21 Best Sauces For Chicken

Whether you prepare fried, smoked, or grilled chicken, these luscious sauces for chicken will boost the taste and quality of your favorite protein even more! 

Chicken dishes are a highlight at every dining table and banquet on regular days and special occasions.

Who could resist the tender lean white meat often fried, roasted, shredded, grilled, or submerged in thick sauces and tasty soups?

Not only that, but these dishes also evoke a sense of nostalgia!

We all remember getting excited knowing our parents were cooking our favorite chicken meals, feeling giddy at every bite of the juicy meat with flavorful sauces for chicken.

Indeed, chicken meals are enticing for their tender meats.

However, these dishes are also appealing because of the wide range of sauces that provide more flavor to the meat.

Having these sauces can transform your chicken meal into a more memorable dish to your senses.

You can pair your chicken with many dishes of varying flavors.

There are famous sauces, such as the Alabama White Sauce and Buffalo Sauce.

There are also those dips inspired by the classic recipes in famed food outlets, including the copycat Chick-fil-A® Sauce, Jollibee Gravy, and KFC Gravy.

Other chicken sauces are inspired by local and regional cuisines, including Korean Soy Garlic and Thai Peanut Sauce.

Here are 21 popular sauces for chicken that you might want to try for your next dinner dish!

1. Alabama White Sauce

Sweet home, Alabama!

Why not start this awesome list with something closer to home–to the heartland?

Alabama White Sauce is the state’s very own white barbeque sauce made of mayonnaise, vinegar, and other spices and ingredients.

Don’t worry; this sauce has the right amount of savory and tangy flavors to transform your usual grilled chicken dishes from a typical dish to a sought-after delicacy.

2. Buffalo Sauce

Chicken wings and tenders will not be complete without this classic Buffalo Sauce.

The selling point for this sauce is the savory taste of Worcestershire sauce and the tinges of spice from your favorite hot sauce.

For best results, you should coat your chicken meats in hot buffalo sauce as you grill or after you deep fry them.

Always remember that, especially for those who prefer some good spicy meals, the hotter and spicier, the better!

3. Cambodian Spicy Soy Sauce

Chicken dishes deserve some regional flair too.

Cambodia has its take on the classic spicy soy sauce recipe but uses more local ingredients that bring a distinct flavor to your chicken.

One unique feature of this sauce is chrouk metae, Cambodia’s version of a fermented chili paste, similar to the Korean gochujang.

If you want a spicier but authentic take on the typical spicy soy sauce, then this Cambodian Spicy Soy Sauce recipe is the way to go.

4. Cherry Balsamic Barbeque Sauce

Balsamic vinegar is often favored by those who prefer a rich and tangy vinegar condiment for their dishes.

However, you could add more to this condiment to make it more appealing at banquets.

In this case, you could blend tangy cherries with other ingredients, such as ketchup and Worcestershire sauce, to create this enticing Cherry Balsamic Barbeque Sauce.

This unique cherry jam vinegar sauce is best used as a drizzle or marination over your favorite chicken barbeque treat.

5. Creamy Mushroom Sauce

We all have fond memories of creamy mushrooms as a hearty comfort soup and as sauces in pasta.

Now, you could also add some creaminess to your favorite chicken dishes with this tasty creamy mushroom sauce.

Saucy sides and sauces are always a perfect pair for crispy, juicy fried, and grilled chicken meats.

6. Copycat Chick-fil-A® Sauce

Chick-fil-A® has always been a crowd favorite for their chicken sandwiches, but their classic sauce is also often sought after because of its creamy, tangy taste that will definitely make you want more.

You don’t have to visit Chick-fil-A® frequently just for the sauce, as copycat Chick-fil-A® sauce recipes exist to emulate the food chain’s classic sauce.

This recipe ensures you can still experience the best Chick-fil-A® sauce for your chicken right at home.

7. Copycat Jollibee Gravy

Jollibee has become a rising fast food chain, offering a wide array of classic fast food budget staples such as fried chicken and spaghetti with a Filipino twist since the chain originated in the Philippines.

Their most popular food item to date is their signature fried chicken recipe, Jollibee Chickenjoy.

This juicy piece of fried chicken meat often comes with a luscious and savory gravy that has also become a crowd favorite.

Their gravy is so delicious that copycat Jollibee gravy recipes also exist.

Given the unique taste of their gravy that is unlike the typical sauce we love, having this on your dinner table can impress your loved ones.

8. Copycat KFC Sauce

Here’s another copycat recipe from another famed food chain–from the home of Colonel Sanders.

KFC’s famous gravy is an all-time favorite.

We all remember this sauce’s thick consistency and richly savory flavor with a tinge of spice.

This copycat recipe of the KFC gravy follows what people believe is the chain’s secret recipe for the gravy: chicken stock and flour, alongside other ingredients and spices.

While not the real KFC gravy, this recipe will bring the best flavors to your very own fried chicken.

9. Dijon Mustard Sauce

Yellow mustard may have been the most popular and common mustard sauce in the market, but Dijon Mustard is known as a close second.

