The Difference Between Chicken Fried Steak and Country Fried Steak

My favorite comfort meal. Unfortunately, too few restaurants make it from scratch. Most use pre-frozen crap and powdered gravy.

BTW, it's basically weinerschnitzel. The German immigrants in TX had to improvise.

When I moved from the north to the south, one of my greatest discoveries was Chicken-fried Chicken.

Trying to explain what it was to my friends back north was... hilarious.

"Dude... it's chicken fried steak that's made with chicken! It's chicken that's fried like chicken-fried-steak! IT'S NOT REDUNDANT!"

I always wondered about this. It's one of my all-time favorite dishes, but you're right that the name seems to vary (although I don't think it's necessarily a regional thing.)

My assumption is that if you call it "chicken-fried" either (1) people are confused and think they're getting chicken, or (2) there are local regulations that require something with the word "chicken" in it to contain chicken.

R2, LOL...I forgot about that! Yeah, it's chicken that's battered and fried like chicken fried steak.

And what people in the North call "country fried chicken" is actually just fried chicken. LOL

[quote]And what people in the North call "country fried chicken" is actually just fried chicken. LOL

But when they try to replicate it and fail miserably, they should call it "city fried chicken."

And where can you get decent barbecue in New York anyway?

Fried Chicken has bones in it.

Chicken Fried Chicken is chicken breasts, pounded flat, breaded, and fried in a similar way to fried chicken.

AND IT'S AWESOME.

What it really is is the leftovers from Mrs. Paul's that no longer taste like fish.

R6 the sounds delicious, I've never seen it here in California. I'm sure it exists somewhere here, I've just never seen or had it.

R6, The name "Chicken Fried Chicken" means chicken that is made and fried like chicken fried steak. Trust me, I'm from the South.

There was a chain back in the '70s and '80s that featured Chicken-Fried Chicken. And I'm sure I've seen it on menus elsewhere--maybe Cheesecake Factory?

In Texas, at least, the difference is the gravy.

Chicken Fried Steak is served with white cream gravy.

Country Fried Steak is served with brown gravy.

Chicken Fried is by far more popular here. It's hard to find Country Fried.

R8 if you find a place that does serve it remember NO BROWN GRAVY. It must be cream and preferably made in the pan with the meat drippings and scrapings with lots of pepper.

Not true R11. I have white cream gravy on chicken fried steak. I would never think of putting brown gravy on it and where I'm at it's considered sacrilege.

One of my favorite comfort foods and no one does it better than the "terrible South."

I'm a fairly good cook and can't replicate Southern restaurants- I'm going to try chicken fried chicken, yum.

R11, I've never had or seen brown gravy on chicken fried steak (or country fried steak, whatever you call it). It's always white gravy.

R13 That's what R11 was saying. Your reading comprehension skills are lacking.

Cracker Barrel has Country-Fried Steak and Chicken-Fried Chicken. Both are served with "Sawmill Gravy," which is, I think, a cream gravy with sausage.

"Sawmill gravy" is a terrible name for a food item, makes it sound like there will be sawdust in it. Which knowing Cracker Barrel ...

Please stop eating at Cracker Barrel. They fire workers for being gay.

I know, R9, that's why I said exactly that in R2.

I don't think the Cracker Barrel anti-gay thing still exists.

R21 The anti-gay policy at Cracker Barrel still exists.

Cracker Barrel, like several other chains, has never expanded to California.

Cracker Barrel tried to do right, but then reversed itself.

R22 From your link:

[quote]In 1991, 11 employees were fired for not displaying "normal heterosexual values," as was prescribed by an intra-company memo. Although founder Dan Evins later called this policy a "mistake," the attitude remains. Since 2008, Cracker Barrel has jumped from 15 to 35 on the HRC scale, but that’s not much. It also has yet to include same-sex couples in its benefits coverage and doesn’t have a non-discrimination policy that protects "gender identity and/or expression," according to HRC.

I'm not defending them, but I don't think it's fair to say they still fire people for being gay when it hasn't happened in over two decades, and since they've apparently improved their policies in recent years.

It's just a "cutlet."

I really, really want some chicken-fried-chicken now.

Chicken Fried Steak

Serves 4.

Note: From “Recipe Revival: Southern Classics Reinvented for Modern Cooks,” by the editors of Southern Living magazine.

