The preservative effects of treatment with chitosan/zein composite coatings enriched with four different essential oil (rosemary essential oil, grape seed oil, fennel seed oil, and lemon essential oil) on the storage quality of chilled beef were investigated. The drop loss, pH value, total volatile basis nitrogen value, total plate count, and thiobarbituric acid value were tracked and analyzed to comprehensively judge the preservative effects of treatment with different coatings. The composite preservation solution containing 10 g/L lemon essential oil and 10 g/L grape seed oil exhibited the best preservative effect on chilled beef. Rump beef that treated with the composite preservation solution containing 10 g/L lemon essential oil and 10 g/L grape seed oil could be kept for over 20 days under the condition of (4±1) ℃.