Chicken Fried Steak Fingers
These perfectly seasoned and marinated Chicken Fried Steak Fingers are so tender from the buttermilk soak and have the perfect crispy, golden brown breading!
EASY TENDER JUICY STEAK FINGERS RECIPE
I love these Chicken Fried Steak Fingers! I fell in love with them when we lived in Texas. I had always loved Chicken Fried Chicken, but I didn’t actually eat reallllly good Chicken Fried Steak until we moved to Texas, and ever since then, I’ve been head over heels for these things. Don’t skip the buttermilk marinade – it makes all the difference!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
You want to make sure that your cubed steaks are less than ½ inch thick. If they are thicker than that, it will result in a tougher steak. When looking in the grocery store, look for the thinnest ones you can find, oftentimes they’ll still need to be pounded down to get thin enough. Just use a meat mallet to get them to the appropriate size.
If you would like to make this ahead of time, I would recommend following all instructions and cooking the chicken fried steak fingers and then freezing, rather than freezing the uncooked breaded meat. Gravy does not freeze well, so I would recommend making that fresh when ready to serve.
I used my 12-inch cast iron pan. It is large enough to fit several pieces of meat and is tall enough to deep fry food in. If you don’t have one that size, you may need to cook them in more batches.
Soaking in buttermilk is highly recommended so you can get the meat nice and tender. While it’s not absolutely a MUST do if you’re out of it or don’t want to, it is something that I highly recommend so you can get the most tender, best quality Chicken Fried Steak Fingers.
No way. If you don’t want to go through the work of the homemade gravy, that’s no problem. Just use a packet of white pepper gravy instead.
Sure! Start by preheating your Air Fryer to 360F. Bread the steak fingers just as you did with the original recipe. Spray your basket with nonstick cooking spray. Place breaded steak fingers in the Air Fryer basket and cook in batches so you don’t overcrowd the basket. Cook on 360F for 7 minutes. Carefully flip the fingers and cook another 5-10 minutes or until the steak fingers are done to your liking.
I enjoyed these Steak Fingers with Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans. But they’re good with any of your favorite side dishes. I like them some comfort food sides like Macaroni Salad, Corn on the Cob, Cafeteria Noodles, Southern Fried Potatoes, Green Bean Casserole, Crock Pot Baked Beans, and more. I’d never turn down some Homemade Dinner Rolls with them either.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- cubed steak– I used about 6 pieces. When buying your steak, try to look for the thinnest sliced cubed steak you can find.
- large eggs
- milk
- whole buttermilk– whole buttermilk works best for how we’re using it in this recipe. The thickness of it helps the breading stick to the meat. But feel free to use what you have.
- saltine crackers– this makes for the best crunchy breading – trust me on this. If you are watching your sodium you can use unsalted crackers.
- all-purpose flour
- seasoned salt
- garlic powder
- paprika
- half and half – half and half makes an extra creamy gravy. If you don’t have half and half, you could use regular milk or heavy cream (you may need to adjust the amounts).
- salt and pepper – if you have nay sensitivities to salt, please feel free to adjust the salt and seasoned salt used in this recipe or use a salt-free blend.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN FRIED STEAK FINGERS
Using a meat mallet, pound your steaks until they’re at least less than ½ inch thick (if they are not already thinner than that). Then, you will cut cubed steaks into strips that are about 1 ½-inches wide. Place the cubed steak strips into a bowl and pour 2 cups of buttermilk over top of the meat. Gently stir to and make sure each strip is covered. Let this marinate in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. After 3 hours, drain cubed steak strips in a strainer over a large bowl. Let this sit and drain while you prepare the breading mixture.
In a shallow bowl, combine ½ cup flour, the crushed crackers, seasoned salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. In a second bowl, add the remaining ½ cup of flour and season with salt and pepper. In the third bowl, whisk together eggs and milk.
Take one strip of cubed steak and coat with the flour mixture. Next, dip it in the egg mixture and then coat it evenly with the cracker mixture. Lay on a baking sheet to rest while you continue the process for the remaining strips. *tip* refrigerate breaded steak finger for 30 minutes before frying. This will help the breading stick better.
In a large frying pan (cast iron works best), heat 2-3 inches of oil to 325 degrees. Once your oil is up to temperature, arrange 4-5 strips in pan and cook for 4 minutes on one side and flip. Cook for another 3 minutes or so, until golden brown. The internal temperature should read 145 degrees. Remove steak fingers to a wire rack to drain the oil. Continue cooking the remaining meat in batches.
