This crispy and tender Air Fryer Chicken Fried Steak recipe is the perfect weeknight dinner that will satisfy all your deep-fried cravings. The best part is you're using an Air Fryer instead of deep frying the meat, so you're getting all the crispy goodness with less oil and fat!

Why I Love This Homemade Chicken Fried Steak Recipe
This recipe will surely become a family favorite that you can add to your meal rotation when you want to switch things up.
You'll love this easy recipe because it's super easy to make, making it a great beginner recipe for novice cooks. In addition, the cut of steak makes this meal juicy and tender without using a deep fryer. It's my favorite air fryer country fried steak.
Lastly, this recipe is a great way to switch up a traditional steak recipe without overcomplicating it. Plus, you can meal prep this classic Southern dish and eat it throughout the week! So, let's dive into how to make this comfort food so you can make it yourself!
Looking for more? Check out this article where we share our favorite top 50 air fryer chicken recipes.
Ingredients
- Cube Steaks
- All Purpose Flour
- Baking Powder
- Paprika
- Ground Black Pepper
- Onion Powder
- Garlic Powder
- White Pepper (optional extra pepper flavor)
- Hot Sauce Tabasco or Louisiana Hot Sauce
- Milk
- Egg

How to Make Air Fryer Chicken Fried Steak
- Combine the flour, paprika, salt, black pepper, white pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and baking powder in a large shallow bowl. Whisk together and set aside.
- Combine the milk, egg, and hot sauce in a second bowl. Mix well.
- Take the fresh cube steaks and dip them into the dry mixture, the egg mixture, and then back into the flour mixture.
- Repeat this with your cube steaks and place them on a baking sheet.
- Spray both sides of the prepared cube steaks with a few spritzes of oil cooking spray.
- Prepare the Air Fryer basket with olive oil cooking spray or perforated parchment paper.
- Place the cube steaks in a single layer in the air fryer basket and cook at 400ºF. for 8 minutes.
- Use a spatula to flip each steak carefully, spray once more with olive oil spray, and cook for another 5-6 minutes until the tops are golden brown with a crispy coating.
NOTE: This recipe was made using a 5.8 qt basket style Cosori Air Fryer. If you are using a different type of air fryer, you may need to adjust the cooking time with this recipe. Some air fryers can cook a little faster, and some can cook much slower, This air fryer is 5.8 qt with a power output of 1700 watts. If you are using an air fryer that is larger or using less power, you will need to increase the cooking time.

Tips for Best Results
- Perforated Parchment Paper: This type of parchment paper circulates hot air in the Air Fryer, cooking the steaks more evenly. In addition, using parchment paper makes cleaning up super easy afterward. All you have to do is remove the parchment paper, and your Air Fryer is clean.
- Cube Steak: Cube steaks are best for this recipe because they are already tenderized and pre-cut when you buy them. Cube steaks are incredibly tender, making them perfect for this recipe. If you can't find cubed steak at your local grocery store, you can make cube steaks yourself by buying a sirloin, tenderizing it with a meat tenderizer, and making small cube-like cuts in the meat.
- Internal Temperature: The steak's internal temperature should be at least 145ºF before you take it out of the Air Fryer. You can use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature.
- Overcrowding: Make sure you don't overcrowd your steaks in the Air Fryer, or they won't cook evenly. The steaks can touch as long as they aren't on top of one another.
- Excess Flour: Excess flour causes the steaks to become too bready, so make sure you tap off extra flour before placing your steaks in the Air Fryer.

FAQs
What's the best way to eat this dish?
You can eat this dish with peppery white gravy, brown gravy, or country gravy for extra flavor!
How can I make this recipe spicy?
You can add one or two teaspoons of cayenne pepper to give these breaded steaks a little kick!
How long can I store this chicken-fried steak in the refrigerator?
You can store the steaks in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
What side dishes pair well with this delicious dish?
You can pair our Air Fryer Green Beans, Air Fryer Butternut Squash, and Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes with this recipe!
I hope you love this air fryer steak recipe as much as we do. It's delicious, easy, and much healthier than a deep fried dish.
MORE AIR FRYER RECIPES:
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📖 Recipe

Air Fryer Chicken Fried Steak
Equipment
- 1 Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 4 cube steaks
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
- 1 Tablespoon hot sauce
- 1 cup milk
Instructions
- Combine the flour, paprika, salt, black pepper, white pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and baking powder in a large shallow bowl. Whisk together and set aside.
- Combine the milk, egg, and hot sauce in a second bowl. Mix well.
- Take the fresh cube steaks and dip them into the dry mixture, the egg mixture, and then back into the flour mixture.
- Repeat this with your cube steaks and place them on a baking sheet.
- Spray both sides of the prepared cube steaks with a few spritzes of oil cooking spray.
- Prepare the Air Fryer basket with olive oil cooking spray or perforated parchment paper.
- Place the cube steaks in a single layer in the air fryer basket and cook at 400ºF. for 8 minutes.
- Use a spatula to flip each steak carefully, spray once more with olive oil spray, and cook for another 5-6 minutes until the tops are golden brown with a crispy coating.
- Serve with white gravy, green beans, corn, cornbread, or any of your favorite side dishes.
Notes
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is a calculated guesstimate. Please note that this can change with different brands and modifications you may make to the recipe. For the most accurate information, use a nutritional calculator with the exact brands and measurements you're using with each recipe.
©AirFryingFoodie 2023
Charles Young
Is there a recipe for the white gravy for the CFS?
-cy
We just used an already made gravy.