Steak Fingers
Steak Fingers Recipe with Country Gravy: Crispy chicken fried steak strips, with ultra creamy white gravy for dipping. This is a dish that no one can resist!
Why We Love This Steak Fingers Recipe with Country Gravy
Steak Fingers with Country Gravy reminds me of childhood. Growing up in Oklahoma, they were a staple on diner and drive-in menus.
For those of you that did not grow up in Oklahoma-Texas cattle country, and are scratching your heads, steak fingers are essentially chicken fried steak strips, served with white gravy for dipping.
After moving across the country, I went many years without eating steak fingers. Yet recently, I was walking down the freezer aisle of the grocery store and noticed bags of frozen steak fingers in the glass cabinet.
Even the frozen factory-made rendition made me crave them, and I decided it was time for my kids to taste a little bit of my childhood.
Using tenderized cube steak as the base, Steak Fingers with Country Gravy are inexpensive to make, quick to fry up, and always a crowd-pleasing appetizer!
Both the steak fingers and the gravy are made in the same skillet for easy clean-up.
Ingredients for Steak Fingers
To make this steak fingers recipe, you’ll need:
- Tenderized Cube Steak – You can find this cut of meat at your local supermarket. It is pretty inexpensive, and since it has already been tenderized, that makes less work for you.
- All-Purpose Flour – This is the base of the breading that gets fried.
- Cajun Seasoning – All the spices you need in one ingredient! Cajun seasoning is mixed in the flour mixture to add amazing flavor.
- Baking Powder – This makes the coating light and crunchy!
- Milk – Milk is mixed with eggs to create a golden breading.
- Eggs – This is also a part of the “glue” mixture. It will help the second coating of the flour mixture stick to the meat.
- Worcestershire sauce – This ingredient adds flavor to the egg mixture. If you don’t want to use this sauce, just leave it out and add a pinch of salt to the mixture.
- Oil – For frying!
To make delicious Country Gravy, you’ll need:
- Butter – All good gravy starts with butter.
- Seasoned Flour Mixture – This is the leftover mixture used to flour the steak fingers before frying.
- Milk – This helps thin out the gravy and also brings all the other ingredients together.
- Salt and Pepper – Season to taste!
Pro Tip! If you can’t find Cajun seasoning, combine a simple mixture of onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, paprika, and a pinch of cayenne pepper.
How To Make Steak Fingers
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Pat the cube steak thoroughly dry with paper towels. Then, cut the steaks into strips approximately 1 to 1 1/2 inches wide and 3 to 4 inches long.
In a small bowl mix the flour, Cajun seasoning, and baking powder together. In another bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, and Worcestershire sauce. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add enough oil to fill the skillet 1/4 inch deep.
Once the oil is between 350-375 degrees F, dip 6-8 steak strips in the flour mixture. Shake them off, then dunk the strips in the egg mixture. Shake off the drippings, then dunk back in the flour mixture. Shake off all excess flour. (Flour that falls off into the oil will burn and turn the oil dark.)
Gently place the strips in the hot oil and fry for 1-2 minutes per side, until golden brown. Use tongs to move the steak fingers to a paper towel-lined plate. Add additional oil to the skillet if needed, and repeat with the remaining steak strips. Place the finished strips on a baking sheet lined with a wire rack in the oven to keep warm.
How to Make Country Gravy
Once all the steak fingers are fried, carefully wipe the skillet out with a paper towel. Place it back over medium heat and add the butter. Once melted, whisk in 1/4 cup of the remaining seasoned flour. Whisk until bubbling, then whisk in 2 cups of milk. Continue to whisk the white gravy until it is thick.
Taste, then season with salt and pepper as needed. Remove the gravy from the heat. If the gravy thickens too much, whisk in an additional 1/2 cup of milk.
Serve the steak fingers and warm country gravy together for dipping.
If you love chicken fried steak, this Steak Fingers recipe will be your new favorite party snack. Even your pickiest eaters will fall for these little guys!
Get The Full (Printable) Steak Fingers Recipe Below. Enjoy!
Tips & Tricks
- When frying food in hot oil, it is important to choose a neutral oil with a high smoking point, such as canola oil, vegetable oil, grape seed oil, or avocado oil. Avoid using oils like olive oil here since they will burn before they get hot enough to fry!
- Steak fingers are traditionally served with creamy country gravy, but you can use other dipping sauces as well if desired!
