If you’re going to make chicken-fried steak, you 100% should only make our air fryer chicken fried steak recipe.
We’ve perfected cooking breaded items in the air fryer. Just check out our Air Fryer Boneless Wings and Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp Recipe to see why.
Air fryer steak?!? Hmmm… We’re reeeeally particular about our steak.
Typically, we almost always make our steak using a sous vide.
Our sous vide steak recipe always comes out perfectly cooked and rivals any steak from a restaurant.
Can you cook steak in an air fryer? Yes, but just because you can doesn’t mean it’s going to come out amazing.
Many people choose to make air fryer steak, but in our opinion there is only ONE way to go about cooking steak in the air fryer…and that is air fryer chicken fried steak.
Chicken fried steak patties are pounded thin, so they take less time to cook and you don’t need to worry about overcooking the center like you would for a regular, thick steak.
What is chicken fried steak?
First off, let’s talk about chicken fried steak. Growing up in Minnesota, Karen never even knew what chicken fried steak was until a business trip brought her to Dallas. Like, is it chicken, is it steak?
Moments later a schnitzel-like patty the size of a platter was in front of her.
The enormous chicken fried steak is crispy, salty, savory, and delicious. Everything that comfort food should be!
This southern dish is indeed steak! The steak patty is pounded thin, battered with buttermilk, flour and spices and fried to a crisp.
Another benefit of chicken fried steak is the fact that it is covered in gravy. Mmmmm…
How to make chicken fried steak
Let’s talk about the best chicken fried steak meat. Your chicken fried steak is only as good as the quality of your steak!
In preparation of filming this recipe, we tested this dish with two different cuts of steak from Omaha Steaks: a NY strip steak and a sirloin steak in air fryer.
All of Omaha Steaks meats are butcher trimmed to perfection and flash frozen for the highest quality.
They have so many different cuts of beef available, and all wet aged for at least 21 days, it was hard to narrow it down to just two cuts for the test.
The top sirloin steak is a cut from the rear of the steer, it’s past the section where you’ll find tenderloins and T bones, but before you reach the rump roast. Sirloin is generally an affordable piece of steak.
Their NY strip steak is from the top loin section with more marbling.
Without a doubt, our favorite steak for chicken fried steak was the strip steak. It makes sense since the extra marbling means more flavor!
To start making your chicken fried steak, pound your steak out with a mallet until it is roughly ½ inch thick. Season it generously with salt and pepper and prepare your chicken fried steak batter.
You’ll prepare the chicken fried steak breading by mixing together your dry ingredients of flour and seasoning on a plate.
On another plate, mix together your wet batter of egg and buttermilk.
To make chicken fried steak, dip your steak in the wet batter and shake off the excess. Next, dip it into the dry mixture. Let the batter sit for a few minutes while you repeat the process with the other steak.
We like to do a double batter to add extra texture and crispiness to this chicken fried steak recipe. Take your already battered steaks through the wet and dry batter once more.
Now you’re ready to cook your chicken fried steak. No matter if you fry them, bake them, or cook the chicken fried steak in the air fryer, like we are in this recipe video, you’ll have a nice coating on your steak!
How does an air fryer work?
An air fryer oven works by circulating hot air around a cooking basket to crisp up the food. This is done with a minimal amount of oil.
We actually use our June smart oven, which is a countertop convection oven, for all of our air frying.
The special trays convert it into a large air fryer oven (one of the largest you can find) which is essential when you have big, beautiful chicken fried steak patties.
Are air fryers healthy?
Typically chicken fried steak is fried is a skillet loaded in oil.
Using an air deep fryer allows you to have the same chicken fried steak recipe with a heck of a lot less calories.
On average, chicken fried steak calories usually come in around 1,000 calories, but making air fryer chicken fried steak saves you a few hundred calories!
How to cook chicken fried steak in an airfryer
Start by preheating your air fryer to 400 degrees F.
Once you have your steak battered and ready to go, spray the air fryer basket and the outsides of the battered steak with olive oil spray. This will help to ensure that the steak won’t stick to the basket and helps to crisp up the exterior of the chicken fried steak.
How long to cook steak in air fryer? It is ready in no time!
Follow the instructions of your specific air fryer, but it should only take about 8 minutes to have a crisp exterior without overcooking the interior of the steak.
No air fryer? No problem
Use this recipe for baked chicken fried steak. Just put the battered chicken fried steak patties on a greased baking sheet and cook for about 15 minutes at 400 degrees.
Not counting calories? Fry ‘em the traditional way. Fill a large skillet with about ½ inch deep of vegetable oil and pan fry this easy chicken fried steak recipe. It’s done when it’s crispy and golden brown.
Chicken fried steak gravy
Chicken fried steak is best served with gravy and mashed potatoes. The difference between country fried steak vs. chicken fried steak is the gravy.
Country fried steak comes with brown gravy, whereas chicken fried steak is usually served with a peppery white gravy.
Whichever gravy you reach for, this recipe will taste delicious with both!
Honestly, we think this is the best chicken fried steak, it’s a great way to lighten up a classic Southern dish!
This is a recipe to add to your air fryer cookbook, one of the only air fryer steak recipes you should care about.
Be sure to also check out our best air fryer recipes including our air fryer boneless buffalo wing recipe too!
