Chicken-fried steak, also known as country-fried steak or CFS, is an American
breaded cutlet dish consisting of a piece of
beefsteak (most often tenderized
cube steak) coated with
seasoned
Seasoning is the process of supplementing food via herbs, spices, salts, and/or sugar, intended to enhance a particular flavour.
General meaning
Seasonings include herbs and spices, which are themselves frequently referred to as "seasonings". H ...
flour
Flour is a powder made by grinding raw grains, roots, beans, nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many culture ...
and either
deep-fried or
pan-fried
Pan frying or pan-frying is a form of frying food characterized by the use of minimal cooking oil or fat (compared to shallow frying or deep frying), typically using just enough to lubricate the pan. In the case of a greasy food such as bacon, n ...
. It is sometimes associated with the
Southern cuisine of the United States. It is breaded and fried with a technique similar to the more common
fried chicken
Fried chicken, also known as 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'' and the Italian dish , which is a tenderized
veal
Veal is the meat of calves, in contrast to the beef from older cattle. Veal can be produced from a calf of either sex and any breed, however most veal comes from young male calves of dairy breeds which are not used for breeding. Generally, v ...
or
pork
Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the domestic pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BCE.
Pork is eaten both freshly cooked and preserved; ...
cutlet, coated with
flour
Flour is a powder made by grinding raw grains, roots, beans, nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many culture ...
,
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 times, "collops" came to refer specifically to slices of bacon. Shrove Monday, also known as Collop Monday, was traditionally the last ...
.
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 (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
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 first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a com ...
's earliest attestation of the term "chicken-fried steak" is from a restaurant advertisement in the 19 June 1914 edition of the
Colorado Springs ''
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: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
, 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
Batter or batters may refer to:
Common meanings
* Batter (cooking), thin dough that can be easily poured into a pan
* Batter (baseball), person whose turn it is to face the pitcher
* Batter (cricket), a player who is currently batting
* Batter ...
or buttermilk, then dredged in flour to which
salt
Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantitie ...
,
pepper
Pepper or peppers may refer to:
Food and spice
* Piperaceae or the pepper family, a large family of flowering plant
** Black pepper
* ''Capsicum'' or pepper, a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanaceae
** Bell pepper
** Chili ...
, 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, but
butter
Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 80% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread, melted as a condiment ...
and
lard
Lard is a semi-solid white fat product obtained by rendering the fatty tissue of a pig.[Lard]
entry in the o ...
have sometimes been used instead. Health concerns have led many cooks to replace the shortening with
vegetable oil.
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 parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. The original meaning is still commonly used and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including the flowers, fruits, stems, ...
s, and
biscuits
A biscuit is a flour-based baked and shaped food product. In most countries biscuits are typically hard, flat, and unleavened. They are usually sweet and may be made with sugar, chocolate, icing, jam, ginger, or cinnamon. They can also b ...
or
Texas toast served on the side. In the
Midwest
The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...
, it is also common to serve chicken-fried steak for breakfast, along with toast and
hash browns
Hash browns, also spelled hashed browns, are a popular American and British breakfast food, consisting of finely chopped potatoes that have been fried until browned. Hash browns first started appearing on breakfast menus in New York City in t ...
.
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
Finger steaks are strips of steak (usually top sirloin), battered with a tempura-like or flour batter, and deep-fried in oil. They are typically served with French fries and a buttered piece of Texas toast. They are commonly found in restaurants ...
" or "steak fingers", this is a popular dish in the state of
Idaho
Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...
.
Variants
Typically, in Texas and surrounding states, chicken fried steak is either deep fried or fried in a thick layer of oil in a pan and served with traditional peppered milk gravy.
Regionally, when pan-fried it may be referred to as "country fried steak". While some recipes and restaurants will use a traditional peppered milk gravy on country fried steak, a variant using a brown, beef stock-based gravy with onions is common and is the primary difference between the two dishes in regions where both are served.
See also
*
Chicken fried bacon
Chicken fried bacon consists of bacon strips dredged in Batter (cooking), batter and Deep frying, deep fried, like chicken fried steak. It is an American dish that was introduced in Texas in the early 1990s. Frank Sodolak of Sodolak's Original Coun ...
*
City chicken
City chicken is an American entrée consisting of cubes of meat, which have been placed on a wooden skewer (approximately 4–5 inches long), then fried and/or baked. Depending on the recipe, they may be breaded. Despite the name of the dish ...
*
Cotoletta
*
List of regional dishes of the United States
The cuisine of the United States includes many regional or local dishes, side dishes and foods. This list includes dishes and foods that are associated with specific regions of the United States.
__TOC__
Regional dishes of the United States
...
*
Parmo
Parmo, or Teesside Parmesan, is a dish originating in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, and a popular item of take-away food in the Teesside area. It consists of a breaded cutlet of chicken or pork topped with a white béchamel sauce and cheese, ...
*
Parmigiana
*
Schnitzel
*
Tonkatsu
is a Japanese dish that consists of a breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet. It involves coating slices of pork with panko (bread crumbs), and then frying them in oil. The two main types are fillet and loin. Tonkatsu is also the basis of other dis ...
References
External links
Country Fried Steakat
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 Jersey, ...
Chicken Fried Steakin
Texas Cooking Magazine'
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chicken Fried Steak
Cuisine of the Southern United States
Fried foods
Texan cuisine
Beef steak dishes
Breaded cutlets
American meat dishes