- Cube steak is the best option of steak when making steak fingers! If you use a different cut of meat, it might be more expensive and also less tender and delicious.
Frequently Asked Questions
Serve your steak finger basket with a large side of country gravy, Texas toast, and a few other southern-inspired sides like fried green tomatoes, biscuits, spicy cajun fries, roasted okra, or creamy mashed potatoes! Any one of these combinations will create the perfect comfort food meal!
Sure! They will keep in the fridge for up to 5-6 days. Just reheat them in the microwave, or for the best texture, reheat them in a 350-degree oven (or air fryer) for 5-10 minutes.
Not necessarily. The key here is to get super crispy steak fingers on the outside, with tender, cooked steak on the inside. If the oil is too hot, you might burn the outside before it is cooked in the inside. Or if it isn’t hot enough, oil will seep into the breading, causing it to be extra greasy and not as crispy.
Using an oil thermometer to check that the oil is at the correct temperature is the best way to know that the oil is ready. However, if the steak fingers sizzle when going in but don’t start to crackle too aggressively, the oil is probably around the right temperature!
Yes, you can! Place the chicken fried steak fingers in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, spread them out on a baking sheet and reheat in a 350-degree oven for 12-15 minutes.
Other Great Recipes
- Copycat Chick-fil-A Nuggets
- Korean Fried Chicken
- Pan Fried Fish Tacos
- Perfect Chicken Fried Steak with Gravy Recipe
- Apple Baked Stuffed Pork Chops Recipe
- Perfect Maryland Crab Cakes Recipe
- Better Than Panda Express Orange Chicken Recipe
- Crispy Baked Buffalo Chicken Breast Recipe
- Homemade Crullers from Lauren’s Latest (for dessert!)
Steak Fingers Recipe with Country Gravy
Ingredients
- 2 pounds tenderized cube steak
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3 1/4 cups milk, divided
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 5 tablespoons butter
- Salt and pepper
- Oil for frying
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Pat the cube steak thoroughly dry with paper towels. Then cut the steaks into strips approximately 1 to 1 1/2 inches wide and 3 to 4 inches long.
- In a small bowl mix the flour, Cajun seasoning, and baking powder together. In another bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup milk, 3 eggs, and Worcestershire sauce. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add enough oil to fill the skillet 1/4 inch deep.
- Once the oil is between 350-375 degrees F, dip 6-8 steak strips in the flour mixture. Shake them off, then dunk the strips in the egg mixture. Shake off the drippings, then dunk back in the flour mixture. Shake off all excess flour. (Flour that falls off into the oil will burn and turn the oil dark.)
- Gently place the strips in the hot oil and fry for 1-2 minutes per side. Use tongs to move the steak fingers to a paper towel lined plate. Add additional oil to the skillet if needed, and repeat with the remaining steak strips. Place the finished strips in the oven to keep warm.
- Once all the steak fingers are fried, carefully wipe the skillet out with a paper towel. Place it back over medium heat and add the butter. Once melted, whisk in 1/4 cup of the remaining seasoned flour. Whisk until bubbling, then whisk in 2 cups of milk. Continue to whisk the gravy until it is thick. Taste, then season with salt and pepper as needed. Remove the gravy from heat. If the gravy starts to thicken too much, whisk in an additional 1/2 cup of milk.
- Serve the steak fingers and warm country gravy together for dipping.
I wish the recipe stated the Cajun seasoning brand used in this recipe. Slap Ya Mama Cajun seasoning is very salty in this recipe. I will try something different next time.
She has a recipe for making your own Cajun seasoning in the part before the actual recipe. I don’t use much so I’m going to try that so I don’t have to buy any. Hope that helps.
DELICIOUS! I always struggle to find recipes the whole family loves. This one hit the mark. Delicious, kids loved it, easy and quick.
A keeper of a recipe, flavorful I have ever made thanks to this recipe
Everything tasted good but my goodness was it salty! I’d highly recommend using no salt Cajun seasoning or less Cajun in the flour. I’ll try again soon though!
Can you bread them ahead time? Then fry them?
Hi Megan,
Yes, you can bread them a few hours in advance, but I wouldn’t do it a day or more in advance. Hope this helps!
I would just like to state that “steak fingers” aren’t actually a southern thing. They originated in the northwest.
Wow. I made this exactly as written, except scaled it for 2. Definitely a keeper and will be making on repeat. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!