Air Fryer Chicken Fried Steak with Gravy

Plate of air fryer chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and green beans.

Air Fryer Chicken Fried Steak with Gravy

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 8

Cook Time: 8

Total Time: 16

Servings: steaks

Calories: 666kcal

Author: Quynh Nguyen

Air fryer chicken fried steak is made with a thin, tender, seasoned cut of beef that's been dredged in a flour coating and then fried until golden, crispy, and delicious. It's an easy, tasty, comfort dinner ready in 16 minutes.

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Equipment

Air Fryer

Ingredients

1 pound cube steak, or round steaks (4 steaks)
salt and pepper, for seasoning
2 large eggs, beaten
½ cup whole milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon salt, for breading
2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
olive oil, avocado oil, peanut oil or any other oil for frying

For the gravy

3 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup whole milk
⅔ cup heavy cream
salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

Tenderize the steaks

Skip this step if you bought pre-tenderized steaks but already pre-tenderized cube steaks could use some pounding to avoid being chewy.
Place each steak between two pieces of plastic wrap. Use a meat mallet, rubber mallet, rolling pin or wine bottom to pound the steak until it is thin (about ¼ inch). As you’re pounding, turn frequently to ensure that all parts of the steak are evenly thin.
Do this for all the steaks.

Season the steaks

Sprinkle salt and pepper on all sides of the meat.
Preheat the air fryer to 400°F

Bread the steaks

Prepare the dredge station with two wide, shallow dishes. In the first one, whisk together egg and milk. In the second, mix together all-purpose flour, salt, garlic powder, and smoked paprika.
Take one steak and dredge in the flour mixture. Press the flour into both sides of the steak.
Lift the steak and shake off the excess flour. Dip into the egg wash and coat both sides.
Lift the steak and shake off the excess egg wash. Dip back into the flour mixture a second time. Press the flour into both sides of the steak.
Set aside on a plate and repeat for all the steaks.

Air Fry the Steaks

Place the steaks on the air fryer basket in a single layer, evenly spread out. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to do multiple batches. Generously coat the top of each steak with oil.
Air fry for 5 minutes, carefully turn the steaks and coat the other side with oil. Air fry for an additional 3-4 minutes.

Make the gravy

While the steaks are in the air fryer: in a small saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Whisk in the flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper, continually whisking until golden brown (about 2-3 minutes).
Combine the milk and cream. Continue whisking and bring the gravy to a simmer. Cook until the gravy is smooth and creamy, about 5 to 7 minutes. If the gravy is too thick, add more milk. If it is too thin, just continue to let it simmer. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve the chicken fried steak with gravy and mashed potatoes and your favorite green veggies. Enjoy!

Notes

The beauty of chicken fried steak (other than the crispy-fried goodness) is the tenderized meat that's easy to chew and basically falls apart in your mouth. To achieve this, I suggest tenderizing even the cube steaks to avoid chewy bites.
This recipe requires preheating the air fryer.
When dredging the steak with the flour, be sure to press the flour into the steak to help it stick.
Do not use PAM cooking spray for this recipe (or any other aerosol sprays) in your air fryer. It can create a gummy and sticky surface and ruin the non-stick properties of the air fryer.
Lightly spray the steak with oil. Too much oil will cause it to be soggy.
If you find your gravy a bit too thick for your liking, add a bit more milk. If it's too thin, do not add more flour, just allow it to simmer for a little longer. It will eventually thicken up even more.

Nutrition