My Chick-Fil-A Sauce Ranking May Upset Die-Hard Fried Chicken Fans

Fast food would be nothing without dipping sauce. Well, maybe not nothing, but a good, flavorful, zesty sauce really adds magic to the drive-thru meal experience. Raising Cane’s is a prime example of how bland over-fried chicken could be without an iconic sauce to accompany it, but Chick-Fil-A is one destination, TBH, where sauce simply escapes me. Their nuggets are quite tasty on their own, but I recently learned there’s The Great Ongoing Sauce Debate among CFA die-hards, which awoke me from my sauce-less chicken nugget slumber and into genuine curiosity – what’s the *best* sauce at Chick-Fil-A, and why haven’t I tried all of them yet?! To get to the bottom of this, I asked for every sauce my local CFA has to taste test them. Now, I present my (very subjective) ranking of all the Chick-Fil-A sauces.

1. Polynesian

There’s just something about sweetness that works so well with savory tastes, and the balance between the Polynesian Sauce and CFA’s chicken is ethereal. It holds a generous amount of sticky sweetness, and the thicker texture also appeals to my dipping rituals in indescribable ways.

2. Garden Herb Ranch

The Garden Herb Ranch hangs around in the same tasty territory as Sonic’s ranch (dip the Mozzarella Sticks in it – IYKYK), which I adore. It has a subtle tang to it, and it’s satisfying how it doesn’t make me pucker up like other ranches I’ve had. I think the inclusion of herbs (whatever they may be) elevates this dipping sauce even more!

3. Chick-Fil-A Sauce

I fear there may be some CFA stans that think ranking the Chick-Fil-A Sauce is sacrilege – and maybe so – but this sauce really doesn’t do *a lot* for me. It tastes worlds better with their waffle fries, but still remains to stand out from the rest of the lineup. It’s like a subdued honey mustard, and I expected more!

4. Barbeque

Chick-Fil-A’s Barbeque Sauce is definitely on the sweet side, and lacks the spicy kick I’m used to from years of chowing down on Texas barbecue. Though sweet, it still doesn’t live up to the sugary Polynesian kind because it’s not enticing! This BBQ variation is acceptable for desperate dipping needs, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to order it.

5. Ketchup

Ketchup is a classic, but I’ve been eating it for…as long as I can remember. While not anything new, it’s still a solid option, better for the waffle fries IMO.

6. Zesty Buffalo

I hope this isn’t a controversial hot take, but the Zesty Buffalo Sauce is just a little *too* zesty for my liking. Upon tasting for the first time, I involuntarily puckered up because of the intense spice level. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love spice, but there was a harsh kick that made dipping truly unbearable. SOS. The CFA employees threw a similar hot sauce in my bag — Texas Pete’s — as an alternative I assume, but it was still so spicayyy. I’ll pass for some *actual* buffalo wings, thanks!

7. Honey Roasted BBQ

In addition to their Barbeque Sauce, Chick-Fil-A has a Honey Roasted BBQ Sauce that oddly comes in a squeezable packet instead of a convenient tray. I’m used to that luxury of ease, but can’t pick a fight with the squeeze packet. What really detracted from my experience here was the sheer blandness of this sauce. Honey? Kind of. BBQ? Not at all.

8. Honey Mustard

CFA’s Honey Mustard was disgustingly eggy. And I don’t think I need to further explain just how unpleasant dipping a crispy chicken nugget into literal egg sauce is. Not for moi.

9. Real Mayo

Girl bye… it’s 2023. Are we still eating mayo? Chick-Fil-A’s was less than edible, in my opinion. Case closed.

Sign up for our newsletter for more food taste tests and rankings!

Photos by Meredith Holser