Chicken fried steak is a beloved comfort food in the American South and beyond. This satisfying dish features a tenderized beef steak that is breaded and fried until crispy and golden brown. It is often served topped with creamy gravy and alongside mashed potatoes, green beans, and biscuits or cornbread.
Chicken fried steak likely originated in Texas in the early 20th century, though its exact origins are debated. The name comes from the fact that the preparation technique resembles fried chicken. While this dish was traditionally made at home, you can now find chicken fried steak at many restaurants across the country. Keep reading to learn all about where you can buy this tasty southern classic.
Purchasing Chicken Fried Steak at Restaurants
One of the easiest ways to get your hands on a high-quality chicken fried steak is to order it at a restaurant. Here are some of the most popular restaurant chains for indulging in this comforting meal:
Cracker Barrel
With over 650 locations across America, Cracker Barrel is a go-to spot for homestyle cooking. Their chicken fried steak features a USDA Choice cubed steak coated in seasoned flour and fried up crispy. It’s smothered in creamy sawmill gravy and served with two sides for around $13. Biscuits or muffins come on the side.
Texas Roadhouse
Texas Roadhouse offers hand-battered sirloin chicken fried steaks at their 600+ locations You can customize your order with your choice of cream or brown gravy plus add-ons like sauteed mushrooms A variety of sides like mashed potatoes and green beans complete the plate,
Shoney’s
This southern chain prides itself on comfort food Their chicken fried steak stars a steak dredged in the restaurant’s signature seasoned flour and topped with traditional white gravy Get it with two sides for a hearty meal,
Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen
With made-from-scratch cooking, Cheddar’s does chicken fried steak right. A hand-battered steak is blanketed in your pick of country or brown gravy and served over Texas toast with classic side dishes.
IHOP
The International House of Pancakes puts a breakfast spin on this classic. Their version features a golden fried beef steak covered in hearty gravy, with eggs, hash browns, and pancakes on the side.
Denny’s
Another breakfast-style chicken fried steak can be found at Denny’s. It consists of a fried chopped beef steak topped with gravy alongside eggs, hash browns, and toast.
Waffle House
The beloved 24-hour diner chain serves up a chicken fried steak covered in peppery gravy and coupled with two eggs and hash browns or grits.
LongHorn Steakhouse
Part of the Darden family of restaurants, LongHorn Steakhouse offers hand-breaded, fried sirloin steak served with mashed potatoes and vegetables.
Sizzler
The buffet chain Sizzler has chicken fried steak on rotation. It’s dished up with mashed potatoes, vegetables, toast, and gravy.
O’Charley’s
This southern-inspired American restaurant chain breads steak in-house and fries it until crisp. Enjoy it with mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, coleslaw and gravy.
Finding Chicken Fried Steak at Grocery Stores
If you want to cook chicken fried steak at home, you can purchase it pre-made or find the ingredients to prepare it yourself from your local grocery store. Here are some tips for locating chicken fried steak:
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Check the frozen food aisle for ready-to-cook chicken fried steak patties, fillets or steaks. Popular brands include Banquet, Foster Farms, and Member’s Mark.
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Swing by the refrigerated section to see if there are any fresh chicken fried steak options near other prepared foods.
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Take a look in the butcher case to find cube steak, which works perfectly for chicken frying at home. It’s already been tenderized and pounded thin.
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Head to the meat department to pick up round steak, chuck steak, or sirloin steak. Have the butcher pound it thin for chicken frying.
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Grab flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs from the baking aisle to create your own breading station. Season flour with spices like garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper.
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Don’t forget oil for frying, like canola, vegetable, peanut, or lard. Milk and flour make excellent gravy.
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Pick up sides like mashed potatoes, green beans, coleslaw and biscuit dough to round out your chicken fried steak dinner.
Ordering Chicken Fried Steak for Delivery
These days, you don’t even have to leave your home to enjoy chicken fried steak thanks to delivery services. Here are some ideas for getting this satisfying southern meal delivered:
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Check delivery apps like UberEats, DoorDash, and GrubHub to see which restaurants in your area offer chicken fried steak. Local diners and chains like Denny’s frequently deliver.
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In some areas, grocery stores like Albertsons and Vons have delivery available. You may be able to get ready-to-cook chicken fried steak sent right to your door.
