美式炸牛排配奶油白酱
Chicken-fried steak is a Texas diner classic: tenderized beef cube steak dipped in a buttermilk-egg wash, packed in heavily seasoned flour, and shallow-fried until the crust shatters like great fried chicken. A quick cream gravy built from the browned pan drippings, flour, and whole milk pulls it all together with an almost aggressive amount of black pepper. The double-dredge and a short rest before frying are what glue that craggy coating on instead of letting it slide off in the oil.
Pound 4 beef cube steaks thin, pat them dry, and season with salt, then set up two bowls: one of flour whisked with cornstarch, baking powder, salt, black pepper, garlic and onion powder, smoked paprika, and cayenne, and one of buttermilk beaten with eggs and hot sauce. Dredge each steak in flour, then the buttermilk-egg wash, then flour again, pressing hard, and rest the breaded steaks on a rack for 10 minutes so the coating sets. Shallow-fry two at a time in 175°C/350°F oil for 3-4 minutes per side until deep golden and 65°C/150°F inside, draining on a rack. Pour off all but 3 tablespoons of the drippings, whisk in flour to make a roux, stream in warm whole milk, and simmer into a thick, peppery cream gravy; spoon it over the steaks and serve at once.
- Double-dredge (flour, egg wash, flour) and rest the breaded steaks 10 minutes so the crust bonds and won't slip off in the oil.
- Hold the oil at 175°C/350°F: cooler and the coating turns greasy, hotter and it scorches before the crust sets.
- Build the gravy in the same skillet — the browned bits (fond) hold all the flavor, so leave about 3 tablespoons of drippings and don't scrub them out.
Equipment
- Meat mallet or heavy skillet
- Two wide shallow bowls for dredging
- Large cast-iron skillet
- Instant-read or clip-on thermometer
- Wire rack set over a baking sheet
- Whisk
- Tongs
食材
For the steaks & buttermilk wash
- beef cube steaks (tenderized round or chuck), about 170 g (6 oz) each, pounded thin if uneven
- 5 g kosher salt, for seasoning the steaks
- 240 ml buttermilk
- large eggs
- 15 ml hot sauce, such as Louisiana-style
- 480 ml neutral oil for frying (vegetable, canola, or peanut), enough for about 1 cm (½ in) depth
For the seasoned flour dredge
- 250 g all-purpose flour
- 30 g cornstarch, for extra crunch
- 4 g baking powder
- 8 g kosher salt
- 3 g black pepper, freshly ground
- 3 g garlic powder
- 3 g onion powder
- 2 g smoked paprika
- 1 g cayenne pepper, optional, for heat
For the peppery cream gravy
- 45 ml reserved frying drippings, left in the skillet with the browned bits
- 30 g all-purpose flour
- 600 ml whole milk, warmed
- kosher salt
- 3 g coarsely ground black pepper, plus more to taste
步骤
- 步骤01
If your cube steaks are thick or uneven, lay them between sheets of plastic wrap and pound to about 1 cm (⅜ inch). Pat them completely dry, then season both sides with the kosher salt and let them sit while you set up the dredge. Dry, seasoned meat helps the coating grip.
- 步骤02
In a wide shallow bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and cayenne. In a second bowl, whisk the buttermilk, eggs, and hot sauce until smooth. Set a wire rack over a baking sheet next to the bowls.
- 步骤03
Working one at a time, press each steak into the seasoned flour and shake off the excess, dip it fully into the buttermilk-egg wash, then press it back into the flour, packing the coating on firmly. Set the breaded steaks on the rack and rest 10 minutes so the coating hydrates and sets.
- 步骤04
Pour oil to a depth of about 1 cm (½ inch) in a large cast-iron skillet and heat over medium to 175°C (350°F). A pinch of flour dropped in should sizzle immediately. Keep an instant-read or clip-on thermometer handy so you can hold the temperature.
