This super easy Copycat Chick Fil A Sauce Recipe uses just a few basic ingredients, for a finger-licking-good sauce that’s great for making at home when the craving hits!
There are only a few places that I will take my kids to eat. that I really enjoy too.
Chick-fil-a happens to be on the top of that list. There is just something about those waffle fries and that addicting Chick-fil-a Sauce. If you haven’t had their Chick-fil-a Sauce then you’re missing out. One packet is just never enough.
Copycat Chick Fil A Sauce Recipe
I set out on a journey {aka – google search} and I found a few different recipes that looked complicated, and frankly just too much effort. I was about to stock pile the little sauce packets from Chick-fil-a when I found the key to the puzzle.
Buried deep within the comments section of one of these complicated posts was a short and simple comment from a lady who claimed to have been working at the exact location when and where this infamous Chick-fil-a sauce was invented. Apparently they used 3 sauces already on hand to create their name brand sauce.
- Coleslaw Dressing
- BBQ Sauce
- Honey Mustard
That’s it.
Ok, that’s simple enough for me!
So I set out to find the perfect combination of the three magical ingredients. This mystery woman also stated that their BBQ Sauce is really sweet, so the addition of honey may be needed to achieve proper Chick-fil-a Sauce status.
Ingredients In Chick Fil A Sauce
Since we don’t typically have coleslaw dressing on hand, I refer to my simple 4 Ingredient Coleslaw Recipe which uses mayo and apple cider vinegar. I didn’t want to add too much sweetness, so I went with the distilled white vinegar instead.
Here’s a list of what you’ll need…
- Mayo
- White Vinegar
- Honey BBQ Sauce
- Yellow Mustard
- Honey
- Salt
After a few trial and errors… I am happy to report that I have unlocked this Chick-Fil-A Sauce recipe.
It’s tangy, it’s sweet, and completely irresistible.
How To Make Chick Fil A Sauce at Home
It’s seriously so easy! Just add all the ingredients to a mixing bowl and whisk together!
This copycat sauce will last for at least 2 weeks in the fridge if covered tightly. I don’t think it’ll stick around that long, but it CAN last that long if needed.
What To Serve with Chick Fil A Sauce
This sauce is really great for dipping all sorts things, but here are a few of our favorites…
- Air Fryer Crispy Chicken Tenders (pictured above)
- Juicy Oven Baked Chicken Breasts
- Air Fryer Crispy Potatoes
- Crispy Beer Battered Fish
- Sweet Potato Fries
Chick-fil-a Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients into a small bowl and whisk to combine. Taste, and add more honey if it's too tangy.
- Store in air-tight container in fridge for up to 2 weeks. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Crispy Chicken Nuggets Recipe
If you’re looking for my classic Crispy Chicken Nuggets Recipe, here it is! It’s the perfect thing to dip into my copy cat chick-fil-a sauce!
Crispy Chicken Nuggets
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken tenders, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp corn starch
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp dry sherry
- 1 tbsp peanut oil, or vegetable oil
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- peanut oil
Instructions
- Fill fryer or heavy bottomed pot with at least 2 inches of peanut oil. Bring to 350 degrees F.
- Combine remaining ingredients except chicken in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth.
- Add chicken and toss to coat. Let sit in fridge while oil heats up (10 minutes).
- When oil is ready fry the chicken pieces in batches, until golden brown (about 4-5 minutes). Remove chicken from fryer and let drain on a paper towel lined plate.
Nutrition
PIN THIS IMAGE TO SAVE THE RECIPE:
Bad recipe
I had thawed chicken breast in the fridge I needed to use up yesterday. I also coincidentally had all the ingredients I needed to make this recipe. I went ahead using vegetable oil for frying. I have a candy/frying thermometer which I used to make sure the oil was hot enough. I followed directions thoroughly, but I still ran into a few issues. 1) the breading didn’t stay on the nuggets when you bit into them. 2) after the first batch, the nuggets just burned after 5 minutes in the 350°f oil. I would do 5 minutes for the first and MAYBE 2nd batch, but 3-4 minutes every batch after that to avoid burning. 3) in some of the bigger pieces, the oil penetrated the meat inside. So when you bit into it, a lot of oil dripped out and it just wasn’t appealing.
I’m still a frying novice and I can’t bring myself to buy a deep fryer machine since we don’t want to eat trans fats too often, so I’m going to chalk most of this up to the ‘learning curve’. Thanks for sharing this recipe. The copycat chick-fil-a sauce recipe was very close to what you get from the restaurant. Overall very pleased with this recipe. Thanks again!
