~ Chick-fil-A -- Rave Review of Five-Dipping-Sauces ~

For the love of chicken sandwiches, I admit to being a fair-weather fan of our local Chick-fil-A fast-food chain restaurant.  All of THEIR not-my-cup-of-tea politics aside, on occasion, if it's a really nice day and I feel the need to relax and get away from my stove, I enjoy the drive across town to pick up one of their signature chicken sandwiches.  As one who loves chicken sandwiches many ways, their trademarked slogan, "We didn't invent the chicken, just the chicken sandwich,"  their "Eat more Chikin" cow commercials, and, Doodles, their mascot, all make me smile.

When one is perusing anything on the Chick-fil-A menu, it's important to know that whatever item you choose, the sauce you choose is equally, if not more, important. Chick-fil-A customers are cultishly dedicated to the condiments -- so much so, the chain has taken to selling them on the open market. Everyone has a favorite, everyone has an opinion and I am no exception.  That said, depending on what I'm cooking, all of them, from sweet to savory, have earned a place in my pantry.

I'll just take them in alphabetical order and let which one you like best up to you.  The Chick-fil-A Barbecue Sauce, which is tomato- and brown sugar-based is slightly-sweet and very pleasant.  In addition to the smoke flavoring, it gets a bit of a citrusy tang from pineapple juice too.  Now, if you're a fan of ranch-type dressing, the buttermilk-based Chick-fil-A Garden Herb Ranch Sauce, which has just enough of garlic and onion flavor, is, well, absolution addicting -- just like your favorite ranch.  For honey-mustard aficionados, the Chick-fil-A Honey-Mustard Sauce is no slouch.  It's bold on mustard flavor and not as sweet as the typical honey-mustard dressing.  It gets its extra-tangy flavor from the addition of tamarind.  The Chick-fil-A Polynesian Sauce, which is a version of sweet and sour sauce, is a little more sweet than sour, getting its sweetness from both sugar and corn syrup, but in a tasty way.  If one is a fan of sweet sauces, this will not disappoint.  Last but not least, the signature creamy and flavorful Chick-fil-A Sauce has got it all.  It is literally a little bit over everything.  It's a lip-smacking combination of their barbecue sauce, a bit of honey-mustard sauce too, plus, the garden ranch sauce's creamy herbs and spices.

My personal recommendations for how to use these sauces:  Let's start with the signature Chick-fil-A Sauce -- to me, it reminds me of McDonald's special sauce, so, drizzling it on a 'burger is perfect.  That said, I like it slathered on deli-style turkey sandwiches too.  As for the Polynesian Sauce, I've found its sweetness a nice complement atop a salty soy-sauce marinated chicken sandwich or dipping my beer-batter-coated deep-fried shrimp into.  As for Honey-Mustard Sauce, in my food world, this honey-mustard was made for adding to my deviled-egg filling, and, a squire of it on a Philly-style soft pretzel is awesome.   Chick-fil-A's Garden Herb Ranch Sauce, which just might be my favorite, for me, goes with everything from chicken wings to garden salad to twice-baked potatoes.  Last, their slightly-sweet Barbecue Sauce , in the world of store-bought BBQ sauces, is a quality sauce, so, using it to glaze grilled ribs, chicken or chops is a natural choice. 

Choose one or all five -- there's one for everyone!

"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti

(Recipe, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2022)

Comments

[KitchenEncounters]

Kathi -- I have no idea why manufacturers do what they do. If I did, I would own a yacht on the Riviera!

[kathi michalowski]

i had some Chick-fil-A RED mayo packets in my frig. And more recently some of the BLUE mayo packets. When I used the packets the BLUE mayo came out watery but the RED mayo packets which were even older came out as I expected Chick-fil-A mayo should be. Obviously the company changed vendors which is a mistake, even the ingredients proved that it was not the same. Why make a change when the original was good?