That's also why we tenderize the steaks before we batter and fry them. But just for the sake of argument, let's consider your contention. Frying, especially batter-frying in a pan, is for tender meats. In James Beard's American Cookery , the recipe for Wiener schnitzel calls for a veal cutlet. Surely tenderness is not the issue.
Veal tastes milder because it comes from milk-fed calves.
But there wasn't any milk-fed veal available in Texas years ago. So they made the same dish with a similar cut of beef. Chicken-fried steak is essentially a Texas variation on the breaded veal cutlet, an American dish that James Beard tells us was patterned after Austrian Wiener schnitzel and Italian veal Milanese and has been popular in the United States for 150 years. Which brings us to the topic of history. Wait a minute, let me get this straight.