This Dave's Hot Chicken Hack Makes Its Famous Sauce Even Better

What started as a group of friends pooling money together to open a food stand in a parking lot has achieved cult status. Dave's Hot Chicken may have first used a portable fryer and folding tables to attract masses, but now hundreds of restaurants throughout the United States tempt customers. Ever since one writer described Dave's Hot Chicken as the kind of food that could "blow your mind," the team developed a menu of fries, sliders, tenders, and cauliflower. The offerings delighted visitors, choices of heat levels have turned heads, and the brand's sauce has captivated palates. "The sauce was delicious!" declared a fan on Instagram. 

Foodies have described the creamy sauce as addictive, and the spicy, tangy sauce is ideal for dipping and coating items off of Dave's Hot Chicken menu. With a blend of heat, sweet, and tang, this is the kind of culinary accoutrement that will have you scraping containers for every last drop. Some customers have taken it upon themselves to spruce up the sauce by using packets of honey provided by Dave's Hot Chicken. 

A quick stir of the sweetener into the famous sauce adds a layer of sweet intensity to this already tasty item, and the easy hack can be adjusted to suit individual taste. Adding honey can change the texture of sauce, so you can begin to add the sweetener conservatively, mix, then include more for a thicker consistency.

Alternatively, instead of adding honey to the sauce, taking Dave's Hot Chicken sauce home to stir honey mustard into the dish can also elevate the recipe into a delicious companion for platters of fried foods, barbecued mains, and your favorite comfort sandwiches. In addition to mixing honey or honey mustard into Dave's Hot Chicken sauce, textural upgrades can include finely diced dill pickles, chopped chives, dried parsley, and crispy fried onions. Those wanting extra heat can sprinkle chili powder or cayenne pepper into the mix or garnish a dish of the sauce with a drizzle of hot honey or spicy chili oil.

Though Dave's Hot Chicken sauce is rumored to be a secret, one sleuthing Facebook user was able to track down a label that details the mayo, ketchup, mustard, seasoning, and other ingredients used to make the recipe. Culinary creatives have set out to make copycats from the comfort of their homes, and homemade attempts often rely on mayo, pickle juice, chipotle peppers, honey, and hot sauce to replicate the taste. Whether or not you prefer a sweeter, honey-enhanced version or the kind that is taken straight from the restaurant, Dave's Hot Chicken sauce is also delicious to use as a marinade for your go-to proteins.