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Gluten-free chicken fried steak does exist, it's easy to make, and it's even more delicious than the original!
This gluten-free chicken fried steak recipe with homemade country gravy is the gluten-free comfort food you've been waiting for. This recipe takes cube steak that is breaded in a crispy gluten-free breading and topped with a homemade white country gravy that is perfectly seasoned. No matter who you make this for, I can guarantee there will be someone asking for seconds.
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Is country fried steak gluten-free?
Traditional country fried steak is drenched in a buttermilk marinade and coated in flour and spices. We keep a lot of the same ingredients, except we use a 1:1 gluten-free flour with a little bit of cornstarch for breading the cube steak. The results? You end up with a perfectly crispy piece of gluten-free fried chicken that no one will believe is actually gluten-free.
The same goes for our homemade white country gravy. Swapping out the traditional flour in the roux to make a gluten-free roux, we get the best gluten-free white gravy to smother our crispy chicken fried steak with.
Ingredients.
For the gluten-free breading for chicken fried steak.
- 1:1 Gluten-free Flour
- Cornstarch - You can also use arrowroot or potato starch.
- Buttermilk - If you don't have buttermilk, you can make your own just mix two cups of milk with about one and a half tablespoons of vinegar and let it rest a few minutes before adding the egg. You can also use a can of coconut milk with a bit of vinegar to make this dairy-free chicken fried steak.
- Eggs
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Sage
- Salt
- Pepper
For the homemade country gravy.
- Butter - Use a light cooking oil like avocado oil to make this gravy dairy-free.
- Cornstarch
- Milk - Substitute in your favorite dairy-free milk.
- Garlic Powder
- Sage
- Salt
- Pepper
- Ground Sausage (optional)
See my gluten-free country gravy recipe if you want more tips and tricks.
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Does chicken fried steak gravy have sausage in it?
You can make my gluten-free white country gravy with or without sausage; it is delicious either way.
Steps.
Follow these simple steps to make dinner that is better than Cracker Barrel country fried steak.
- Mix the dry ingredients together.
- Mix the wet ingredients.
- Put the cube steak into the flour mixture.
- Then dredge the cube steak into the wet ingredients.
- Dredge the cube steak back into the flour mixture and pat it in so the steak is fully covered.
- If you want an extra thick breading on your chicken fried steak, repeat the steps to double coat the cube steak.
- Fry the breaded cube steak.
- While the chicken fried steak pieces are frying, make the gravy.
- Drizzle the homemade country gravy over your gluten-free chicken fried steak and enjoy.
Tips and tricks.
Here are my secrets to the best gluten-free fried chicken.
- Dry your steaks well.
- Coat the cube steaks starting and ending with the flour.
- Let the breading rest and dry on the cube steak before frying.
- Do NOT use a nonstick pan to fry the chicken fried steak. You want a heavy bottom skillet or cast iron.
- Use the right amount of oil. You do not need any more than about an inch of oil to cook chicken fried steak.
- Your oil temperature should be about 375 degrees for cooking chicken fried steak.
- Spoon hot oil over the steaks to help the breading cook more evenly and help it stick to the steak before flipping it.
- Rest the chicken fried steak on a plate with paper towels to help remove excess oil.
Chicken fried steak FAQ
Cube steak is the most common cut of beef used for making chicken fried steak. It is a fairly common cut found at the grocery store that has already been tenderized. If you can not find cube steak, use a cheaper steak cut like a thin round steak. You can then ask your butcher to tenderize or use a meat mallet and tenderize it at home.
To help get breading to stick to the chicken fried steak, you need to ensure you don't get steam between the cube steak and the breading.
Chicken fried steak is not cooked to traditional temperatures; you won't easily get a medium-done steak since they are fried. Instead, look for a crispy golden color on the breading and a relatively stiff steak when you flip it. The steak will inevitably be cooked closer to well done, but it will still be tender.
Alternate cooking method.
Can you cook chicken fried steak in the air-fryer?
I don't recommend cooking this gluten-free chicken fried steak recipe in the air-fryer. It uses a buttermilk wash, which is considered more of a wet batter, even though we are ending with flour. Air frying tends to do better with dry batters, as wet batters can become mushy when cooked in the air-fryer.
