History

Chicken-fried steak (CFS) emerged in the 1920s in Texan Hill Country diners as a cheap-cut alternative to schnitzel, brought by German and Czech immigrant communities. It became the unofficial dish of Texas working lunch by the 1950s. Threadgill's (closed 2018) was the canonical Austin version for decades; Joann's Fine Foods and Magnolia Cafe carry the contemporary torch.

Common allergens: Gluten, Egg, Dairy

Make it at home

Yield 4Hands-on 30 minTotal 45 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 4 cube steaks (tenderised beef bottom round), 180g each
  • 200g plain flour
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • 2 tsp fine salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 200ml whole milk (for the egg wash)
  • 1 tbsp hot sauce (Crystal or Tabasco)
  • 500ml neutral oil, for frying
  • 60g unsalted butter (for gravy)
  • 60g plain flour (for gravy)
  • 600ml whole milk (for gravy)
  • 1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
  • Salt, to taste
  • Mashed potatoes and green beans, to serve

Method

  1. Whisk the flour with the garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, black pepper and salt in a wide bowl.
  2. Beat the eggs with the 200ml milk and hot sauce in a second wide bowl.
  3. Pat the cube steaks dry. Dredge in the seasoned flour, dip in the egg wash, then back into the flour. Press hard so the coating sticks. Rest on a rack 10 minutes.
  4. Heat the oil in a wide deep pan to 175C.
  5. Fry the steaks two at a time for 3 to 4 minutes a side until deep golden brown and crisp. Drain on a rack; do not stack.
  6. Discard all but 60ml of the frying oil. Add the butter to the pan and let it foam.
  7. Whisk in the 60g flour and cook 2 minutes to a pale roux.
  8. Whisk in the 600ml milk a third at a time, letting it thicken between additions.
  9. Simmer 4 minutes until silky. Add both peppers, taste and adjust salt. The gravy should be heavy enough to coat a wooden spoon.
  10. Plate the steaks. Smother with gravy. Serve with mashed potatoes and green beans.

Tip from the editors. Cube steak is pre-tenderised by the butcher; without that step, the result is leather. The double-dredge (flour-egg-flour) gives the shaggy crust.

Where to eat chicken-fried steak

Chicken-Fried Steak in Austin

Joann's Fine Foods ★ 4.3

BrunchTex-Mex diner brunch$$$18-30Sat to Sun 09:00-15:00, daily breakfast 09:00-15:00Walk-in only on the diner side; reservations for the dining room

Joann's Fine Foods in Austin is the Bunkhouse Group's Tex-Mex diner brunch at the Austin Motel on South Congress, a palapa-bar patio of migas.

Order: Migas plate with a frozen margarita

Tip: The pool is members-only at Austin Motel but the diner patio is open to walk-in; arrive 9am Saturday for shade.

1224 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704

Magnolia Cafe (South Congress) ★ 4.0

American diner$$Daily 00:00-00:00Until 24 hours Thursday to Saturday; midnight Sunday to Wednesday

Magnolia Cafe in Austin is the South Congress 24-hour diner, the rare round-the-clock kitchen pulling Friday 2am customers with migas, queso and gingerbread.

Try: Love migas and Mag mud queso

Order: Love migas plate with a side of queso, both run round the clock.

Tip: Friday 1am during SXSW is a scrum; off-peak Wednesday midnight is the easiest seat.

1920 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704

Kerbey Lane Cafe (Central) ★ 4.2

BrunchAll-day American diner brunch$$$11-18Daily 24 hours (Central and South Lamar)Walk-in only

Kerbey Lane Cafe in Austin is the Central all-day diner since 1980, the 1930s bungalow that started a chain on pancakes, queso and 24-hour breakfast.

Order: Gingerbread pancakes

Tip: The Central and South Lamar locations run 24 hours; Mueller closes at midnight, useful for weekend wait planning.

3704 Kerbey Ln, Austin, TX 78731

Chicken-Fried Steak in Oklahoma City

Cattlemen's Steakhouse ★ 4.5

Steakhouse$$$stockyards-city{'monday': '06:00-22:00', 'tuesday': '06:00-22:00', 'wednesday': '06:00-22:00', 'thursday': '06:00-22:00', 'friday': '06:00-23:00', 'saturday': '06:00-23:00', 'sunday': '06:00-22:00'}

Cattlemen's Steakhouse in Stockyards City Oklahoma City has served USDA prime beef and cowboy breakfasts to ranchers and visitors since 1910.

1309 S Agnew Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73108

Chicken-Fried Steak in Tulsa

Tally's Good Food Cafe ★ 3.9

American Diner$route-66-corridor{'mon': '07:00-14:00', 'tue': '07:00-14:00', 'wed': '07:00-14:00', 'thu': '07:00-14:00', 'fri': '07:00-14:00', 'sat': '07:00-14:00', 'sun': '07:00-14:00'}

Route 66 classic open from 7am every day for scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy, and the chicken-fried steak Tulsa has been ordering here for decades.

1102 S Yale Ave, Tulsa, OK 74112

Polo Grill ★ 4.2

American$$$brookside{'mon': '11:00-21:00', 'tue': '11:00-21:00', 'wed': '11:00-21:00', 'thu': '11:00-21:00', 'fri': '11:00-22:00', 'sat': '11:00-22:00', 'sun': '11:00-21:00'}

Utica Square institution holding DiRoNA and AAA Four Diamond recognition, known for classic steaks, fresh seafood, and a Wine Spectator-awarded list.

2038 Utica Sq, Tulsa, OK 74114

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