What type of beef cut is used for chicken fried steak?

The beef cut most commonly used for chicken-fried steak is cube steak.

Cube steak is usually made from a relatively inexpensive cut such as top round or top sirloin that has been mechanically tenderized and flattened. The tenderizer leaves small cube-shaped indentations in the meat, which give the cut its name. That preparation makes a tougher steak suitable for quick frying.

For chicken-fried steak, the meat is typically coated in seasoned flour, often after dipping it in egg, buttermilk, or another wet mixture. It is then pan-fried or deep-fried in a technique modeled on fried chicken, and commonly served with peppered white cream gravy, mashed potatoes, and vegetables.

Other cuts, including round, chuck, and occasionally flank steak, can be used. That is why the wording “most commonly used” matters: cube steak is the standard quiz answer, even though regional cooks may substitute other tenderized beef cuts. The dish contains beef; “chicken-fried” describes the cooking method, not the meat.