If you try this chicken fried steak in the air-fryer and it works, let me know how you did it.
Leftovers and storage.
Homemade chicken fried steak is best served fresh after it is fried. If you have any leftovers, you can keep them in a container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Reheating.
I like to reheat this gluten-free fried chicken the same way I like to do my gluten-free fried chicken.
- You can reheat it in the microwave if you prefer, but the breading will not be crispy.
- Placing the chicken fried steak on a rack over a baking tray and baking it in a 375-degree oven for about 10-15 will warm it up and let the breading crisp more than in the microwave.
- My favorite way to reheat is to put the chicken fried steak in the air fryer at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes. While it doesn't cook the best in the air-fryer from the start, the air-fryer gets the crispiest crust like it was when it was first cooked.
Serving suggestions.
My husband would just say, just give me all the mashed potatoes and drizzle a whole lot of the homemade country gravy on top.
But you could also serve it with some gluten-free mac and cheese, sauteed vegetables like green beans, corn, or anything that you prefer.
More gluten-free beef recipes to love.
📖 Recipe
The BEST Gluten-free Chicken Fried Steak
Ingredients
For the gluten-free chicken fried steak.
- 4 Pieces Cube Steak or thinly cut round steak.
- 1 ½ Cups 1:1 Gluten-free Flour Blend I use King Arthur 1:1.
- 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch You can also use arrowroot or potato starch.
- 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ Teaspoon Onion Powder
- ½ Teaspoon Sage
- 1 Tespoon Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Pepper
- 2 Cups Buttermilk See notes for dairy-free and a buttermilk alternative.
- 2 Large Eggs
- Oil for frying.
For the gluten-free white gravy.
- 2 Tablespoons Butter For dairy-free gravy use a light cooking oil like avocado oil.
- 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch or arrowroot starch.
- 2½ Cups Milk or a dairy-free alternative like coconut milk.
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 1½ Teaspoons Pepper
- ½ Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ Tespoon Sage
- ½ Cup Ground Sausage Optional, but make sure you are using a gluten-free sausage.
Instructions
Mix the dry ingredients together.
- In a shallow dish combine the flour, cornstarch, garlic, onion, sage, salt and pepper.1 ½ Cups 1:1 Gluten-free Flour Blend, 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch, 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder, ½ Teaspoon Onion Powder, ½ Teaspoon Sage, 1 Tespoon Salt, 1 Teaspoon Pepper
Mix the wet ingredients together.
- In a separate shallow dish combine the buttermilk and eggs and whisk them together.2 Cups Buttermilk, 2 Large Eggs
Bread the cube steaks.
- Take the cube steaks and dredge them into the dish with the dry ingreidnets.
- Then dredge the floured cube steak into the buttermilk mixture.
- Place the cube steak back into the flour mixture and make sure that no wet spots remain visible.
- Repeat the steps and take the coated back into the buttermilk and then the flour if you want a thicker breading on your chicken fried steak.
- Let the coated cube steaks rest while you heat the oil and start the gravy.
Fry the chicken fried steak.
- Heat about 1- 1½ inches of light cooking oil in a skillet till it reaches about 375 degrees. You do not need the fully submerge the pieces of steak.Oil for frying.
- Carefully place a piece of the coated cube steaks into the oil.4 Pieces Cube Steak
- Let the cube steak cook for about 3-4 minutes, or until the breading becomes golden.
- Once the breading has started to crisp up and turn golden, carefully flip the piece of steak over and repeat on the other side.
- Repeat with the remaining pieces of cube steak.
- Place the cooked pieces of chicken fried steak onto a plate lined with paper towels, to help remove any excess oil.
Make the gluten-free country gravy.
- In a small saute pan, brown the sausage. (If you are making this country gravy without the sausage, skip this step.)½ Cup Ground Sausage
- Once the sausage is cooked, remove it from the pan and set it aside.
- In the same pan, add the butter and let it melt.2 Tablespoons Butter
- Once the butter has melted, add the cornstarch and whisk until a paste is formed.2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
- Slowly whisk in the milk until it's all combined.2½ Cups Milk
- Add the spices to the gravy.1 Teaspoon Salt, 1½ Teaspoons Pepper, ½ Teaspoon Garlic Powder, ½ Tespoon Sage
- Stir the cooked sausage back into the gravy and let it thicken to your liking.
