5 Chik-fil-A Sauces We Love (and 3 We Hate)
Sauced and Tossed
Chick-fil-A is famous for a lot of things, but regardless how you feel about the organization, most of us can agree on one thing: The place knows how to make a dipping sauce.
Though Chick-fil-A is primarily known for its namesake sauce, the fast food chain actually has a lineup that rolls eight flavors deep. Want to know which one you need with your fried chicken? I grabbed all of them for a taste test and ranked them, based on flavor and how well they paired with chicken nuggets and waffle fries.
Best: Chick-fil-A Sauce
I would love it if this story didn’t have the most obvious ending possible, but look, there’s nothing I can do. We all know Chick-fil-A sauce is the best sauce at Chick-fil-A. But the truth is, it might actually just be the best fast-food sauce period.
If you’ve never had it, I’m sorry to hear that. That’s very, very sad for you. They sell it in grocery stores, so you should probably go try it. Flavor-wise, you'll most prominently taste honey mustard and barbecue sauce, but there's more going on than just that. There's a caramelly sweetness to it, as well as the slightest twinge of creamy ranch. It's magnificent.
While most chains are out here making sauces to pair with your nuggets, the truth is, I’m only buying Chick-fil-A nuggets so I have something to pair with that sauce. There’s a reason this is everybody’s favorite sauce.
2: Honey Roasted BBQ Sauce
Well, well, well. What have we here? Honey Roasted BBQ Sauce is not a sauce from the Chick-fil-A line I had ever been aware of, and the minute I saw it was the only one that came in a tube, my gears started spinning.
On the website, it says that this sauce is designed specifically for the grilled chicken sandwich. Upon first taste, I had no idea what to say. To me, this sauce tastes almost exactly like Chick-fil-A Sauce in every way. I tasted them back to back, over and over again, and the only differences I could find are ones I probably made up. If there is any difference, this might be a touch smokier, while CFA sauce is a bit sweeter.
Chick-fil-A Sauce was created by Hugh Fleming in the 1980s, and according to somebody on Reddit, CFA sauce was “originally made by a store operator and sold at only his store, but he would not sell the right to the sauce to CFA, so they tried to make their own. Eventually they got the rights and now we have both sauces.”
In summation: I have no idea what’s real and what’s not. All I know is that this sauce is terrific and it gets docked a point for coming in a stupid little squeeze tube rather than a dipping sauce container.
3: Sweet and Spicy Sriracha Sauce
Though Chick-fil-A sells hot sauce in a packet, this is the only true hot sauce that’s sold in the proper dipping cup container. I wish this was spicier, but it’s very similar to pepper jam or sweet chili glaze. It’s rare when I don’t enjoy that kind of sauce with something hot, crunchy, and fried.
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4: Garden Herb Ranch Sauce
As Cheapism’s resident ranch-dressing snob, I’m happy to say that I really like this one. It’s herby, oniony, and surprisingly fragrant. Most fast food joints screw up their ranch. I’m glad that Chick-fil-A isn’t one of them.
Related: We Tried the Viral Chick-Fil-A Hot Honey Hack
5: Honey Mustard Sauce
Where do you fall on the honey mustard spectrum? Do you prefer strong mustard flavors, or do you like it when it’s nice and sweet like honey? I like the latter, so it’s nice to see Chick-fil-A sauce that’s far heavier on the honey than it is on the mustard.
It’s a strong play on their part, considering their best sauce is basically just a better version of honey mustard. The drawback is that this sauce has a truly haunting color; a semi-golden yellow that approaches green. It looks even more green when applied to a brown chicken nugget, and I’m sorry to say that all I could think about was the inside of somebody’s nose.
Related: All 6 Burger King Sauces, Ranked From Best to Worst
6: Zesty Buffalo Sauce
Much like the sriracha sauce, I wish this was hotter. It’s certainly zesty, but only in the way that tastes artificial, like a ton of garlic powder was added at the last minute.
I don’t really see a world where I’d want any of this radioactive orange acid bomb to touch my chicken.
Like it spicy? Check out our ranking of the Buffalo Wild Wings sauces.
7: Barbeque Sauce
I like my BBQ sauce smoky and bold, so Chick-fil-A’s doesn’t cut it. This is very ketchupy and sweet. I don’t love ketchup in general, so this isn’t the vibe I’m looking for at all. Maybe they're a better match for the fries.
8: Polynesian Sauce
Clearly Chick-fil-A is going for a sort of sweet and sour sauce, but yikes. This is so weird. The first thing I taste is ketchup, and as I mentioned above, that’s strike one.
CFA really hit cruise control on the “sweet” side of this sauce because it sort of just tastes like melted pineapple jelly mixed with ketchup. I don’t know who this is for. Is it for you? It certainly isn’t for me.
Related: Fast Food Sauces We Loved (and Loathed) That Have Been Discontinued
This article was originally published on Cheapism
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