How to Make Crunchy, Tender, Smothered Chicken-Fried Chicken

The iconic American dish has especially deep roots in Texas and Oklahoma and consists of a tough cut of beef pounded thin (to tenderize it), battered, deep- or shallow-fried, and served with a rich, creamy gravy seasoned with lots of black pepper. 

A handful of legends compete for chicken-fried steak’s origin story, but its name is almost certainly a callback to fried chicken. Think “steak fried in the manner of fried chicken” or, in menu terms, chicken-fried steak.

Chicken-fried chicken mimics chicken-fried steak in a handful of key ways. For one, it’s boneless. For another, the chicken (usually breast meat) is pounded thin, which creates a flatter, steak-like appearance. This allows for quicker cooking to keep the meat from drying out and also provides more surface area for the delicious crunchy coating. And for one more, it’s served with the same type of gravy. 

For a home version of this popular dish, I first pounded chicken breasts thin, making sure to take gentle whacks so the chicken didn’t tear. Next, I gave the chicken a good long soak in a mixture of tangy buttermilk, salt, black pepper, and—for a pop of Texas heat—a healthy pinch of cayenne. An hour (or up to 24 hours) in the brine ensured juicy, flavorful chicken.

A mixture of flour, cornstarch, and a little baking powder is a classic coating for fried chicken, creating just enough lift for a crisp crunch. It was perfect for this dish, especially with the double-down addition of more black pepper and cayenne. All whisked together, this well-seasoned flour dredge stuck beautifully to the buttermilk-soaked chicken. 

I found that one crucial step here was to let the coated chicken sit undisturbed on a rack in the fridge for at least a half-hour. This rest allowed the flour to absorb some moisture from the buttermilk brine, creating a thick, cohesive coating that completely covered the chicken and let it set up, preventing sloughing once it hit the oil. No bald spots. 

To achieve an even crunchier exterior—the best part of almost any fried dish—I gave the rested chicken pieces one more dip in the dry dredge. At that point, they were ready for frying.

Pounded, coated chicken has a relatively large surface area, which is excellent for the crunch-to-meat ratio but requires a wide vessel for frying. I reached for my 12-inch cast-iron skillet. Its wide profile gave the breasts plenty of room, and its heavy structure helped retain heat, keeping the oil at the optimal temperature for even cooking. 

Three cups of peanut (or vegetable) oil, which I chose for its high smoke point to reduce the chance of it burning or turning acrid, filled my skillet to just under ½ inch, a perfect shallow-fry depth. Just 3 to 5 minutes per side—turning very carefully to avoid splashing—gave the chicken a beautiful golden-brown hue.

Classic chicken-fried chicken calls for a simple milk gravy, made by cooking a light fat-and-flour roux, whisking in some milk to reduce and thicken, and seasoning with salt and plenty of pepper. Many home and restaurant cooks will create the roux in the frying skillet with a measured amount of leftover oil, but I found that using butter gave the gravy richer flavor. 

The luscious, velvety gravy, with its subtle sweetness from the butter and milk and its contrasting black pepper punch, was a perfect complement to the supercrunchy chicken—not to mention an excellent smother for the mashed potatoes you’ll surely serve on the side.