The 'Extra Heavy' Condiment That Reportedly Makes Raising Cane's Sauce Extra Delicious

Some sauces served at fast food establishments have helped cement customer loyalty. Raising Cane's chicken sauce is so good that it landed in the top three in our ranking of many popular fast food sauces. Fans have attempted to replicate the sauce at home, as the exact recipe for the tangy, peppery sauce is top secret. Only managers who have signed NDAs are allowed to mix up the unlabeled, pre-blended spice bags with the other sauce ingredients, adding to its intrigue. Some of these managers have spilled the beans on Reddit, however, giving aspiring sauce makers a glimpse into the recipe. The ingredient that might make it stand out from the rest is rumored to be extra heavy mayo.

"Ex canes manager here its ... something i didnt know existed 'extra heavy' mayo," wrote one user on Reddit. "Extra heavy mayo is usually the secret ingredient in a lot of things," added another. Extra heavy mayo typically contains more egg or more starch than standard recipes. Some brands up the oil content, as well. This means spoonfuls are thicker and richer, and sauces made with it cling to every nook and cranny of a piece of fried chicken. Ever wondered why mayo often tastes better at restaurants than at home? They're probably using the extra heavy stuff, too.

Indeed, home cooks who have tried to imitate the sauce have noted that using extra heavy mayo makes a noticeable difference. And there are a few other savory secrets that make Raising Cane's sauce taste so good — notably ketchup and Worcestershire. With the subtle sweetness from ketchup, a mouthwatering tang from Worcestershire sauce, and the creamy fattiness of the mayo, you have a perfectly balanced recipe in terms of basic flavor profiles — and that is before any seasoning is added. Once mixed with lemon pepper, black pepper, and garlic salt, one taste of this sauce makes it clear why the fast food chain works through hundreds of millions of servings of the stuff each year.

If you are attempting to recreate the sauce at home, some cooks have used grated fresh garlic instead of garlic salt with good results. Others add white pepper or use Maggi seasoning in place of Worcestershire. Another cook swears that lime juice is a key feature of the recipe. For so many cooks to weigh in on the subject online, it is clear that Raising Cane's has something worth protecting in its sauce.