This Fan-Favorite Chicken Chain Has The Best BBQ Sauce By A Mile

Fast food sauces can often vary wildly between chains, leading us on a long-winded search for the ultimate dip for your chicken tenders, french fries, and other popular menu items. When you bring barbecue sauce into the mix, this seems even more challenging. Fortunately, Tasting Table has taken up the task of testing and ranking the many different barbecue sauces from a variety of popular fast food chains, and Popeyes' "BoldBQ" sauce was crowned as the all-time winner.

A fan-favorite chicken chain known for Southern-inspired fast food fare, Popeyes' barbecue sauce took the top spot in our taste tester's ranking — and it wasn't even close when choosing the best. Compared to other fast food brands, the Popeyes sauce was a pleasant surprise that blew away the competition. Well suited to its moniker, the boldness, sweetness, and even slight presence of heat amount to one flavorful and versatile barbecue sauce.

Our taste tester noted that the complex taste profile is ever-present with each bite, keeping things interesting without being overwhelming. In fact, while Popeyes does sell some of its sauces, its barbecue sauce remains unbottled, as of yet. Still, this fan-favorite has quite a devoted following, with some enthusiastic Popeye's diners seeking out copycat versions and store-bought dupes.

When one Reddit user inquired about the "closest retail bbq sauce" alternative to the BoldBQ, noting the "sweet and tangy barbecue sauce with molasses, spices and slight smoky flavor," several users replied. While some debated the closeness of Sweet Baby Ray's Original Barbecue Sauce, others swore by Redneck Lipstick Barbecue Sauce as the most accurate approximation. There are even a number of copycat recipes that try to achieve the same tastes.

Whether you seek out a store-bought version, attempt to make your own Popeyes-inspired barbecue sauce, or simply purchase a few extra BoldBQ sauce packets on your next visit to the chicken chain, this fast food delight is sure to please. Use it on your favorite Popeye's chicken items or get creative with other clever applications. For instance, try splitting a Popeye's biscuit in half and spreading the barbecue sauce on one side and honey on the other for something both zingy and sweet.

Take a day off from your typical cocktail sauce and try using the BoldBQ sauce as a dip for your butterfly shrimp. It's excellent with Popeye's Cajun fries as well and could even be used to spruce up a side of coleslaw or mashed potatoes. It's easy to see why this sauce has such a devoted following among Popeyes fans everywhere.