Another Southern US specialty! This recipe for chicken fried steak with milk gravy uses cube steaks cooked in a coating similar to what is used to make southern fried chicken making for a delicious main dish that is reminiscent of the best of classic diner dinners.
We like to serve this with homemade mashed potatoes and peas or corn – somehow it just enhances that retro diner style dinner experience. Yum!
This also really good with a creamy potato salad such as this one: Creamy Red Potato Salad with Fresh Herbs

Southern Chicken Fried Steak With Milk Gravy
Ingredients:
4 cube steaks (you know the ones? They look “textured”, have kind of a waffle pattern on them. I think they are round steaks that have been pounded with one of those meat tenderizing mallets. Am I right? Anyone? Bueller? Yeah I know I could look it up on the internet but a little feedback can be fun, ya know? 😉
About 2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 egg
Note: I found one recipe which called for an extra bit of spice by adding 1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce. This is not my personal preference but I include it here for those of you with bold tastes!
2 cloves garlic, minced
About 2 cups shortening to cook them in
1/4 cup flour
4 cups milk
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
Put the 2 cups of flour on a plate or in a shallow bowl.
Combine the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pepper in a separate shallow bowl. Stir in the buttermilk, egg, (Tabasco – optional), and garlic.
Dredge steaks in the flour, then this batter, and then the flour once more. You may want to pat the flour gently into the meat to help it stick better.
Heat the shortening in a deep skillet to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Fry the steaks on both sides until they are golden brown, about 3-5 minutes per side.
Place on paper towels to absorb excess grease. Drain fat from the frying pan but reserve 1/4 cup of the liquid and as much of the nice crispy little bits left behind.
To make the gravy, return the frying pan to the stove but turn down the heat to medium-low. Whisk in the rest of the flour to make a roux.
Be sure to stir constantly, scraping up the little crispy bits to deglaze the pan. Stir in the milk, turning the heat up to medium.
Bring the gravy up nearly to a boil, making sure to whisk constantly to avoid lumps. Remove from heat once smooth and at the desired thickness.
Serve gravy over the steaks or on the side.

Chicken Fried Steak
A southern diner favorite, this chicken fried steak with milk gravy is retro comfort food at its finest. Cube steak cooked in the style of fried chicken and served with a delicious gravy is incredibly tasty.
Ingredients
- 4 cube steaks
- 2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
- 1 egg
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp shortening
- 1/4 cup flour
- 4 cups milk
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
-
Put the 2 cups of flour on a plate or in a shallow bowl.
-
Combine the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pepper in a separate shallow bowl. Stir in the buttermilk, egg, (Tabasco – optional), and garlic.
-
Dredge steaks in the flour, then this batter, and then the flour once more. You may want to pat the flour gently into the meat to help it stick better.
-
Heat the shortening in a deep skillet to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Fry the steaks on both sides until they are golden brown, about 3-5 minutes per side.
-
Place on paper towels to absorb excess grease. Drain fat from the frying pan but reserve 1/4 cup of the liquid and as much of the nice crispy little bits left behind.
-
To make the gravy, return the frying pan to the stove but turn down the heat to medium-low. Whisk in the rest of the flour to make a roux.
-
Be sure to stir constantly, scraping up the little crispy bits to deglaze the pan. Stir in the milk, turning the heat up to medium.
-
Bring the gravy up nearly to a boil, making sure to whisk constantly to avoid lumps. Remove from heat once smooth and at the desired thickness.
-
Serve gravy over the steaks or on the side.
Lori says
Oh, man, does this take me back to my childhood. My mom used to make this. I need to make this the next time I get tired of all the green-leafy healthy stuff that I try to eat these days. This is true comfort food.!!!