that has been turned into cubes by a machine. But in my tests, I’ve found that cube steak doesn’t make a very good chicken fried steak. It lacks flavor and tenderness compared to other cuts.
I tried a few different types of cheap steak and decided that sirloin tip was the best. It’s cheap, and it tastes and feels much more like beef than cube steak. Spend some time pounding sirloin tip steaks until they are very thin, about 1/4 inch thick. This makes them tender and helps the coating adhere.
Set the Coating with Cornstarch
Before breading, I coat the steaks in cornstarch. This helps make a thin, delicate crust that doesn’t make the beef taste bad. It also helps the meat get crispy by soaking up the water that comes off of it while it’s frying. The cornstarch dries out and forms a thin, cracklingly crisp shell around the meat.
Use Buttermilk in the Batter
For the batter, use a method similar to frying chicken where you dip the pieces in water. Cover first in flour, then in buttermilk, and finally in seasoned flour. The buttermilk helps the flour cover stay on the meat so it doesn’t fall off in the fryer.
Make sure to really work the buttermilk into the seasoned flour with your fingertips until it forms very coarse, wet sand. This helps develop gluten in the flour which results in a lighter, craggier crust. The craggy texture does a better job of clinging tightly to the meat.
Add Baking Powder for Extra Crispness
I also add a teaspoon of baking powder to my seasoned flour dredge. This further lightens the batter and helps it puff up and get super crispy in the hot oil. The bubbles introduced by the baking powder also aid in crust adhesion.
Let it Rest Before Frying
After breading the steaks, place them on a wire rack to rest for about 10 minutes before frying. This allows the coating to hydrate a bit and further set so it doesn’t slip and slide off the meat.
Deep Fry for Best Results
For evenly cooked chicken fried steak with an intact crispy coating, deep frying is a must. Pan frying in a skillet does not cook as evenly and it’s hard to get the same light, craggy crispness on the coating.
Use a Dutch oven or other heavy pot filled with 2-3 inches peanut or canola oil heated to 350-375F. Carefully add the steaks and fry until golden brown, flipping once, 2-3 minutes per side. The bubbling hot oil cooks the crust perfectly from all sides.
Drain and Season Right After Frying
As soon as the steaks come out of the fryer, let them drain briefly on a paper towel lined plate. Immediately season with salt to lock in maximum crispness. The short drain prevents sogginess while the quick seasoning adds flavor and helps dehydrate the crust.
Keep it Crispy with Gravy on the Side
Traditional chicken fried steak is smothered in creamy pepper gravy. But dumping gravy directly on top of the steak will cause that crispy coating to deflate. Instead, serve the gravy in a bowl on the side for dipping. This keeps the steak nice and crisp until you’re ready to sop up some of that tasty gravy.
With these tips, you’ll be able to achieve diner-quality chicken fried steak with a shatteringly crisp crust that stays put from fryer to table. Crispy, crunchy coating and tender beef – chicken fried steak perfection!
CFS (Certified Fixed Steak)
To fix the breading, I made the first coating with cornstarch instead of flour, which helped create a thinner inner layer, and therefore a thinner overall crust. I also added baking powder to the outer coating of damp flour for extra lightness.
Since I wasn’t happy with pan frying, I switched to deep frying. My seven-quart Dutch oven was the right size for the large pounded steaks I was cooking. This made a huge difference, producing steaks that were evenly golden, with every nook and cranny of their textured crust intact.
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Tender and Beefy Chicken-Fried Steak Recipe
For the Steaks:
- 4 long, thin sirloin tip steaks (about 2 pounds)
- 3/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 egg
- 1 cup buttermilk, divided
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 quarts peanut or canola oil
For the Gravy:
- 1/4 cup vegetable, canola, or peanut oil, for frying
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper, plus more to taste
- For the Steaks: Pat steaks dry with paper towels. Place one steak in a resealable plastic bag. To make the steak even, pound it out with a meat pounder, rolling pin, or small skillet until it’s 1/8- to 1/4-inch thick. Repeat with remaining 3 steaks. Season steaks with salt. Serious Eats / Jen Causey .
- Place cornstarch in a shallow dish. In a different shallow dish, mix the egg and 2/3 cup of buttermilk together using a whisk. Put flour, paprika, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, baking powder, and cayenne pepper in a third shallow dish. Mix them together with a whisk. The last 1/3 cup of buttermilk should be poured into the flour mixture, and it should be rubbed together with your fingers until it is rough like wet sand. Serious Eats / Jen Causey .
- Working one steak at a time, coat well in cornstarch. Lift the steak and shake off any extra cornstarch. Then, add it to the egg mixture. Cover the steak completely with the egg mixture. Lift the steak and let the extra egg drain off. Then, place the steak on the seasoned buttermilk-flour mixture. Cover the steak well with seasoned flour, pressing it into the meat to help it stick. Move the steak to a wire rack and shake off any extra flour. Repeat with remaining steaks. Let steaks stand for 10 minutes. Serious Eats / Jen Causey .
- Put oil in a big Dutch oven or wok and heat it over high heat until it reaches 375°F (190°C). Carefully lift 1 steak and gently slide into oil. It will take 2 to 4 minutes of cooking, flipping every now and then, until both sides are golden brown and crispy. Place the steak on a tray lined with paper towels and season with salt to taste. Repeat with remaining 3 steaks. Serious Eats / Jen Causey .
- Add 1/4 cup of hot frying oil to a medium-sized saucepan set over medium-high heat. Prepare the gravy. For about one minute, keep whisking the mixture as you add the flour until it turns a light brown color. Slowly whisk in milk. Stir in pepper and bring to a boil. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring every now and then, for about 4 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Take it off the heat and add more salt and pepper to taste. Serious Eats / Jen Causey .
- Transfer steaks to plates, top with gravy, and serve immediately. Serious Eats / Jen Causey .
How to Make the Best Chicken Fried Steak | Allrecipes
FAQ
How to make chicken-fried steak breading stay on?
I allow my steaks to “rest” on a wire rack after the final coating of flour – which seems to help the coating adhere – also make sure to pat your steaks dry ….
Why does my coating fall off my chicken-fried steak?
Breading falls off because of two reasons. Not letting the batter stick to the steak (making it almost like dough) before frying it, and not getting the oil hot enough. You should always use a thermometer to manage the heat of the oil in your skillet.
How do you get breading to stick to fried steak?
The main culprit for breading that won’t adhere is meat that is too wet. Try patting the steaks dry with paper towels before dipping them into the egg mixture. Adding a little Parmesan cheese to the mix can help the breading stick together while also keeping it from falling off the steaks. May 29, 2024.