Name: Chick-fil-A Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 7
Ingredients: ½ cup mayonnaise; 2 tablespoons honey; 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce (sweet and smoky works best); 1 tablespoon yellow mustard; 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard; ½ teaspoon smoked paprika

At a glance

What stands out: If it’s Sunday (or any other day) and you need your chicken fix, whip up this Chick-fil-A sauce! You only need 6 kitchen staples to make it.

How long it takes: 5 minutes + 30 minutes chilling
Equipment you’ll need: small bowl
Servings: 7

A hand dips a waffle-cut french fry into a bowl of creamy orange Chick-fil-A dipping sauce.

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Chick-fil-A sauce is a slightly smoky, sweet and creamy sauce that has earned a devoted (some might say fanatical!) following. If you know, you know—it’s good stuff. Think of it as the chicken version of Big Mac sauce, the secret sauce that makes everything taste that much better.

Whether you’re enjoying it as a dip for crispy air fryer chicken nuggets, drizzling it over a sandwich, or even pairing it with fries, this is an irresistible sauce you’ll keep coming back to!

At-home Chick-fil-A Sauce (DIY)

Chick-fil-A sauce, whenever you need it. Sometimes that drive-thru line is pretty long, and then there are Sundays, when Chick-fil-A is closed! With this recipe, you can have that awesome sauce on demand to use on whatever you like. (we like to drizzle it over BBQ salmon instead of regular BBQ sauce!)

Simple ingredients, big flavor. This at-home recipe calls for only six ingredients and they’re probably in your kitchen right now. It’s definitely one of those sauces that’s greater than the sum of its parts!

Tastes like the real thing. Some at-home recipes are a pale imitation of the original but we tested this from-scratch Chick-fil-A sauce side-by-side with the real deal. We made several adjustments to our original recipe, and we can honestly say this at-home sauce is a spot-on dupe that won’t disappoint!

A bowl of creamy dipping sauce is surrounded by waffle fries and breaded chicken nuggets on a plate.

What goes in

Mayonnaise: This is what makes Chick-fil-A sauce creamy. Use your favorite brand.
Barbecue sauce: We use Stubb’s Sticky Sweet BBQ Sauce. You can use your favorite brand, but keep in mind that different varieties of BBQ sauce will affect the flavor of your from-scratch Chick-fil-A sauce.
Yellow mustard and Dijon mustard: The two types of mustard add a one-two punch that makes this sauce taste authentic. We tested it with plain yellow mustard only and it’s just not the same.
Honey: We use honey for that signature sweetness in the sauce. You could substitute regular sugar, if you don’t happen to have honey in your pantry.
Smoked paprika: We also tested the sauce without smoked paprika and found that it was needed to build on the smokiness of the BBQ sauce. If you use a particularly smoky BBQ sauce, you may be able to skip the smoked paprika.

How it comes together

Mix. Whisk all the ingredients in a small bowl until the sauce is smooth. Taste the sauce, and season to taste, if necessary.

Chill. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend together. When we tested the sauce, we found that the flavors do improve after chilling.

Six small containers with various condiments and spices, including mayonnaise, mustard, honey, barbecue sauce, Dijon mustard, and paprika, arranged on a light surface.

What to Serve With Chick-fil-A Sauce

Chicken. Naturally! Chick-fil-A sauce is a reliable pairing for nuggets, baked chicken tenders, and chicken bites.
French fries. Who needs ketchup?! Air fryer French fries and sweet potato fries are even better with this creamy sauce.
Sandwiches. Chicken sandwiches and turkey burgers are extra rich with Chick-fil-A sauce on top. It goes well on a hamburger, too! We like to dip our air fryer grilled cheese sandwich in Chick-fil-A sauce!
Dippable things. Beyond fries or nuggets, this sauce is great for any dippable finger food, like air fryer chicken wings, chicken drumsticks, or even cut-up veggies!

Keeping leftovers

Store from-scratch Chick-fil-A sauce in the refrigerator and use it within a week. Do not freeze this recipe; mayo is prone to separating when frozen and thawed.

Yield: 7
Prep: 5 minutes
Total: 35 minutes

Ingredients

½ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons barbecue sauce (sweet and smoky works best)
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon smoked paprika

Method

In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients.
Taste and season as desired.
Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes for the best flavor.
Serve with chicken tenders, fries, sandwiches, or as a dipping sauce!

Notes

Recipe variations: We tested this recipe several times and compared it side-by-side with the commercial Chick-fil-A brand to make sure it was reliable. With that said, variation from the recipe as it is written will change the flavor of the end result. It might seem redundant to have two types of mustard, but they are both necessary for that authentic taste.

BBQ sauce: We tested with Stubb’s Sticky Sweet BBQ Sauce. We recommend any sweet and smoky BBQ sauce. Avoid BBQ sauce with additional or unique flavors (such as whiskey).