• 1/4 c. plus 3 tbsp. flour, divided

• Salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 4 (4-oz.) cubed beef steaks

• 1 egg, lightly beaten

• 1/2 c. plus 2 tbsp. milk, divided

• 1 c. saltine cracker crumbs

• 2 c. vegetable oil

• 1 1/2 c. chicken broth

• Dash of Worcestershire sauce

• Dash of hot sauce

Directions

In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup flour with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Sprinkle both sides of steaks with flour mixture.

In a shallow dish, combine egg and 2 tablespoons milk. Place cracker crumbs on a plate. Dip steaks in egg mixture, then dredge in cracker crumbs.

Heat vegetable oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Cook steaks until browned, about 2 minutes on each side. Cover, reduce heat and simmer, turning occasionally, until tender, about 15 minutes. Remove steaks and drain on paper towels, reserving 3 tablespoons drippings in the skillet. Keep steaks warm.

Over medium heat, whisk remaining 3 tablespoons flour into hot drippings until smooth. Cook 1 minute, whisking constantly. Gradually add broth and remaining 1/2 cup milk, whisking constantly. Cook, whisking constantly, until gravy is thickened and bubbly, about 3 minutes. Stir in Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce (and taste for additional salt and pepper). Serve gravy with steaks.

chicken fried has flour...you fry...white gravy from flour

country fried has no flour...gravy au jus

In the five years that have elapsed since r23's post, Cracker Barrel expanded into California.

So why is THIS thread from 2015 being resuscitated?

I'm a fat fuck, so I'll bite.

Like the Texan poster says, it's the gravy. White gravy for chicken fried steak, brown for country. Both are fucking delicious, if unhealthy.

Not being from CFS country, I don't find brown gravy on my steak to be sacrilegious.

So why is THIS thread from 2015 being resuscitated?

I'm a fat fuck, so I'll bite.

Like the Texan poster says, it's the gravy. White gravy for chicken fried steak, brown for country. Both are fucking delicious, if unhealthy.

Not being from CFS country, I don't find brown gravy on my steak to be sacrilegious.

Sigh... My posting thumb is getting fatter

R1 is correct. Being from TX, the first time I had schnitzel I thought "this is a lot like chicken fried steak."

I still remember the chicken fried steak I had at a restaurant on the beach in Gulfport, MS in the '80s. It was and remains the paradigm. No chicken fried steak I've tucked into since compares. The place was called Pattafanny's.

Yes, I’ll concur with you, r35.

I remember Gulfport back then, I was driving through on assignment.

Stopped and had real regional food. Normally not my favorite, but this chicken fried catastrophe was sooo good. Now I want some, and I’m in Connecticut. Damn.

No colored greens or sweet potatoes, OP. Racist.

If a thread is over 5 years old with an average of one reply every two months, for a whopping reply total of 37 in 62 months, maybe it's time to let it go.

Or start a new thread. Don't be afraid of the bitter scold who screams "OP, did you even bother to do a search". I'll protect you from her. She's a cunt.

Bump Bitch is Muriel.

Keep it up and I swear I will bump a Dyatlov Pass thread from the late 90s.

We’re too obsessed with Coronavirus to start interesting threads, so Muriel is recycling.

Well, if it's Muriel bumping, fine. It's her fucking site.

I want lunch today to be a big ol’ chicken fried steak with white cream gravy, pole beans, yellow squash casserole, and jalapeño cornbread. Iced tea. Strawberry shortcake with whipped cream for dessert.

R43 types fat.

Here's a vid where Ree Drummond (dba "Pie Near Woman") shows us how she makes CFS for her cowboys.

what about squirrel and squirrel gravy ? That's a white gravy too. Popular in the South?

Is Muriel real?

Cowboy Ken Rollins' rendition beat Bobby Flay's in a cook-off

The new issue of Cook's Country magazine (June/July) has a recipe for Country-Fried Steak. They coat the meat (cube steak) with water, salt and baking soda first. Then flour, a buttermilk-egg mixture, and finally saltines mixed with cornstarch, pepper, baking powder, oregano, granulated garlic, flour, and salt. They refrigerate them for 1-2 hours before cooking.

[quote] Outside of the South, in the cities, and for some reason in many restaurants, it's called country fried steak, as if only people in the country would [bold]bread and fry steak, which is true.[/bold]

FIFY

Chicken fried steak is a steak fried by a chicken. And country fried steak is a steak fried by an entire nation.

r51 Triggered.

[quote] No colored greens

Oh, [italic]dear. [/italic]

Colored greens is something Archie Bunker HAS to have said.

