Chicken-fried steak, also known as country-fried steak, is an American Southern

breaded cutlet Breaded cutlet or braised cutlet is a dish made from coating a cutlet of meat with breading or batter and either frying or baking it. Breaded cutlet is known as ''schnitzel'' in German-speaking countries, '' cotoletta'' in Italy, '' escalope'' ...

dish consisting of a piece of beefsteak (most often tenderized

cube steak Cube steak or cubed steak is a cut of beef, usually top round or top sirloin Top sirloin is a cut of beef from the primal loin or subprimal sirloin. Top sirloin steaks differ from sirloin steaks in that the bone and the tenderloin and bott ...

) coated with seasoned

flour Flour is a powder made by Mill (grinding), grinding raw grains, List of root vegetables, roots, beans, Nut (fruit), nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredie ...

and either deep-fried or pan-fried. It is associated with the Southern cuisine of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. It is breaded and fried with a technique similar to the more common

fried chicken Fried chicken, also called Southern fried chicken, is a dish consisting of chicken pieces that have been coated with seasoned flour or batter and pan-fried, deep fried, pressure fried, or air fried. The breading adds a crisp coating or ...

, hence "chicken-fried". When deep-fried, it is usually referred to as "chicken-fried steak". Pan-fried versions are typically referred to as "country-fried steak". Chicken-fried steak resembles the Austrian dish ''

Wiener schnitzel Wiener schnitzel ( ; , 'Viennese cutlet'), sometimes spelled Wienerschnitzel, is a type of schnitzel made of a thin, Bread crumbs#Breading, breaded, pan-fried veal cutlet. It is one of the best known specialities of Viennese cuisine, and one of ...

'' and the Italian dish , which is a tenderized

veal Veal is the meat of Calf (animal), calves, in contrast to the beef from older cattle. Veal can be produced from a calf of either sex and any List of cattle breeds, breed; however, most veal comes from young male calves of Dairy cattle, dairy b ...

pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig animal husbandry, husbandry dating back to 8000–9000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooke ...

cutlet, coated with

, eggs, chicken stock cube, and bread crumbs, and then fried. It is also similar to the recipe for Scottish

collops A collop is a slice of meat, according to one definition in the ''Oxford English Dictionary''. In Elizabethan era, Elizabethan times, "collops" came to refer specifically to slices of Bacon#United Kingdom and Ireland, bacon. Shrove Monday, also ...

History

The precise origins of the dish are unclear, but many sources attribute its development to German and Austrian immigrants to Texas in the 19th century, who brought recipes for ''Wiener schnitzel'' from Europe to the USA. Lamesa, the seat of Dawson County on the

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

South Plains, claims to be the birthplace of chicken-fried steak, and hosts an annual celebration accordingly. ''The Virginia Housewife'', published in 1838 by Mary Randolph, has a recipe for veal cutlets that is one of the earliest recipes for a food like chicken-fried steak. The recipe for what we now know as chicken-fried steak was included in many regional cookbooks by the late 19th century. The

Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the principal historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP), a University of Oxford publishing house. The dictionary, which published its first editio ...

's earliest attestation of the term "chicken-fried steak" is from a restaurant advertisement in the 19 June 1914 edition of the

Colorado Springs Colorado Springs is the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 478,961 at the 2020 census, a 15.02% increase since 2010. Colorado Springs is the second-most populous c ...

Gazette A gazette is an official journal, a newspaper of record, or simply a newspaper. In English and French speaking countries, newspaper publishers have applied the name ''Gazette'' since the 17th century; today, numerous weekly and daily newspapers ...

'' newspaper. A 1943 American cookbook recipe for ''Wiener schnitzel'' includes a white salt and pepper cream gravy. Chicken-fried steak is among numerous popular dishes which make up the official state meal of

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

, added to the list in 1988.

Preparation

Chicken-fried steak is prepared by taking a thin cut of beefsteak and tenderizing it by pounding, cubing, or forking. It is then immersed in egg batter or buttermilk, then dredged in flour to which

salt In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...

, pepper, and often other seasonings have been added. Chicken-fried steak is typically deep-fried and served with cream gravy, while country fried steak is typically fried in a skillet and served with brown gravy. The frying medium has traditionally been

shortening Shortening is any fat that is a solid at room temperature and is used to make crumbly pastry and other food products. The idea of shortening dates back to at least the 18th century, well before the invention of modern, shelf-stable vegetable ...

, but

butter Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of Churning (butter), churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 81% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread (food ...

and

lard Lard is a Quasi-solid, semi-solid white fat product obtained by rendering (animal products), rendering the adipose tissue, fatty tissue of a domestic pig, pig.

have sometimes been used instead. Health concerns have led many cooks to replace the shortening with

vegetable oil Vegetable oils, or vegetable fats, are oils extracted from seeds or from other parts of edible plants. Like animal fats, vegetable fats are ''mixtures'' of triglycerides. Soybean oil, grape seed oil, and cocoa butter are examples of seed ...

. When there are problems with the breading separating from the meat while cooking, it can be very useful to first dredge the meat in the flour mixture, then the egg or buttermilk, and then the flour mixture again, and then let it sit for a half-hour or more before cooking. The cuts of steak used for chicken-fried steak are usually the less expensive, less desirable ones, such as cube steak, chuck, round steak, and occasionally flank steak. The method may be used for chopped or ground beef, but it is not called chicken-fried steak. Chicken-fried steak is usually served for lunch or dinner topped with cream gravy and with mashed potatoes,

vegetable Vegetables are edible parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. This original meaning is still commonly used, and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including edible flower, flo ...

s, and

biscuits A biscuit is a Flour, flour-based baked food item. Biscuits are typically hard, flat, and Unleavened bread, unleavened. They are usually sweet and may be made with sugar, chocolate, icing (food), icing, jam, ginger, or cinnamon. They can also ...

or Texas toast served on the side. In the

Midwest The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

, it is also common to serve chicken-fried steak for breakfast, along with toast and

hash browns Hash browns, also spelled hashed browns and hashbrowns, are a popular American breakfast food consisting of finely julienned potatoes that have been fried until golden brown. Hash browns are a staple breakfast item at diners in North America, w ...

. The steak can be served on a hamburger bun with cream gravy as a "chicken-fried steak sandwich". It can also be cubed and stuffed in a baked potato with gravy and cheese. Alternatively, the tenderized steak may be cut into strips, breaded, deep-fried, and served for breakfast with eggs and toast or for other meals in a basket with fries and cream gravy. Known as " finger steaks" or "steak fingers", this is a popular dish in the state of

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

Variants

In Texas and neighboring states, chicken fried steak is commonly prepared by either deep frying or pan-frying in a generous layer of oil. It is typically served with the classic accompaniment of peppered milk gravy. Regionally, the pan-fried variation is sometimes known as "country fried steak." Although some recipes and dining establishments opt for the traditional peppered milk gravy with country fried steak, a distinctive version featuring a brown, beef stock-based gravy with onions is prevalent. This variation serves as the main distinguishing factor between the two dishes in regions where both are enjoyed.

References

External links

Country Fried Steak
at

The Food Timeline Lynne Olver (1958–2015) was a librarian and food historian, and the sole author of the ''Food Timeline'' website. Personal life Olver graduated from the University of Albany (SUNY). She was a librarian at the Morris County Library, New Jer ...

Chicken Fried Steak
in
Texas Cooking Magazine
' {{DEFAULTSORT:Chicken-Fried Steak American beef dishes Beef steak dishes Breaded cutlets Cuisine of the Southern United States Fried foods Texan cuisine Cuisine of the Southwestern United States

History

Preparation

Variants

See also

References

External links