Air fryer chicken fried steak fingers recipe is comfort food that’s like our Air fryer cube steak but breaded for dinner or an appetizer. Crunchy but tender inside with a gravy dip, just like Cracker Barrel but homemade in a Cosori or Ninja Foodi.
Who doesn’t love this southern fried food??!! Well if you’re looking for the same great taste with a fraction of the fat intake, try our air fryer chicken fried steak recipe! It’s one of our favorite air fryer recipes that my teens make all by themselves.
You can make these into bigger pieces or in fingers like we did. If you’re Southern this is probably a regular meal in your home. If you’re not I am sure you love it too. We made these into strips because they’re easier to eat. THIS my friends is how to cook chicken in an air fryer to perfection. 😉
Just like deep fried to a golden brown but NO need to submerge these babies in oil at all, they’re a healthier version of your favorite comfort food.
Ninja Foodi Chicken Fried Steak
Of course you could leave the cubed steak whole as a Ninja Foodi recipe but it would just take longer to cook. I personally think smaller bites turn out better to get the inside nice and tender while keeping a crunchy texture on the outside. In a Foodi you will use the lid that is attached.
Ingredient Notes
You are going to want a few large Cubed steak pieces cut into strips is how we like to do it but you could leave them whole but timing would need to be longer. Steak fingers like these are about 1.5 inches wide and however long the pieces are.
The seasonings for the breadcrumbs are totally up to you. Of course we share what we used down below so feel free to use those suggestions. I’d say Salt and pepper are the basics, with garlic and onion powder are good add ins too, use seasonings you love
Breading for Chicken Fried Steak
You are going to want some well seasoned flour to create a crispy coating with some Panko breadcrumbs to make the outsides crunchier. An Egg whisked in a bowl will get coating to stick with a bit of Milk or dairy free alternative works
You’ll need 3 bowls or plates with tall lips on the sides too with your machine. If you can lay it all out on the counter it’s easier to make sure each piece is completely coated, dipped, coated again and laid in your basket quickly.
Whenever I come up with an idea, I refer to my air fryer cooking times chart linked at the top of this post to determine how long it will take to cook. Of course you may need to adjust it slightly, but it is a great reference to start with. Just like my meatballs in air fryer it eliminated the guess work once I got to that step and they were done perfectly.
How to Make Air Fryer Chicken Fried Steak with Flour
Spray air fryer basket with non stick spray. Preheat for 5 minutes so it is the same heat throughout the cooking time Slice into strips with an electric tenderizer to pound the meat out.
Season each piece with salt and pepper or those of your choice Mix together flour and seasonings to coat the outside. Whisk together milk and egg. Spread out Panko bread crumbs.
Use a fork and press into flour mixture, shaking off excess. Then dip into egg mixture allowing the excess to drip off. Press into Panko breadcrumbs on both sides.
How Long to Cook Chicken Fried Steak in Air Fryer
Spray with olive oil and air fry for 11 min. total, flip your pieces over after 7 minutes. Continue to cook if you want them to crisp up more. If so add a few more minutes until they’re done to your liking. NO need for paper towels to absorb the grease on these as there isn’t any!
You want to make sure to give them space inside the air fryer basket. Hot air is what will cook them and create a crispy outer layer you want. If you crowd the strips the chicken fried steak strips won’t get as crispy as you’d like.
Here’s a peek at them once they’re done. Kinda’ like air fryer frozen chicken tenders, but with beef instead.
Air Fryer Chicken Fried Steak Recipe
Equipment
- 1 air fryer
- 3 shallow bowls
Ingredients
- 3 lbs cubed steak, cut into strips
- 2 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- 2/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1 tsp paprika, smoked is best
- 1 cup milk
- 1 large egg
- 1 spray olive oil
Instructions
- Spray air fryer basket with non stick spray and preheat to 360 degrees.
- Slice cubed steak into strips and season each piece with salt and pepper
- In a bowl or plate mix together your flour, dry mustard, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and smoked paprika.
- In a different bowl whisk together your milk and egg. On a third plate spread our your Panko bread crumbs.
- Use a fork and press into flour mixture, shaking off excess. Then dip into egg mixture and finally press into breadcrumbs on both sides. Shake off a bit of excess and put into air fryer basket.
- Do this with enough pieces to fill basket without overlapping and leaving a bit of space in between them so they crisp up properly. Spray with olive oil spray lightly.
- Close and cook at 360 degrees for 11 minutes total. Open and flip pieces after 7 minutes. Continue cooking for 4 minutes and then check to see if you want them to crisp up more. If so add a few more minutes until they're done to your liking.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Traditionally you’d serve this or our air fryer fried chicken thighs with air fryer mashed potato balls if it’s served as a dinner. These are cut as a finger food appetizer though so you can serve them with a bowl of gravy to dip them into. Another option is vegetables! Air fryer cauliflower is a great side dish.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is prepared in the same manner as traditional fried chicken, but it’s made out of steak. Makes sense I guess right??!! Some people would call this country fried steak. What’s the difference? Not much. One flour dusted and the other uses bread crumbs. Since we used both I just called it this. 😉
Cube steak is the name of a cut of beef. It’s usually top round or top sirloin that’s been tenderized and flattened by pounding with a meat tenderizer. Reason this is done is to make it easier to chew.
Use a meat mallet that is either metal or wooden. Cover your steak in a plastic bag or plastic wrap, and pound it thoroughly until the entire steak is covered with marks from the mallet.
Most definitely! We have made these, air fryer steak, and our favorite is probably this air fryer steak bites recipe with an incredible dry rub.
Set to 350 degrees F for 4 minutes. Flip halfway thru the cook time and check to see if they’re warm enough to serve.
Looks great. Two questions….
How do you make white gravy with no drippings since you’re not cooking in a skillet?
How do you keep your first batch of steak fingers hot while you’re cooking your second and third batches?
That’s the downfall of air fryers. Sure they cook fast but you’re not saving any time having to cook several small batches.
Thanks!
@Ken T,
For the gravy, just make it w/o the drippings – melt butter, mix in flour, add milk & seasoning, stir often until thickened.
To keep batches warm, put them in the oven at 170 (or the lowest temp your oven goes to). The subsequent batches cook quickly enough that what’s in the oven doesn’t dry out.
Any ideas on how to collect drippings for gravy?
If there are any drippings they would be underneath your air fryer basket. Lift out basket and drain drippings below into a saucepan and thicken.
This is a great recipe! My family loves this as a weeknight dinner.
Oh yay!
Yum! Chicken fried steak is one of my favorites, but I rarely make because of the mess and extra calories of frying. I was excited to try this and I am so glad I did, it was fabulous! Easy and super tasty!
WHat happens if we don’t cut it into strips? Have you tried a flour or a GF flour mixture?
It would take longer to cook, no I haven’t
Turned out great! I think next time I will just use flower and no bread crumbs so they are less crunchy. The time was a little long, with about 4 minutes left meat was at 160-170. I adjusted the time and they came out right at 140. yum. Thanks for the recipe.