Copycat Chick-fil-A Sauce Recipe

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon when the craving hit—that unmistakable desire for a Chick-fil-A sandwich slathered in their iconic sauce. As any fan knows, Sunday is the one day when all Chick-fil-A restaurants are closed, leaving me with no way to satisfy my craving. Determined not to wait until Monday, I raided my refrigerator and started experimenting. After several attempts (and many taste tests from willing family members), I created this copycat sauce that we all agreed was practically indistinguishable from the real thing—maybe even better! Now, I can enjoy that signature flavor any day of the week, and you can too.

homemade Chick Fil A sauce and chicken nuggets on a platter

Why This Copycat Sauce Works

Chick-fil-A Sauce has achieved cult status for good reason—it’s the perfect blend of sweet, tangy, and smoky flavors that elevate any chicken dish from good to unforgettable. This homemade version:

  • Stays fresh in your refrigerator for up to 10 days
  • Combines all the signature flavor notes of the original
  • Uses simple pantry ingredients you likely already have
  • Contains no artificial preservatives or corn syrup
  • Can be adjusted to your exact taste preference
  • Takes just 5 minutes to prepare

Chick-fil-A Sauce Ingredients – What Chick-fil-A Sauce is made of

Here’s a list of what you need:

  • Honey – Make sure you use one that is real honey, you want the natural flavor of the honey for this recipe
  • Yellow mustard – Use Heinz brand
  • Dijon mustard – this will give your sauce some zip to it, the distilled vinegar in this helps the flavor come through.
  • Mayonnaise – I personally like Duke’s or Hellman’s, you can use the mayo that you have on hand.
  • Barbecue Sauce – I recommend Heinz BBQ Sauce, if you can’t find this, choose a BBQ sauce with hickory flavoring. If you can not find Heinz use something that has a natural hickory smoke flavor.
  • Lemon juice – If you don’t have fresh, you could use 1/2 of the recommended amount if you want to substitute lemon juice concentrate
Chick Fil A Sauce ingredients

Step-by-Step Instructions

  • Chill: Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow flavors to meld (though it can be used immediately if necessary).
  • Gather your ingredients: Measure out two tablespoons of honey, 1 tablespoon of yellow mustard, 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard, 1/4 cup of mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons of barbecue sauce, and 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice.
  • Combine: Place all ingredients in a small mixing bowl.
  • Whisk thoroughly: Blend until completely smooth and no streaks remain, about 30-60 seconds of whisking.
  • Taste and adjust: Sample your sauce and adjust the ingredients if needed—add more honey for sweetness, BBQ sauce for smokiness, or mustard for tanginess.
  • Transfer: Pour the finished sauce into an airtight container or squeeze bottle.
homemade Chick Fil A Sauce and chicken nuggets

I hope you give this recipe a try! When you make your sauce at home, you enjoy it even more when you use ingredients you already have on hand. This way, you can eliminate caramel coloring, corn syrup, soybean oil, and more. Best of all, this sauce can be made in minutes.

Love Chick-fil-A? Try these copycat recipes!

Best Dipping Sauces

Be sure to check out more of my copycat restaurant recipes and the best dips and sauces.

homemade Chick Fil A sauce and chicken nuggets on a platter

Homemade Chick-fil-A Sauce

This copycat Chick-fil-A sauce perfectly blends honey mustard, smoky BBQ sauce, and creamy mayo for that signature flavor you crave. Ready in just 5 minutes using simple pantry ingredients!
4.79 from 47 votes
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Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Chick Fil A Recipes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 97kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon yellow prepared mustard
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons Barbecue Sauce Heinz Classic Original Barbecue Sauce is recommended
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice

Instructions

  • Place all ingredients in a small bowl.
  • Stir to combine.
  • Refrigerate the sauce when not serving.

Video

Notes

This will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 97kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 0g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 166mg | Potassium: 13mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 15IU | Vitamin C: 0.7mg | Calcium: 2mg | Iron: 0.1mg

About Stephanie Manley

I recreate your favorite restaurant recipes, so you can prepare these dishes at home. I help you cook dinner, and serve up dishes you know your family will love. You can find most of the ingredients for all of the recipes in your local grocery store.

Stephanie is the author of CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home, and CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home 2.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. MATTHEW EATON

    Just letting you know there’s one more key ingredient in their sauce you’re missing: liquid smoke! They’re sauce has a pretty prominent Hickory profile from a few dashes from liquid smoke

  2. Michelle

    5 stars
    It doesn’t really taste like chickfila sauce but it’s just as good and much fresher tasting without all the chemicals. The kids go through it like crazy.

  3. Michelle

    5 stars
    Tastes very similar but better. I added some cayenne pepper and a few dashes of Tabasco sauce to spice it up. For the kids I left it plain and they loved it too.

  4. Jack

    4 stars
    Very nice taste, but not exactly like Chick fil A. I used Sweet Baby Ray’s and Kroger brand mustards.

  5. Ashley Taylor

    5 stars
    SO good! Pairs REALLY well with the red bag chicken from Aldi’s you have one near you! They taste suspiciously like Chick Fil A!

4.79 from 47 votes (13 ratings without comment)

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