Chicken Fried Steak Recipe:
Makes 4 large chicken fried steaks
Ingredients:
- 2 steaks filets (we recommend strip steak)
- 1 cup flour
- ½ tsp cayenne
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp onion powder
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1 egg
- ¾ cup of buttermilk
- Olive oil spray
- Gravy
- Cut the filets in half and trim off any large sections of fat. Place a skirt steak between seran wrap. Using a meat tenderizer, hammer the meat until roughly ½ inch thick. Repeat with the other steak.
- Pat the steaks dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper.
- On a shallow bowl or plate, mix together the flour, onion powder, paprika, cayenne, salt and pepper.
- In another shallow bowl or plate, scramble one egg and mix it with the buttermilk.
- Dip the steak patty into the wet mixture until well coated.
- Next, dip the cutlet into the dry mixture.
- Repeat the process to complete a double batter for each steak by again dipping into the wet batter and then in the dry batter.
- Let the battered patty sit for 5 minutes while the air fryer heats up to 400 degrees.
- Use an olive oil spray to coat the chicken fried steaks and place them into the air fryer basket.
- Cook for 8 minutes, or as directed by your air fryer, to crisp up the exterior.
- Serve with mashed potatoes and gravy.
Air Fryer Chicken Fried Steak
This air fryer chicken fried steak recipe brings big flavor with less calories and oil!
Ingredients
- 2 strip steaks
- 1 cup flour
- ½ tsp cayenne
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp onion powder
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1 egg
- ¾ cup of buttermilk
- 1 tsp Olive oil spray
Instructions
- Cut the filets in half and trim off any large sections of fat. Place a skirt steak between seran wrap. Using a meat tenderizer, hammer the meat until roughly ½ inch thick. Repeat with the other steak.
- Pat the steaks dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper.
- On a shallow bowl or plate, mix together the flour, onion powder, paprika, cayenne, salt and pepper.
- In another shallow bowl or plate, scramble one egg and mix it with the buttermilk.
- Dip the steak patty into the wet mixture until well coated.
- Next, dip the cutlet into the dry mixture.
- Repeat the process to complete a double batter for each steak by again dipping into the wet batter and then in the dry batter.
- Let the battered patty sit for 5 minutes while the air fryer heats up to 400 degrees.
- Use an olive oil spray to coat the chicken fried steaks and place them into the air fryer basket.
- Cook for 8 minutes, or as directed by your air fryer, to crisp up the exterior.
- Serve with mashed potatoes and gravy.
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Air Fryer Chicken Fried Steak FAQ’s
What Cut of Beef should we use for the first time making air fryer chicken fried steak?
You can make chicken fried steak with essentially any cut of steak, as long as you can pound it out into a thin piece of steak to make this country steak classic.
This is easily one of our favorite air fryer recipes, and it will quickly become a family favorite with practically any cut of beef.
- NY Strip or Sirloin – the super tasty and premium route
- Cube steak aka minute steaks – a pre tenderized piece of affordable beef that is traditional at country stores
- Top round steak – another affordable cut used when pounded out with a mallet or tenderizer.
What specialty items are needed to get the best results?
- Meat mallet
- Meat tenderizer
- Cooking spray
- Hot sauce
- Dredging station (aka your assembly line) line up multiple bowls
- Meat thermometer
Does chicken fried steak need a black pepper country gravy or a cream gravy?
Gravy goes to chicken fried steak like milk goes to cereal. Although you could easily eat it without a gravy, we highly recommend having one on top or for dipping.
What are trusty air fryers we can trust?
We love making some of our favorite fried foods in the air fryer because they are an easy way to use less oil, and save calories.
- Ninja 4 Quart Air Fryer – This trusty air fryer is your standard single zone air fryer at an affordable cost. This is a good idea if you’re on a budget.
- Ninja Two Zone Air Fryer – If you’re looking to cook two things at once. This Ninja air fryer can cook at two different temperatures so you can cook your chicken fried steak and veggies next to it.
- Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro – This smart oven is a transformed toaster oven that can also act as an air fryer. It’s a bit more pricey, but with it you can also toss your toaster in the trash, and Breville always makes a great product.
- June Oven – This is easily one of the best gadgets in our kitchen. It’s our go-to air fryer because we can cook huge chicken fried steaks in it. Beyond that, this oven is so smart it usually can identify what you put in the oven and tell you how to cook it perfectly.
What should I serve with Air Fryer Chicken Fried Steak?
There are a number of side dishes that compliment chicken fried steak.
- When it comes to comfort food, mashed potatoes are a classic choice, but if you’re using your air fryer you could even make Air Fryer Baked Potatoes as a spud substitute.
- If you’re hosting more of a picnic-style dinner, you could pair the chicken fried steak with a creamy salad like our Loaded Baked Potato Salad. It tastes like a baked potato, but it is a cool option, which is a great way to beat the Texas heat.
- To lighten up the dish, consider adding in a green veggie like green beans, asparagus, or our scrumptious Air Fryer Broccolini Recipe.
- Finally, we included a gravy recipe with this air fryer chicken fried steak recipe, but for a twist on a topping, consider making our Smoked Mushroom Recipe to add a kiss of smoky flavor. For a spicy kick, serve the dish with our tangy Horseradish Mayonnaise Sauce Recipe.
This recipe was sponsored by our friends at Omaha Steaks, thanks for supporting the brands that we love! Learn more about New York Strip Steaks.
Omaha Steaks has partnered up with Feeding America to include a donation with select packages. They have already donated over 100,000 servings to those in need! Consider stocking your freezer by having a vanity pack of meats shipped straight to your door.
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