Notes
Cube steak is the most common cut of beef used for making chicken fried steak. It is a fairly common cut found at the grocery store that has already been tenderized. If you can not find cube steak, use a cheaper steak cut like a thin round steak. You can then ask your butcher to tenderize or use a meat mallet and tenderize it at home. Why does the breading fall off my chicken fried steak?
To help get breading to stick to the chicken fried steak, you need to ensure you don't get steam between the cube steak and the breading.
- Dry your steaks well.
- Coat the cube steaks starting and ending with the flour.
- Let the breading rest and dry on the cube steak before frying.
- Do NOT use a nonstick pan to fry the chicken fried steak. You want a heavy bottom skillet or cast iron.
- Use the right amount of oil. You do not need any more than about an inch of oil to cook chicken fried steak.
- Your oil temperature should be about 375 degrees for cooking chicken fried steak.
- Spoon hot oil over the steaks to help the breading cook more evenly and help it stick to the steak before flipping it.
- Rest the chicken fried steak on a plate with paper towels to help remove excess oil.
Chicken fried steak is not cooked to traditional temperatures; you won't easily get a medium-done steak since they are fried. Instead, look for a crispy golden color on the breading and a relatively stiff steak when you flip it. The steak will inevitably be cooked closer to well done, but it will still be tender. Can you cook chicken fried steak in the air-fryer?
I don't recommend cooking this gluten-free chicken fried steak recipe in the air-fryer. It uses a buttermilk wash, which is considered more of a wet batter, even though we are ending with flour. Air frying tends to do better with dry batters, as wet batters can become mushy when cooked in the air-fryer. If you try this chicken fried steak in the air-fryer and it works, let me know how you did it. Leftovers and storage.
Homemade chicken fried steak is best served fresh after it is fried. If you have any leftovers, you can keep them in a container in the fridge for 2-3 days. What is the best way to reheat chicken fried steak?
I like to reheat this gluten-free fried chicken the same way I like to do my gluten-free fried chicken.
- You can reheat it in the microwave if you prefer, but the breading will not be crispy.
- Placing the chicken fried steak on a rack over a baking tray and baking it in a 375-degree oven for about 10-15 will warm it up and let the breading crisp more than in the microwave.
- My favorite way to reheat is to put the chicken fried steak in the air fryer at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes. While it doesn't cook the best in the air-fryer from the start, the air-fryer gets the crispiest crust like it was when it was first cooked.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don't forget to tag a photo #grainfreetable or @grainfreetable on Instagram. I'd love to see what you come up with!
Audrey says
This was so good- we were craving some comfort food!
Angela says
Great directions. The flavor is delicious.
Jamie says
This was such a delicious dinner!
Pam says
One of our favorite gluten free recipes!
AISilva says
This gluten free chicken fried steak was great, thank you!
Sara Vaughn says
You're welcome, I am glad you enjoyed it!
Serena says
One of our favorite recipes!
Sara Vaughn says
This is one of our family favorites too!
Amy says
Delicious!!
Maggie says
Delicious! I'm always looking for gluten free recipes, and this one hit the spot.
Sara Vaughn says
Maggie, I am happy you enjoyed this chicken fried steak.
Swathi says
This looks delicious perfect weekend meal.
Lynn says
100% BEST!!!!
It's was awesome!! Husband could not tell it was gluten free!!
Thank you for sharing.
It's not It always just the ingredients, it's also the process! My mother in Law, from the south, cooks her gluten version the exact same way as this recipe. Perfect every time!
Thank you
Lynn
From New Mexico
Sara Vaughn says
Lynn
I am so glad you enjoyed this gluten-free fried steak. It was inspired by my southern grandmother's recipe, so I knew I had to get it right, just like the way she made it.
Erika Haley says
I used this breading recipe for cube steak and it was so good! Super easy.
Sharon says
Can I use Almond Milk as opposed to the butter milk? I’m allergic to dairy and want to make this tonight.
Kathy says
“Dairy free, see notes? Nothing about dairy free in the notes.