I have to admit I ate lots of it at Cracker Barrel back in the day and loved it. So good and sooo heavy. You will need to nap afterwards.

Apparently myriad people were offended when I wrote in the Texas thread that I thought Chicken fried steak was gross and the “gravy” was even more gross and everybody got offended.

Eh, I stand by my assessment 🤷🏻‍♀️

For the record I think biscuits and gravy is gross as well. 😬😬

R25, once a corporation makes the HRC shit-list, the only way off is through a substantial monetary contribution to the HRC. The SPLC works the same way.

[quote]Colored greens is something Archie Bunker HAS to have said.

I believe the correct term is "beans of color."

Greens of color? Either way - FAIL!

Either way, it’s mystery meat.

Exactly, R60!!!!

Is it ground beef or a tough piece of beef? What cut is it!?

🤨🧐😱

[quote]Well, if it's Muriel bumping, fine. It's her fucking site.

Well then, she needs to bump the classics and not this dribble.

r56 I'm reminded of that great philosopher, Whoopi Goldberg, in the film "Ghost."

"You in danger, gurl."

r61, see r49. It's cube steak, which is usually a tenderized piece of round steak. You can also use it for Swiss Steak.

To me they are different. Chicken Fried Steak is prepared like fried chicken, dipped in buttermilk or egg and then dredged in a flour mixture or batter, and fried. It is served with white gravy. Country Fried Steak is just salt and peppered, dredged in flour, and fried. It is served with a brown gravy with lots of onions and maybe peppers.

I love both versions, with or without either gravy. I'm easy that way. I've made this before with bread crumbs, but need to try with saltines or matzoh. I fried in schmaltz, and made a chicken gravy, no milk or cream. Skipping the gravy, (I know, perish the thought) and using only for the mash is great, then a squeeze of lemon atop the steak is delicious.

I don't know why I haven't made this again really, as I frequently order it out. Cheers OP, and the bumper.

Cubed steak used to be a lot more common.

R67 Cubed steak is what I always use when I make either one.

So the white gravy - is it a bechamel?

R69 Technically,closer to a tighter velouté, without the egg yolk, as it contains broth and dairy. Béchamel is just milk or other dairy.

You can make your own sort-of cube steak with one of these.

r71 It's easier to just stomp on a few round steaks wearing golf shoes. The exercise would be very beneficial.

Shit and Shinola.

[quote]Stopped and had real regional food. Normally not my favorite, but this chicken fried catastrophe was sooo good. Now I want some, and I’m in Connecticut.

Come on over, I'll make you some.

Gravy question: Is the gravy you would get with biscuits the same as what would go on a chicken fried streak?

Biscuits and gravy is usually made with sausage gravy. The white gravy that goes with CFS is made in the pan with the drippings after you fry the meat (at least that's how I make it). But they're both cream gravies.

Arkansas is the only place I've ever heard of where they eat "chocolate gravy," btw.

R76 We never have "Chocolate Gravy," in South Carolina, but it is how we make the icing for a twelve to fifteen layer cake.

ohhhh....that hersey's cocoa icing/frosting...mmmmm

Is the gravy made with sausage?

It can be, R79, but it doesn't have to be.

Here's a discussion of some trial and error on Chicken Fried Steak on "Serious Eats" which is pretty good. It covers a lot of the basics and has some great tips but neglects one thing - the seasoned buttermilk soak.

Whatever else you do, soak the pounded thin/tenderized beef in seasoned buttermilk overnight or for as long as you can. Making really good Chicken Fried Steak is a big pain in the ass and a project and that's why I hardly ever do it. It's just so delicious when I do take the time.

One other thing is the "drying/setting period" that happens after flouring, dipping and crumbing. Put them on a rack in the fridge to set/dry a bit. You get a better crust. That goes for most things breaded and fried like this.

Sorry - forgot serious eats link

Yummers!

Nasty, r82

R28 Why didn't you just start a new thread instead of bumping this five year old thread?

I don’t like my main dish concealed in a heavy sauce.

Doesn't "chicken fried chicken" equal actually "chicken cutlets"?

I don’t have anything to contribute to this thread but I just saw a Cracker Barrel Thanksgiving commercial saying “Country Fried Turkey is back” so I guess my question is, can any kind of meat be “country fried” or “chicken fried,” what about fish?

My mother use to make something called City Chicken but it had no chicken, she make it with cubed beef.