By: Analie Nguyen ‘26
Image courtesy of Allrecipes
Sauces have taken over food social media. With the emergence of new special sauces and the comeback of fan favorites, an odd but steady trend can be observed: many if not most of these sauces are orange. This is because of the common ingredients found in many of these orange sauces: mayonnaise and hot sauce. While each of these orange sauces look similar, these tastes are as different as night and day. No sauce tastes the same as the other and this has caused heated debate about which sauce is “the best”. Here are my personal thoughts on the most popular sauces of 2025 and how they rank in terms of each other. The sauces will be ranked based on four criteria: how they taste with other foods, how they taste with the intended pairing, how easy it is to get the sauces, and how the sauces taste by themselves.
- Dave’s Sauce
Image courtesy of daveshotchicken
Taste with other foods: 4/5
Taste with intended food: 5/5
Availability: 3/5
Overall taste by itself: 4/5
Dave’s sauce and Cane’s sauce are similar to each other in that they both have a strong pickle juice taste. This unique tartness combined with the natural flavor from the pickle brings out the blend of spices all over Dave’s chicken. The sauce is a bit sweet which helps it complement foods other than Dave’s chicken. The sauce by itself is very good, enough so to crave. Although this sauce is not available on store shelves, Dave’s employees often give customers a few extra packets on the house and more if asked.
- Yum Yum Sauce
Image courtesy of Grill on a Dime
Taste with other foods: 4/5
Taste with intended food: 5/5
Availability: 5/5
Overall taste by itself: 3/5
Yum yum sauce, though commonly associated with Eastern Asian food like sushi or pad thai, is delicious with all sorts of food. When paired with crunchy foods, the creaminess of the sauce works well with the oiliness and texture of the food. Since the sauce is so simple, you can pair it with absolutely anything. In addition, its simplicity makes it easy to whip up and easy to customize to one’s preference. By itself, the sauce holds its own, though it is technically nothing remarkable. That is, the sauce has no discernible flavor profile or special quality.
- Chick-fil-A Sauce
Image courtesy of Build Your Bite
Taste with other foods: 5/5
Taste with intended food: 5/5
Availability: 5/5
Overall taste by itself: 4/5
Chick-fil-a sauce is delicious no matter what food you pair it with, including vegetables, bread, or any other type of substance. The sauce is sweet and sour but with a bit of smokiness. It is extremely flavorful but manages to perfectly complement anything that it is eaten with. When eaten with Chick-fil-A menu items, it is best with the mac and cheese, chicken sandwich, and waffle fries. The holes in the waffle fries are perfect divots for the sauces to fall through. Chick-fil-A sauce is available at most supermarkets, and it tastes wonderful, even by itself.
- Houston TX Hot Chicken Sauce
Image courtesy of Houston TX Hot Chicken
Taste with other foods: 3/5
Taste with intended food: 4/5
Availability: 3/5
Overall taste by itself: 3/5
Out of all the sauces, this sauce was the most disappointing. Most chicken specialty shops have amazing sauces, but this sauce was merely mediocre. It tastes like a slightly creamy, sweet chili. It would taste wonderful with egg rolls, but other than that, there are not many other foods off the top of my head that would taste noticeably excellent with the sauce. With the honey butter chicken sandwich from Houston, TX Hot Chicken, though, it tastes incredible. Yet, it does not complement the spicy chicken sandwich from Houston, TX Hot Chicken, though it may be because the spicy chicken sandwich does not have much flavor to begin with. Like at Dave’s Hot Chicken, all orders come with extra sauce, but not a lot. However, the sauce isn’t good enough to get extra of…it is, at best, just alright.
- Cane’s Sauce
Image courtesy of Dish by Dish
Taste with other foods: 3/5
Taste with intended food: 5/5
Availability: 2/5
Overall taste by itself: 3/5
Out of all the named sauces, Cane’s sauce is easily the most flavorful. However, this strong taste means that it would only work well with blander and crunchier food. When it is with blander food, it really brings the food to the next level. This sauce is incredible with Cane’s tenders and fries, though. The pickle juice enhances the juiciness of the chicken and the crunch of the fries. In terms of availability, extra sauce costs money, and Cane’s locations are sparse. The overall taste of the sauce is incredible, but too rich and strong to be enjoyed with different varieties of food.
The Overachiever 