We love this sauce. And we REALLY REALLY love your Chick Fil A chicken nugget recipe. Did you take it off the blog? I have made it for years and my family is crazy about them. We do not have a Chick Fil A near us but were on vacation once and my kids were very excited to go there for the first time and try real CFA nuggets. Their reaction “they’re okay but Mom’s CFA nuggets are way better than Chick Fil A’s”. LOL
Hi Katie! Sorry I took that recipe down for a bit. I’ve got it back up so you and your family can still enjoy it! Thanks for following along!
i love it
It’s so great! Thanks Denise!
great recipes i like these type of recipes thank you admin sharing a yummy topic keep it up dear
I want to find chicken on hand so I could make this right now. It is nice information. Keep it up. Thanks for sharing it.
What is Coleslaw Dressing?
Actually, the sauce is made with Ranch, Honey Mustard and BBQ.
Try Marinating your chicken breast overnight in left over dill pickle juice or in a salt brine and you will even be closer. It is one of the real secrets to good fried chicken
Great tip!! I love brining turkeys and roaster chickens to make them that much juicier. I will try it with my chicken breasts too!
I am going to use this recipe for wild turkey breast tenders. This looks good!
You *NAILED* it on this one. I’ve tried and tried to find this recipe, never being successful. The variations have always been tasty……but this one, WOW…..Dead on.
I was so pleased with it, (after a bit of the recommended tweaking…..but so slightly) that I made a bottle of it. Subsequently, I went to the local Chick Fil-a and got 3 packets of their sauce…..in a side by side, taste by taste, This is BY FAR THE CLOSEST match. The cole slaw dressing is really the answer that has brought this into an exceptional COPY-cat versus just close. NICE WORK! and thank you so much for sharing.
Thanks Elliot! 🙂
I love CFA, but must admit loving the buffalo hot sauce. My daughter is a huge CFA sauce fan, I’m so in the mood for a spicy chic sandwich now!!
Thanks for sharing your great find (the sauce). I notice the peanut oil for frying the nuggets; how about if it’s any other oil will there be significant difference?
I love the way the peanut oil fries, but I am sure you could get great results from a Canola or Vegetable Oil. 🙂
If you need another challenge, I’d love to know the recipe for Chik Fil A’s Polynesian sauce!!! 🙂
for the Polynesian (I’m hooked on it) try Marqetti’s honey french dressing in the refrigerated salad section at the grocery…I already had it in the fridge for salads and found someone who said it’s a match. It sure appears to be. I had found a recipe but never tried it as I found that comment. If you want the copycat recipe found, send me your email and if I run across it (I should have it saved) I’ll pass it along, but try the Marzetti’s first I suggest
I agree about the Marzetti’s french…it’s what I use when I run out of the packets
I would like to have a copycat recipe if you have one….never know when the Marzetti’s will not be available. that happened with my favorite Marzetti’s. bevbailey@twlakes.net
I’ll look into it and see what I can come up with! 🙂
Found this on another blog site:
http://www.stockpilingmoms.com/2013/09/copycat-chick-fil-a-polynesian-sauce/
Those look awesome!
I’ve never had Chick-fil-a before but I know my kids would love it! Thx for sharing so now I can try it at home! Hope you move goes well!
This looks fantastic, Shawn! I love copycat recipes–and to be honest, I’ve never had Chick-fil-a (it’s a bit hard to crave it when you’re vegetarian)…but I do LOVE dipping sauces of every sort. I’m glad I’ll get to try this now in the comfort of my own home with whatever I choose to dip in it!
Update: Just made this sauce last night for some bento box exchanges, and served it with zucchini fritters and kimchi pancakes–it went over absolutely splendidly. Thank you for sharing, Shawn!
OMG, I LOVE this!!! And I love Chick-fil-a too!!! 🙂 Thanks for sharing! Where in Canada are you moving too?
Huge fans of CFA here! Can’t wait to try this recipe!
I wish I had chicken on hand so I could make this right now!
I love this sauce. This is also good on hamburgers.
You know I love me some Chicky-Moo! We make them at home all the time, along with sauce too. Can’t wait to give your version a try. 🙂
We need a Chick-fil-a run before I leave the states! And I’ll bring my sauce, since it’s dairy free, and gluten free! 🙂
I happen to have never grown up and I still adore chicken nuggets with a feisty passion. LOVE THEM. And Chick Fil A’s sauce is to-die for. LOVE that you made your own!
Growing up is for grown-ups, who needs that?! I’ll stay a kid forever if I can!! 🙂
Oh that looks SO PERFECT!! Love those nuggets and sauce!!
Aren’t they super addictive?! I’m so glad I’m not the only one who loves them! 🙂
These look wonderful!
Thanks! They are super tasty too.