Name: Chicken Fried Steak with Peppery Milk Gravy
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Southern American
Ingredients: 250 g all-purpose flour (2 cups); 2 tsp seasoned salt; 1 1/2 tsp black pepper (freshly ground); 3/4 tsp paprika; 1/4 tsp onion powder (or to taste); 1/4 tsp garlic powder (or to taste); 355 ml whole milk (1 1/2 cups); 2 large eggs; 1.4 kg cube steak (3 lb, tenderized round steak); 2 tsp kosher salt (for seasoning the meat); 1 tsp black pepper (for seasoning the meat, freshly ground); 120 ml avocado oil (1/2 cup); 14 g butter (1 tbsp); 40 g all-purpose flour (1/3 cup); 830 ml whole milk (3 1/2 cups, plus more as needed); 1/2 tsp seasoned salt; 1/2 tsp black pepper (or to taste); 900 g mashed potatoes (about 2 lb)

Chicken Fried Steak with Peppery Milk Gravy

Prep 25 min Cook 35 min Total 1 hr Servings 6

Published Sep 19, 2026 · Updated Oct 28, 2026

About this recipe

Cube steak gets a seasoned flour crust, fries golden in a skillet and comes smothered in peppery milk gravy with mashed potatoes. A coating of flour, then a wet dip, then flour again builds a thick, crunchy crust. The gravy starts in the same unwashed skillet, so the browned bits add flavor. Serve it straight from the pan, since the crust softens quickly. Ready in about 1 hour.

Tip: Coat the steak in flour twice, going dry, then wet, then dry again. This builds a thick, rough, crunchy crust instead of a thin, papery one. Don't wash the skillet between frying and making the gravy. The browned bits left on the bottom give the gravy its flavor.

Notes & swaps

Dry, wet, dry. The second pass through the flour is what makes the crust thick and craggy rather than thin and papery.

Let the breaded steaks sit 10 minutes before frying if you have the time. The coating hydrates and grips better, so less of it slides off in the pan.

Test the oil with a pinch of flour. Too cool and the crust soaks up grease, too hot and it browns before the meat is cooked.

Do not wash the skillet before making the gravy. The browned bits left behind are most of its flavor.

Gravy too thick? Add milk a splash at a time. Too thin? Simmer it longer rather than adding more flour, which will taste raw at this stage.

Cube steak is round steak that has been mechanically tenderized. If your store does not carry it, ask the butcher to run round steak through the tenderizer, or pound it yourself to about 1 cm.

Make ahead: this one does not hold. The crust softens within minutes of the gravy hitting it, which is the point, but it means serving straight from the pan.

Storage: refrigerate leftovers up to 2 days. Reheat the steak uncovered at 190C (375F) to bring the crust back, and warm the gravy separately with a splash of milk.

Chicken breast pounded thin works the same way and makes this chicken fried chicken.

No seasoned salt? Use 1 1/2 tsp fine salt plus an extra 1/4 tsp each of garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika for every 2 tsp called for.

For heat, add 1/4 tsp cayenne to the dredge. The recipe as written is peppery rather than spicy.

Avocado oil is here for its high smoke point, which keeps the crust clean at frying temperature. Canola or vegetable oil work at the same volume if that is what you have.