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Meal kit companies such as Home Chef, HelloFresh, and Blue Apron sometimes feature chicken fried steak on their menus. The ingredients and recipe will arrive at your home for preparation.
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If you live in certain cities, services like Goldbelly will ship famous chicken fried steaks nationwide from renowned restaurants.
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Don’t forget to check with local restaurants directly. Many smaller, independent spots will deliver chicken fried steak themselves.
Cooking Chicken Fried Steak at Home
Frying up chicken fried steak at home may take some effort, but it’s very rewarding. Follow these tips for success:
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Choose the right cut of meat. The most common choices are cube steak, sirloin steak, ribeye steak, and round steak. Have a butcher pound it thin.
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Tenderize the meat. Use a meat mallet, fork, or tenderizer to help break down the steak’s tough fibers. This makes it more tender when cooked.
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Prepare three bowls. Set up a breading station with one bowl of flour seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and other spices. Beat eggs with milk in another bowl. Add breadcrumbs or panko to the third.
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Bread the meat. Dredge the steaks in flour, dip in egg wash, then press into breadcrumbs until thoroughly coated on both sides.
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Fry the steaks. Heat 1/4 inch of oil like canola or peanut oil to 350°F in a cast iron skillet. Fry steaks 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
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Make gravy. For cream gravy, whisk flour into the pan drippings then slowly stir in milk over low heat until thickened. For brown gravy, sauté onions in the drippings then stir in beef broth.
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Prepare sides. Mash potatoes, cook green beans with bacon, make cornbread or bake biscuits. Serve the chicken fried steak with gravy and your favorite sides.
With the right preparation, you can enjoy restaurant-quality chicken fried steak without leaving your own kitchen. It may take practice to perfect, but it’s worth it for this crispy, saucy, southern classic.
Chicken fried steak is the ultimate comfort food. With flavorful meat that’s fried to crispy, golden perfection and doused in rich, creamy gravy, it’s easy to see why this dish is so beloved, especially in its native southern region. Fortunately, you have options for where to get your fix, from indulging at popular restaurants chains to picking up ready-to-cook options at the grocery store or even frying it up yourself at home. Follow this guide to find the chicken fried steak of your dreams.
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The History of Chicken Fried Steak
As mentioned previously, the origins of Chicken Fried Steak are highly debatable. It’s likely that the kitchens of Germany and Austria are the ancestral homes of Chicken Fried Steak and that the dish migrated to North America during the Great Migration from Northern Europe to the New World. Once arrived on fresh shores, the dish continued to evolve, taking regional twists and turns along the way. Significant differences exist even in Texas, with those on the western side of the state preferring a dry rub coating, while East Texas residents swear by double dipping the steak in a rich egg batter before dredging it through the mixture of flour and seasonings.
It’s also possible that, like many good things to eat, the dish originated in several different parts of the world without any cultural influence from elsewhere.
What Is Chicken Fried Steak?
Chicken Fried Steak gets its name from the breading used on the outside of the steak before it’s fried in the same manner as traditional fried chicken — but instead of chicken, a tenderized piece of beef steak is used instead. The breading consists of flour that is seasoned with salt, pepper, and a variety of other seasonings depending on the individual preferences among cooks and regional traditions. Many cooks have their own secret breading combination that they guard heavily. Before the steak is dredged in the seasoning mixture, it is immersed in an egg batter that sometimes includes buttermilk, while some prefer to use regular milk. The steak is then fried in a skillet with lard, shortening, or vegetable oil.
Chicken Fried Steak is typically served with a blanket of peppered white gravy. Although traditionally served as the main entree for the evening meal in Texas and other southern states, Chicken Fried Steak has gained popularity in the Midwest and other locations as a breakfast food served with a side of eggs, toast, and hash browns.
The Best Chicken Fried Steak with Homemade Creamy Country Gravy
FAQ
What cut of meat makes chicken-fried steak?
Chicken fried steak is made most often with cube steak, or steak that has already been tenderized, or a cheap cut like round steak. It was originally created to make a cheap cut of meat taste better. No matter which cut you use, you have to pound it thin with a meat mallet.
Does Walmart sell chicken-fried steak?
Kings Command Foods Frozen Southern Style Chicken Fried Beef Steak, Raw, 5.3 Ounce – 30 per case – Walmart.com.