Now, I need to tell you a little story about this one. It is called “The Chicken Fried Steak Rule,” and it dates back to the beginning of time, before the teenager was even born, and it goes like this.
Once upon a time, there was a Northern girl and a Southern guy, and the Southern guy introduced the Northern girl to the culinary delicacy that is Chicken Fried Steak. He found a great restaurant right nearby that did a scrumptious chicken fried steak with cream gravy and mashed potatoes, and he held her hand across the table and promised his undying love in that mesmerizing Southern accent of his.
The Northern girl girl was smitten with both the Southern guy AND the chicken fried steak, and decided to make both her own. The Southern guy proved to be a lot easier to figure out than the chicken fried steak. She tried recipe after recipe after recipe for chicken fried steak, with no luck. The breading fell off, or burned. The steak was tough. The cream gravy was lumpy, or runny, or bland. The Southern guy bravely ate his way through one disappointing chicken fried steak dinner after another.
Then one day he got down on one knee, took her hands in his, professed his undying love, and reminded her that there was a perfectly wonderful restaurant nearby that served perfectly wonderful chicken fried steak. And thus the Chicken Fried Steak Rule was born, and it goes like this. If there is someplace nearby that makes something wonderful that you like to eat, do not try to reinvent the wheel at home. For the past 20 years, this has saved me from trying to make chicken fried steak (Live Bait restaurant on 23rd street in NYC), doughnuts (Krispy Kreme!) and cinnamon rolls (Grandma). And life was good and peaceful, because whenever I got a jones to make chicken fried steak either the Southern husband or the teenager looked me in the eye and said “Chicken Fried Steak Rule,” and I came back to my senses.
Then the Pioneer Woman wrote her fabulous cookbook, and there it was. On page 142. Her recipe for chicken fried steak, complete with irresistable step by step photos. I wavered. I faltered. I fell. There I was, with my cube steak and flour and eggs and milk, flagrantly breaking the Chicken Fried Steak Rule for the first time in years. And you know what? Rules are meant to be broken…this was the chicken fried steak of my dreams, right here in my own little kitchen!
Anybody out there got any Krispy Kreme doughnut recipes???
CHICKEN FRIED STEAK, adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks!
Ingredients Directions
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Love the post! Chicken Fried has been a mystery at my house, too. I love your rule. I could live by that! But, I will try the Pioneer Woman recipe.
what a sweet post, kate. it's no surprise that one path way to a southern boy's heart is through some chicken fried steak. glad you found a winning recipe!
One of the best posts I have read in a long time!! Love the story!! And the Chicken Fried Steak looks out of this world good!!!!
i loved the story that went with this. so sweet.
One of my favorite meals of all time!!!
I just recently discovered your site… Love it! When I read this post, I actually did LOL… Really. Oh, and at my house… It's the French Onion Soup Rule.
Is it eggs, then flour, then eggs? Or do I finish with the flour? Your post seems pretty uncomplicated, but I've never made this before and it seems like a lot of the recipes end with the flour mixture. Thank you!!
You are SO right — flour/eggs/flour. Typing too fast as usual – or maybe the chicken fried steak addled my mind! Thanks for reading.
I've never made chicken fried steak before, but you make it so easy!! I'm definitely going to have to try out this recipe for my boyfriend's birthday! Chicken fried steak is his favorite meal! And this would go so well with some of Pioneer Woman's creamy mashed potatoes!
What part of the cow is the cube steak from? Wonder what the equivalent is in the UK? Would like to make this.
Cube steak is a cut of beef usually top round or top sirloin and comes from the rear of the cow above the shank. Not sure what the UK equivalent is, but hope this helps!
Have to try this, reminds me of schnitzel. Will put this on my list for the week. Love the "Rule"
If I was going to make this for two people, do you think I could cut it down to a 1 1/2 lbs of cube steak and half the rest of the ingredients? 3lbs seems like a lot!
This recipe makes 8 servings (I am SO bad about listing serving amounts) so I think if you divided by four you would have enough for two, and if you cut in half you will have enough for fabulous leftovers!!
Excellent! Thank you so much!
This is one of the best chicken fried steak recipes ever! I have one other that I have used, but the seasoning in this one is better. I LOVE the Pioneer Woman’s recipes. They are all so user-friendly, too! Thank you…
Isn’t it the best? Ree’s recipes are fabulous.