Chick-Fil-A has been gaining popularity for the past years, and for many different reasons, mainly focused on the sauce and the chicken. Chicken has always been their main gig with the slogan “Eat more chicken”; however, Chick-Fil-A has found success with their now famous sauce. Chick-Fil-A describes the sauce as a “honey mustard with a smoky tang,” and along with the rest of the country, high school students seem to love this combination. All the praise of the sauce raises the question “What makes the sauce so great?”
History of the Sauce:
According to Chick-Fil-A, customers consume more than 80 million servings of the sauce a year. Owner of a small restaurant, Hugh Fleming, had invented the sauce in the 1980s. Fleming’s famous honey mustard had accidentally been mixed with barbeque sauce, leading to the great creation. It was clear even back in the 80s that people loved the sauce, as Todd Fleming, Hugh's son, remembers selling the sauce by the gallon to kids in elementary school. Fleming, now retired, said this in a old Chick-Fil-A blog post, “I’ve never seen anything like it. … It would take all day to sit here and tell you tales of that sauce.”
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Ingredients:
The Chick-Fil-A website provides both the actual ingredients for their sauce as well as the ingredients to the sauces that are mixed in. The sauce itself consists of basic ingredients, a combination of oils and other condiments that bring it together. A tweet by Chick-Fil-A, in August 2012, also tells us it is as simple as “a magical blend of Honey Mustard, Barbecue and Ranch Sauces.” According to Chick-Fil-A, one serving consists of 140 calories, 13 grams of fat, six grams of sugar, six grams of carbohydrates, and 170 milligrams of sodium.
hRecipe:
Many people have tried to replicate the famous sauce with homemade ingredients; however, it is hard to say whether or not they actually compare to the real deal. Recipes usually call for similar ingredients from the Chick-Fil-A website, but the taste from using condiments from stores don't exactly compare to the beloved sauce. A recipe from stockpilingmoms.com utilizes common condiments and whisking them together.
How does Chick-Fil-A Sauce compare to other fast food sauces?
Although Chick-Fil-A sauce is the classic fast food sauce that comes to minds of many, there are many other brands that use sauce as a trademark. It seems to be a common trend to see more and more restaurants try to have an original sauce. While most do it for marketing, Chick-Fil-A just had a sauce they wanted to share with the consumer. For example, in the past year McDonald’s released the successful Szechuan sauce. Szechuan had gained popularity from a TV show, which later teamed up with McDonalds to create the Asian sauce. The customers loved it and it did well; however, it was a clear marketing strategy that only worked for a short amount of time. All the hype around Szechuan had died down though after a couple weeks because it was only released for a limited time, compared to the consistent love for the classic Chick-Fil-A sauce.
"While most do it for marketing, Chick-Fil-A just had a sauce they wanted to share with the consumer."
The sauce has been popular since its release, and has gained fans all across the country. The sauce not only tastes good, but it also has a interesting back story which adds on to its greatness . Although the ingredients seem simple and easy, it is hard to replicate at home as seen by the many recipes found online. But the simplicity adds on to how versatile the sauce is. By using only BBQ sauce and honey mustard, it can go with almost everything on the Chick-Fil-A menu along with items off of the menu. For such a simple recipe, Chick-Fil-A sauce has been a landmark creation in the world of fast food condiments.
Another chain called Zaxby’s also has a trademark sauce. The sauce is called “Zax Sauce,” which seems to be derived from the famous Chick-Fil-A sauce. People also have many recipes to try to replicate Zax Sauce, but none really match. Chick-Fil-A sauce continues to prosper and stay around longer than any other fast food sauce, which is why Chick-Fil-A sauce seems to be the outlier in any circumstance.
Everything To Know About Chick-Fil-A Sauce
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“I’ve never seen anything like it. … It would take all day to sit here and tell you tales of that sauce.”
An eager Chick-Fil-A customer cannot wait to taste the sauce. Image courtesy of J. Marenic.
by John Marenic
Chick-Fil-A's delectable sauce comes in a small and convenient package. Image courtesy of J. Marenic.
A satisfied Chick-Fil-A customer enjoying a nugget dipped in their signature sauce. Image courtesy of J. Marenic.