A Guide to Chicken Fried Steak vs. Country Fried Steak

Chicken fried steak is a breaded comfort food dish made from a thin cut of meat—usually tenderized cube steak or round steak. Chicken fried steak has a crispy golden brown breading made of flour, bread crumbs, and eggs similar to traditional fried chicken. Chicken fried steak is served with a white, creamy gravy made from pan drippings and black pepper. Popular side dishes include mashed potatoes and green beans.

Country fried steak is a breaded cutlet dish typically made with cube steak. The cube steak is coated in seasoned flour, pan-fried on a cast-iron skillet on medium-high heat, and smothered in a brown gravy made from pan drippings. Country fried steak became popular in the Southern United States in the mid-nineteenth century when German immigrants used breaded recipes resembling wiener schnitzel.

Chicken fried steak and country fried steak use many of the same ingredients, but they have a few slight differences.

1. 1. Breading: Chicken fried steak has a crispy coating made out of a flour mixture, a variety of seasonings, and eggs. By contrast, country fried steak has a simpler, less crispy breading recipe without any eggs.
2. 2. Gravy: Chicken fried steak is served with peppery white cream gravy, while country fried steak is smothered in a less creamy brown gravy.
3. 3. Popularity: Chicken fried steak is popular in the middle of the United States in places like Texas and Oklahoma. Country fried steak is more popular in the Southeastern United States in places like Louisiana and Georgia.

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