Kansas Chicken Fried Steak

Kansas – the sunflower state and a real down home comfort place.

I’ve been to Kansas. Our daughter lived in Wichita and then in Dodge City. The little bit we saw was down home hospitality and total comfort food. I was on a hot wing quest at the time and found some amazing ones in Dodge City, but the star for me was the chicken fried steak.

As I did a little research I found that the chicken fried steak is pretty popular throughout the whole state. While it’s doubtful that this total comfort food originated in Kansas (the first recipe for it is found in a Los Angeles newspaper in the 1920s), recipes for this dish were published in Kansas in the 1930s and 40s. Texas and Oklahoma also claim to have created it, but the evidence is stronger for Kansas. Found in many states, in many versions, this Kansas staple is made with a milk based gravy and lots of pepper!

Here’s How to Do it:

Start by pounding the steak with a meat tenderizer. Not only does this make it fork tender, it helps the coating to stick better.

Next, mix the flour with the salt, pepper and garlic powder, blending well.

Place each steak in the flour to coat it.

Whisk the egg with the water, then dip it into the egg mixture followed by

 

Kansas chicken fried

a dip in the bread crumbs.

Fry it about 5 to 10 minutes then turn.

Both sides should be golden brown.

Remove from pan and drain on paper towels.

Kansas Chicken fried

Now the gravy. In a heavy skillet, melt the butter.

Slowly stir in the flour and cook until it begins to turn golden.

Whisk in the milk and continue whisking until it’s starting to thicken.

Stir in the salt and pepper.

Serve the steak with mashed potatoes and

Kansas chicken fried steak

smother it all with the gravy.

Kansas chicken fried steak

Pure Comfort.

© Copyright 2019 The Lazy Gastronome

5 from 1 vote
Kansas chicken fried steak
Kansas Chicken Fried Steak

One of the most popular dishes in Kansas - Found in many states, in many versions, this Kansas staple is made with a milk based gravy and lots of pepper!

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Kansas
Keyword: beef, gravy, pan fried, potatoes, state food, steak
Servings: 4 people
Author: HelenFern
Ingredients
  • 1 to 1-1/2 pounds beef sirloin steaks (4 steaks)
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 Tablespoon cold water
  • 1/2 cup dried bread crumbs
Gravy
  • 4 Tablespoons butter
  • 2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
  • 2 cups milk
Instructions
  1. Start by pounding the steak with a meat tenderizer. Not only does this make it fork tender, it helps the coating to stick better.

  2. Next, mix the flour with the salt, pepper and garlic powder, blending well. Place each steak in the flour to coat it.

  3. Whisk the egg with the water, then dip it into the egg mixture followed by a dip in the bread crumbs.

  4. Fry it about 5 to 10 minutes then turn. Both sides should be golden brown.

Gravy
  1. In a heavy skillet, melt the butter. Slowly stir in the flour and cook until it begins to turn golden. Whisk in the milk and continue whisking until it's starting to thicken.

  2. Stir in the salt and pepper. 

  3. Serve the steak with mashed potatoes and smother it all with the gravy.

Here are some things that are perfect to use for this recipe!

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8 Responses to Kansas Chicken Fried Steak

  1. I admit I’d never heard of the Kansas version of this although apparently it has spread well beyond Kansas, too… This sounds tasty and warming at night. Thanks for sharing with Fiesta Friday!

  2. Sheri says:

    I just wanted to thank you for this fun series you’ve been doing to showcase local food from each of the states. This summer I did a “Summer Around the United States” project with my daughters where each day of summer we learned about a different state or territory. We didn’t focus on food for every state, but your posts were the inspiration for many of the states where I did choose to focus on food. We ate crab cakes for Maryland, made boiled peanuts for Georgia, ate a lobster roll at a Cousin’s Maine Lobster food truck, and ate shrimp and grits (although we did it when we learned about South Carolina rather than Alabama!) During the summer we were also fortunate to take a road trip through 16 states so we made sure to eat at a Maid Rite when we were in Iowa. It’s been so fun seeing which recipes you choose for each state and I look forward to trying out more! Thanks again for this great idea!

  3. 5 stars
    YUM! Reminds me of a meal at Cracker Barrel. Thanks so much for linking up at the #UnlimitedMonthlyLinkParty 4. Shared.

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