Dijon is similarly creamy but less creamy than the famed yellow mustard, but it has a distinct sharp flavor that fits well with many ingredients that use Dijon mustard.

As a chicken sauce, dijon mustard is mixed with chicken stock, Worcestershire sauce, and heavy cream to achieve a savory, tangy flavor and thick consistency that works well with your favorite chicken dishes.

10. Garlic Parmesan Sauce

Garlic Parmesan Sauce is a classic chicken dip primarily associated with chicken wing recipes.

Indeed, this sauce brings some parts of creaminess and tanginess to your favorite fried chicken thighs and drumsticks.

Lovers of fried chicken will love the crispy fried skin drenched in this garlic parmesan sauce.

11. Honey Garlic Sauce

Another popular chicken wing sauce that you should know by now is Honey Garlic Sauce!

This sauce provides a smokey appearance to the chicken.

However, unlike barbeque sauce with a similar appearance, this thick sauce brings an enticingly sweet taste to your chicken skin and meat.

12. Honey Mustard Sauce

Honey and mustard sauce for your chicken?

Now that’s definitely a clash of flavors, with honey being sweet and mustard having a sour-tangy taste.

However, the combined tastes of honey and mustard fit well in this classic chicken dip.

You could also glaze this on your cooked chicken cuts before serving!

13. Horseradish Sauce

Horseradish sauce is a classic condiment for grilled and smoked chicken and other meats.

Made from the root of the horseradish plant, this condiment often has a sharp smell and flavor that provides a solid taste for meats and other dishes.

As a sauce for chicken, the horseradish’s pungent odor and taste are lowered in favor of a savory flavor brought by sour cream, dijon mustard, and Worcestershire sauce.

14. Lemon Garlic Dressing

The pairing of zesty lemon and spicy garlic has always made it to family and local banquets.

It is not just used as a salad dressing but also as a sauce for chicken dishes.

Indeed, this sauce could bring a tarty, garlicky flavor to your all-time favorite chicken treat!

15. Korean Soy Garlic Sauce

This version of the Korean Soy Garlic Sauce is somehow akin to the sauce glazed on the country’s traditional fried chicken recipe.

Locally known as dakgangjeong, this traditional soy garlic sauce is equal parts sour, sweet and garlicky.

This assortment of flavors can boost the appeal of your chicken wings and grilled chicken cuts.

16. Orange Marmalade Sauce

Orange marmalade is a sweet, fruity sauce that is perfect, particularly for recipes that involve oranges in chicken.

This sauce is suitable for those who want a fruity, tangy take on their dishes, such as Orange Chicken.

Mind you, this sauce can get spicy because of the spicy brown mustard in the recipe.

17. Orange Sauce

Similar to the Orange Marmalade Sauce, this Orange Sauce for chicken is also tangy and fruity but can be both sweet and sour too.

Associated with Chinese cuisine, this thick Orange Sauce brings an added zest to your beloved crispy and grilled chicken recipe.

Not only that, but this sauce is enticing enough to grab everyone’s senses.

18. Pineapple Teriyaki Sauce

Pineapple teriyaki is a unique take on the classic chicken glaze in a Japanese teriyaki recipe.

Teriyaki sauce often combines soy sauce, sugar, and mirin, a kind of Japanese rice wine.

However, adding some pineapple juice into the mix brings another layer of sweetness and tanginess to the already luscious sauce.

19. Satay Sauce (Thai Peanut Sauce)

We often don’t consider peanuts a viable ingredient for chicken sauces.

However, the native Thais will prove you wrong with this nutty and savory Thai Peanut Sauce.

Despite the name, peanut sauce actually originated in Indonesia but is now associated with satay, which is the localized term for barbeque in Thailand.

Indeed, this sauce is best used in grilling chicken barbeque meats, but you could also experiment with other dishes using chicken.

20. Sriracha Ranch Dressing

Sriracha Ranch Dressing combines two popular sauces for chicken.

First, we have Sriracha, a Thai hot sauce made with chili peppers and other herbs and condiments.

Then, we have the ranch dressing, a classic American sauce made from mayonnaise, sour cream, and buttermilk, alongside other spices.

Given their combination, expect this dressing to have a creamy and savory taste with some spiciness on top.

21. White Wine Sauce

Last on the list, we have this sweet and creamy White Wine Sauce that can be best paired with chicken and other meats.

In this recipe, white wine is mixed with Dijon mustard, butter, and cream to achieve the kind consistency and taste of this sauce.

White wines vary in terms of their sweetness levels, so you need to choose the kind of white wine you prefer or are familiar with to create luscious sauces out of it.

The bottom line

Whether as a typical dinner meal or courses for banquets and potlucks, chicken dishes are an attention-grabber, wanting you to fill your tummy with their juicy meats.

However, chicken dishes can only go so far in satisfying your cravings and appetite.

Fortunately, there are so many famous and obscure chicken sauce recipes that you could emulate for yourself.

If you happen to prepare some fried, roasted, smoked, or grilled chicken for your family and loved ones, remember to pair them with one of these luscious sauces.

As marination, glaze, or dipping sauce, these recipes will surely boost the taste and quality of your chicken even more!