Make it at Home: DIY Chick-fil-A Sauce

This fast-food favorite caused quite a stir when it introduced pickles on its chicken sandwich, but the real star of the menu has always been the iconic Chick-fil-A Sauce. Sweet, tangy, and packed with flavor, it's the perfect complement not just for chicken but for fries, burgers, and just about anything else on your plate.

And yes, you can make it yourself. Our DIY Chick-fil-A Sauce recipe brings that crave-worthy flavor home no drive-thru required. Keep reading for the simple steps.

Chick-fil-A sauce has a rich, smoky, and tangy taste because it is a mixture of barbecue sauce and honey mustard. In the early 1980s, a Chick-fil-A franchise operator in Fredericksburg, Virginia, began making honey mustard to serve alongside their chicken nuggets because Chick-fil-A did not have any sauces at the time. One day, one of his employees accidentally mixed barbecue sauce into the homemade honey mustard. Suddenly, the Chick-fil-A signature sauce was born. In 2008, after the employee retired and gave the chain the exact recipe, Chik-fil-A started serving this sauce in all of its restaurants. It is now their most popular sauce.

Chick-fil-A's signature sauce is reportedly a combination of soybean oil, sugar, barbecue sauce, water, mustard, distilled vinegar, egg yolk, salt, and cider vinegar. However, the exact recipe is a closely guarded secret, as the formula has never been made public. However, it is possible to make a Chick-fil-A signature sauce at home that is very close to the sauce sold in restaurants and supermarkets.

You can create a homemade copycat Chick-fil-A sauce using a few essential ingredients, but getting an authentic flavor requires selecting the right option for each ingredient. Some people use store-bought honey mustard to make the sauce, but it often contains extra sweeteners. Instead, buying both mustard and honey is the better choice. Using a good brand of honey will naturally sweeten the finished sauce and enhance its overall flavor.

Key Ingredients

• Mustard – It is best to use a quality Dijon Mustard for your copycat sauce.
• Barbecue Sauce – Choose a sweet sauce, such as a Memphis-style sauce.
• Honey – Depending on which barbecue sauce you choose, you may have to increase or decrease the amount of honey in the recipe.

In addition to chicken, you can enjoy your copycat Chick-fil-A sauce in a number of ways. You can even make a Chick-fil-A Sauce Chicken Casserole. Here are some other ideas to consider.

• Eggs – You can add this sauce to your scrambled eggs and breakfast burritos.
• Fish – This sauce is excellent as a dipping sauce for fish sticks or as a condiment for fish tacos.
• Fries – Fries, such as waffles and Cajun, pair well with this dipping sauce.
• Grilled Cheese Sandwiches – It might sound unusual, but many people insist this sauce is great on grilled cheese sandwiches.
• Hot Dogs – Instead of plain old mustard, add this sauce to your hot dogs.
• Quesadillas – This sauce is especially good as a dipping sauce for quesadillas.
• Sandwiches and Wraps – You can enhance the flavor of turkey and ham sandwiches and wraps by adding this sauce.

Place any leftovers in an airtight container or jar. Your leftover sauce should be kept for approximately one week. We do not recommend freezing your copycat sauce. When frozen, the mayonnaise in the sauce may separate and become watery, affecting its consistency. Additionally, freezing can cause the flavors to change.

This recipe will make about a cup of DIY Chick-fil-A sauce.

• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
• 1/4 cup barbecue sauce
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the honey, yellow mustard, barbecue sauce, lemon juice, and mayonnaise.
2. Whisk all the ingredients together until well combined and smooth.
3. Taste the sauce and adjust any ingredients to your preference. You can add more honey for sweetness, more mustard for tanginess, or more barbecue sauce for depth of flavor.
4. Once you're satisfied with the taste, transfer the sauce to a sealed container.
5. Refrigerate the sauce for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld together.

• Prep Time: 5 minutes

To recreate Chick-fil-A's signature sauce, you need a few simple ingredients. However, it is important to choose good quality ingredients to make the best copycat sauce. Once you perfect your copycat recipe, you will want to use this sauce on everything. In addition to a variety of chicken dishes, you can use this as a dipping sauce for fish and French fries. It can also be put on hot dogs and sandwiches. You can even make a Chick-fil-A Sauce Chicken Casserole! The best part is that you do not have to make a trip to Chick-fil-A or stress about running out of their signature sauce ever again.