- 步骤05
Lay two steaks into the oil away from you and fry 3-4 minutes per side, turning once, until deep golden brown and crisp and the interior reads 65°C (150°F). Adjust the heat to keep the oil near 175°C. Drain on the clean wire rack and repeat with the remaining steaks.
- 步骤06
Carefully pour off the frying oil, leaving about 3 tablespoons plus the browned bits in the skillet. Set it over medium heat, whisk in the flour, and cook the roux 1-2 minutes, until it smells nutty and turns pale gold.
- 步骤07
Slowly stream in the warm milk, whisking constantly, and simmer 3-5 minutes until the gravy coats the back of a spoon. Season aggressively with black pepper and salt to taste. Spoon the hot gravy over the steaks and serve right away.
Make ahead
You can bread the steaks up to 4 hours ahead and leave them uncovered on a rack in the fridge, which actually helps the coating set and cling. The seasoned flour and the buttermilk-egg wash can each be mixed a day in advance and refrigerated separately. Fry the steaks just before serving for the crispest crust, and make the gravy fresh in the same pan while they drain.
Storage
Store leftover steaks and gravy separately in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days; keeping them apart stops the crust from going soggy. Re-crisp the steaks in a 190°C (375°F) oven or air fryer for 8-10 minutes, and rewarm the gravy in a saucepan with a splash of milk to loosen it. Freezing is not recommended — the coating turns gummy and the milk gravy tends to split on thawing.
Variations
Chicken-fried chicken
Swap the beef for boneless, skinless chicken breasts sliced horizontally and pounded to about 1 cm. Bread and fry exactly the same way, but cook a touch longer, until the interior reads 74°C (165°F). Same cream gravy on top.
Gluten-free country fried steak
Replace the all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend (or a mix of rice flour and cornstarch) in both the dredge and the gravy. Keep the baking powder and seasonings the same; the crust stays crisp and the gravy thickens just as well.
Sawmill (sausage) gravy
Brown 115 g (4 oz) crumbled breakfast sausage in the skillet first, then use its rendered fat plus a little drippings for the roux. Leave the sausage in the gravy for a heartier, spiced version and add extra black pepper.
Serve with
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition values are estimates based on the metric measurements. Adjust as needed.
常见问题
What's the difference between chicken-fried steak and country fried steak?
They start from the same idea — a breaded, pan-fried cube steak — so the names are often used interchangeably. The most common distinction is the gravy: chicken-fried steak is usually finished with a peppery white cream gravy, while country fried steak more often gets a brown, onion-forward gravy and is sometimes fried with a lighter coating or even simmered in the gravy. This recipe leans chicken-fried, but the cream gravy works beautifully either way.
What cut of beef should I use?
Cube steak is the standard choice for country fried steak — it's a lean cut (usually top round or chuck) that has been run through a mechanical tenderizer, leaving the little cube-shaped marks. It's thin, cooks fast, and the roughed-up surface grabs the breading. If you can only find whole round steak, pound it thin yourself between plastic wrap until it's about 1 cm thick.
Why does my breading fall off?
Almost always moisture, pressure, or crowding. Pat the meat bone-dry before dredging, press the coating on firmly at each stage, and let the breaded steaks rest 10 minutes so the flour hydrates and clings. Then keep the oil at 175°C (350°F) and fry only two at a time — crowding drops the temperature and steams the crust loose.
Can I make the cream gravy without pan drippings?
Yes. If you've drained the pan or want to make gravy ahead, melt 3 tablespoons of butter in place of the drippings, whisk in the flour, and proceed the same way. It won't have quite the same fried-steak depth, but a good hit of black pepper and salt gets it most of the way there.
How do I keep the steaks crisp while I fry in batches?
Set your drained steaks on a wire rack (not paper towels, which trap steam) inside a 90°C (200°F) oven while the rest fry and the gravy comes together. They'll stay hot and crisp for 15-20 minutes, which is plenty of time to plate everything.
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