Keto Chicken Fried Steak

The carbs in chicken fried steak normally come from the flour breading and the roux-thickened gravy, which puts a traditional serving somewhere around 30 to 40g. Mine lands at 1.7g net carbs because the breading is almond flour and seasoned pork rinds instead of flour, and the gravy gets its body from cream and broth rather than a flour roux. That swap is the whole reason I built this version. I've served it to people who eat the regular kind every week and they don't catch on until I tell them what's in the crust. If you want it even leaner, skip the optional arrowroot in the gravy.

I get asked this all the time. The way I make it, chicken fried steak has a thicker, crunchier breaded coating (my pork rind double-dredge) and gets served with cream gravy. Country fried steak typically skips the heavy breading and comes with a brown onion gravy instead. Both use the same cuts of steak. My version is the breaded, low carb style with the cream gravy because that's what my husband grew up eating.

I've tested it at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes, flipping once at the 5-minute mark. Spray both sides with avocado oil before cooking or the pork rinds won't crisp up properly. The crust won't be quite as golden as pan frying in butter, but it gets close. I still make the gravy on the stovetop in a separate skillet since the air fryer basket doesn't give you those brown bits to work with.

I freeze these after coating but before frying. Lay the breaded steaks on a parchment-lined sheet pan and freeze until solid (about 2 hours), then transfer to a freezer bag. They keep for up to 2 months. When I'm ready to cook, I fry them straight from frozen, adding about 1 extra minute per side. The crust actually holds up better from frozen because the coating has fully set. Freeze the gravy separately in ice cube trays if you want to make it ahead too.

I've tried this for friends who can't eat eggs. Brush heavy cream onto the almond-floured steak instead of egg wash, then press into the pork rinds. The coating holds, but it's slightly thinner than the egg version because cream doesn't build the same sticky layer. I press extra hard on the pork rind step to compensate. It works well enough that my egg-free friends request this regularly.

Beef tallow is actually my preferred choice when I have it on hand. It has a higher smoke point than butter, so I can get the skillet hotter without burning. The crust develops faster and comes out slightly crispier. I render my own tallow from beef fat trimmings, but the store-bought jars work fine. The flavor is more savory and beefy, which pairs perfectly with the cube steak. If you like grilled marinated chicken, tallow works great for that too.

The nutrition is for the steak only. I keep it separate because the gravy amount varies so much per serving. My gravy adds roughly 2 to 3g fat and less than 1g carbs per couple tablespoons, depending on how thick you make it and whether you add the arrowroot. I usually just pour it on without measuring.

I struggled with this early on until I nailed three things. First, pat the cubed steaks completely dry with paper towels before seasoning. Moisture underneath creates steam that pushes the crust away. Second, press the pork rinds firmly onto both sides instead of just laying the steak on top and flipping. Third, let the coated steaks rest on a wire rack for 2 to 3 minutes before frying so the egg wash sets and bonds everything. Since I started doing all three, I haven't lost a coating.

I swap the butter for avocado oil or beef tallow for frying. For the gravy, I use full-fat coconut cream in place of heavy cream. The coconut flavor is mild enough that it blends into the chicken broth without being noticeable. Ghee also works for the frying step if you tolerate it. I've made it dairy-free for friends multiple times and the crust turns out the same. The gravy texture is slightly different with coconut cream but still coats the steak well. Keto chicken casserole is another dinner I make dairy-free the same way.