Chick-fil-A Sauce

There are SO many recipes for copycat Chick-fil-A sauce, but the company doesn’t keep their famed signature sauce a secret. In 2008, a company representative tweeted that the sauce is simply made up of equal parts ranch dressing, BBQ sauce, and honey mustard.

overhead shot of bowl of chick-fil-a sauce with text overlay for facebook

It’s simple enough to make your own Chick-fil-A sauce at home without complicating anything with mayonnaise, paprika, honey, and these other long lists of ingredients others have put together.

What is Chick-fil-A Sauce?

Chick-fil-A sauce is a simple sauce made by combining equal amounts of sweet honey mustard, bold barbecue sauce, and savory ranch dressing. Some might say that it has a cult following — fans of the sauce can’t seem to get enough. 

While previously the sauce was only available at the popular chicken-based chain restaurant, in recent years, Chick-fil-A began bottling the sauce and selling it at retail establishments and online.

Now, with this recipe, you don’t even need to leave the comfort of your home to savor the same flavor you’d get at the fast food chain — get ready to whip up a fried chicken sandwich or some nuggets to slather with this sauce.

spoon in bowl of chick-fil-a sauce

Why You’ll Love Chick-fil-A Sauce

If you’re already a fan of Chick-fil-A sauce, I hardly need to tell you what’s amazing about this sauce. If you’ve not already tried it, get ready to fall in love. 

  • Easy – Comprised of only 3 easy ingredients you can keep in the fridge, this sauce is easy to stir together in a minute or two. 
  • Versatile – Use this sauce on proteins or veggies or incorporate it into other recipes. 
  • Customizable – While we like to just stick with the original sauce, it’s also a great base for experimenting with other ingredients.
overhead shot of chick-fil-sauce in a bowl with nuggets and fries

Ingredients

These 3 basic ingredients come together easily to make this easy recipe.

  • Ranch dressing – This dressing adds savory flavor and a creamy texture to the sauce. Use your favorite store-bought brand or make your own version of ranch dressing.
  • BBQ sauce (preferably and honey or sweet BBQ) – BBQ sauce adds bold, sweet flavor to Chick-Fil-A sauce.
  • Honey mustard sauce – Mustard itself brings umami to the sauce — using honey mustard adds a little extra sweetness.
overhead shot of chick-fil-a sauce ingredients

What To Serve Copycat Chick-Fil-A Sauce With

Chick-fil-A sauce is, of course, an amazing accompaniment to any chicken dish. It’s a tasty dip for chicken nuggets, chicken tenders, or popcorn chicken and it’s delicious slathered on chicken sandwiches. It can also complement pork, turkey, or even hamburgers.

This sauce can also be a great dipping sauce for fresh veggies, or try it with zucchini friesbroccoli frittersfrench fries,  or even mozzarella sticks. Or try making waffle fries for a full copycat Chick-fil-A experience.

waffle fry dipping into bowl of sauce

How to Make Homemade Chick-Fil-A Sauce

It only takes a minute to make this simple sauce recipe. 

  • Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and stir until completely combined. 
  • Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and place in the fridge to allow the flavors to come together.

Variations

Since this is a copycat recipe that’s intended to taste like the real thing, straying too far from the recipe can cause the taste to be drastically altered. But if you want to experiment, you can try some of these suggestions.

  • Spiciness – Try adding cayenne pepper, hot sauce, or red pepper flakes for a sauce that has a kick of heat. 
  • Mustard – For a less sweet sauce with more tanginess, substitute yellow mustard for the honey mustard. Or, for earthy flavor, use Dijon mustard.
  • BBQ – Use your own favorite style of BBQ sauce. If a sauce with a smoky tang is what you’re after, try using a smoky barbecue sauce.
  • Garlic – For a garlicky sauce, add minced garlic or garlic powder. 
  • Acid – If you’re looking for a sauce that has a bit more bite, try adding a splash of distilled vinegar or apple cider vinegar. You can also try adding a little bit of lemon juice concentrate for a hint of lemon flavor and a bit of brightness.
close up of spoon in bowl of chick-fil-a sauce

Storage, Make Ahead and Freezing

Since it contains dairy, Chick-fil-A sauce must be stored in the refrigerator.

Make Ahead: It’s ideal to make this sauce ahead of time so that the flavors can come together.

Refrigerator: Store this sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

Freezer: We do not recommend freezing Chick-fil-A sauce.

chicken nugget dipping into bowl of sauce

Common Questions About Chick-fil-A Sauce

What’s Chick-fil-A sauce made of?

Chick-fil-A sauce is a simple blend of BBQ sauce, ranch dressing, and honey mustard sauce. The sauce is made of equal parts of each ingredient. 

Is Chick-fil-A sauce made of mayo?

Despite what many may think, and contrary to some information on the internet, per Chick-fil-A’s own representative that released the ingredient list, it does not contain any mayonnaise.

What does Chick-fil-A sauce taste like?

Chick-fil-A sauce is a creamy sauce with notes of smokiness and sweetness and a touch of tangy flavor.

collage of chick-fil-a sauce for pinterest

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overhead shot of bowl of chick-fil-a sauce with text overlay for pinterest
overhead shot of chick-fil-sauce in a bowl with nuggets and fries

Copycat Chick-fil-a Sauce

This copycat Chick-fil-A Sauce recipe combines 3 basic ingredients for a sauce that tastes just like original! For dipping & slathering!
5 from 5 votes
Course: Sauce
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chick-fil-a sauce
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Chill Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 1 cup
Calories: 674kcal

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup ranch dressing
  • 1/3 cup BBQ sauce preferably and honey or sweet BBQ
  • 1/3 cup honey mustard sauce

Instructions

  • Place the ranch, BBQ sauce and honey mustard in a bowl and stir until fully combined.
  • Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour to let the flavors marry.
  • If you’ve tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.

Nutrition

Calories: 674kcal, Carbohydrates: 77g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 36g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 21g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Cholesterol: 21mg, Sodium: 2118mg, Potassium: 272mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 52g, Vitamin A: 244IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 54mg, Iron: 1mg
Jessica Formicola of My sauce Recipes
Meet the Author

Jessica Formicola

Jessica is a cookbook author and Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School certified recipe developer. See her work in Parade Magazine, Better Homes & GardensMashed, AllRecipes AllStars and The Daily Meal Food + Travel and more!

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5 from 5 votes

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Questions and Reviews

  1. 5 stars
    Made this for our son, cause he loves using this sauce. Never need to buy it pre-made! This was amazing! Now I am a fan too!

  2. 5 stars
    As someone who doesn’t have a Chick-Fil-A near them I am so thankful for this recipe! It taste just like the original and now I can make whenever I want!