Heat the reserved 5 tablespoons of oil or butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Add in flour and whisk vigorously until all clumps are gone. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly to avoid scorching. Slowly add in the half and half and continue whisking to mix everything together well. Add in salt and pepper. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for 10 minutes so it can thicken.
Serve the gravy with the steak fingers and enjoy!
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
- Chicken Fried Steak
- Air Fryer Chicken Fried Steak
- Pan Seared Steak
- Air Fryer Garlic Butter Steak Bites
- Chicken and Waffles
- Cheesecake Factory Chicken Costoletta
- KFC Gravy
- Southern Fried Chicken
Originally published: July 2024
Updated photos and republished: April 2025
I just made these and are really good. I’m going to make them again very soon! My wife gave two thumbs up!
– Bill
Chicken Fried Steak Fingers (+Video)
Ingredients
For the Chicken Fried Steak Fingers:
- 2 pounds cubed steak (about 6 steaks)
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup milk
- 2 cups whole buttermilk
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (divided use)
- 25 saltine crackers, crushed
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- peanut oil or lard (for frying – I prefer lard)
For the Cream Gravy:
- 5 Tablespoons pan drippings
- 4 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ cups half and half
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Chicken Fried Steak Fingers:
- You want to make sure that the cubed steaks are less than ½ inch thick. If they are thicker than that, it will result in a tougher steak. If necessary, you will need to make the steaks thinner by pounding them with a meat mallet. Then, you will cut cubed steaks into strips that are about 1 ½ inches wide.
- Place the cubed steak strips into a bowl and pour 2 cups whole buttermilk over top of the meat. Gently stir and make sure each strip is covered. Let this marinate in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours (this will further tenderize the steak).
- After 3 hours, drain cubed steak strips in a strainer over a large bowl. Let this sit and drain while you prepare the breading mixture.
- In a shallow bowl, combine ½ cup all purpose flour, 25 saltine crackers, crushed, 1 teaspoon seasoned salt, 1 teaspoon garlic powder and ¼ teaspoon paprika. In a second bowl, add the remaining ½ cup all purpose flour and season with salt and pepper (about 1/2 teaspoon each). In the third bowl, whisk together 2 large eggs and 1/3 cup milk.
- Take one strip of cubed steak and coat with the flour mixture.
- Next, dip it in the egg mixture and then coat it evenly with the cracker mixture.
- Lay on a baking sheet to rest while you continue the process for the remaining strips. TIP: If you have time, refrigerate breaded steak finger for 30 minutes before frying. This will help the breading stick better.
- In a large frying pan (cast iron works best), heat 2-3 inches of peanut oil or lard to 325F degrees.
- Once the oil is up to temperature, arrange 4-5 strips in pan and cook for 4 minutes on one side and flip. Do not overcrowd the pan or the meat will just steam and not get crispy. Cook for another 3 minutes or so, until golden brown. The internal temperature should read 145 degrees.
- Remove steak fingers to a wire rack to drain the oil. Continue cooking the remaining meat in batches.
Cream Gravy Directions:
- Drain all but about 5 Tablespoons pan drippings of the pan drippings into a heat safe bowl.
- Add in 4 Tablespoons all-purpose flour and whisk vigorously until all clumps are gone. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly to avoid scorching.
- Slowly add in 2 ½ cups half and half and continue whisking to mix everything together well. Add in 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper.
- Reduce heat and allow to simmer for about 5-10 minutes so it can thicken. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper to taste. I tend to add more salt but that is all personal preference. Then turn off heat.
- Serve gravy with steak fingers and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Hi
Quick question: I want to make these tonight for dinner, sounds delicious, but I only have some tenderloin steaks. Can i pound them thin, cut into strips and follow the recipe? Thanks so much.
Have you ever substituted anything for the egg? My son cannot have eggs and I have yet to find anything that works as well as the egg.
I haven’t but perhaps we have someone on here who has egg allergies that can perhaps give some advice 🙂
I have been told that there is a soy based product that is sold as a substitute for eggs–it’s meant to be poured into a pan like you would eggs to scramble them…Anyway, this product supposedly works well for things like this too. I’ve not tried it myself, but I thought I’d mention it.
I just made these and are really good. I’m going to make them again very soon! My wife gave two thumbs up