Chick-Fil-A Buffalo Sauce (Taste, Ingredients, Can You Buy It + More)

There are some for whom plain does not cut it and must take life by the horns for it to be exciting. It is for such that the buffalo sauce was created.

Now every fried chicken restaurant worth its salt features its variant of the buffalo sauce. What is Chick-fil-A’s version? Read on to find out more!

What Is Chick-Fil-A Buffalo Sauce In [currentyear]?

Zesty Buffalo sauce is Chick-fil-A’s version of the buffalo sauce, described as a “hot sauce with a smooth, bold flavor” in [currentyear]. The heat comes from the red cayenne pepper and is tempered by a delicate balance of zesty vinegar and salt. You can buy Zesty Buffalo sauce at Chick-fil-A or participating retail stores.

Stay with me if you want to know how Chick-fil-A Buffalo sauce tastes, what it is made with, where you can get this spicy sauce and what it best goes with!

What Is The Chick-Fil-A Buffalo Sauce? 

Chick-fil-A’s buffalo sauce is the Zesty Buffalo sauce which the restaurant describes as a “hot sauce with a smooth, bold flavor.”

That said, the origins of the Zesty Buffalo sauce lie with the buffalo sauce named for the place in which Teresa Bellisimo, cooking leftover chicken wings, accidentally invented it for her son.

Further, the sauce was an instant hit and became phenomenal when McDonald’s began selling chicken wings, with KFC soon following suit.

After that, Chick-fil-A soon cashed it with its variation, calling it the Zesty Buffalo sauce.

What Is The Chick-Fil-A Buffalo Sauce Made Of?

The standard buffalo sauce is built around three indispensable elements:

  • A liquid base of water and distilled vinegar plays a moisturizing role in the sauce.
  • Thickening agents of which butter is highly recommended and indispensable. The butter imparts the creaminess that is essential to this sauce.
  • Flavoring must contain a source of heat, and pepper is a popular choice, with different types yielding varying amounts of heat.

Also, flavoring comes from the vinegar for a tangy counterbalance and Worcestershire sauce for some umami feel.

Additionally, Chick-fil-A buffalo sauce uses water and distilled vinegar, thickening egg yolk and whey protein agents, and flavoring blocks of red cayenne pepper.

What Other Spicy Sauces Can I Get From Chick-Fil-A?

Chick-fil-A bills its buffalo sauce as “bold,” but you can go bolder still at Chick-fil-A, as the restaurant carries sauces.

For example, guests can have Texas Pete, made from red hot peppers, vinegar, and salt and has been commercially available since 1936.

Further, this trendy sauce is pretty hot, measuring 747 on the Scoville scale, hotter than Frank’s sauce, an essential ingredient in the original buffalo sauce.

Moreover, Frank’s sauce measures 450 on the Scoville scale. Additionally, hotter than even Texas Pete is the Sriracha sauce.

With that, the Chick-fil-A version is made from three different types of pepper: jalapeno, pickled chili peppers, and red cayenne pepper.

Also, the heat from all these peppers is balanced by vinegar, salt, and sugars, resulting in a sweet spiciness. Lastly, the Sriracha sauce measures 2,200 on the Scoville scale.

What Can I Eat With My Chick-Fil-A Buffalo Sauce?

What Can I Eat With My Chick-Fil-A Buffalo Sauce?

The buffalo sauce is for those who would like some heat with their food and will fit in wherever the Chick-fil-A sauce fits in.

However, Chick-fil-A itself recommends the following hacks to add more heat to your food:

  • You can spice up your chicken sandwich or biscuits with buffalo sauce by removing the chicken, putting it in the sandwich bag, adding the sauce, and tossing vigorously.
  • Add the Buffalo sauce to nuggets or chicken strips in their box, close tightly, and toss vigorously till well coated. Remove and enjoy.
  • Toss with French fries or waffle fries till well coated, and enjoy.

Additionally, there are a couple of other ways to have spice in your food that does not involve Buffalo sauce.

That said, you can request sliced jalapenos in your sandwich for a hot kick or add salsa as a salad dressing.

Does The Chick-Fil-A Buffalo Sauce Have Any Benefits To The Body?

The Chick-fil-A buffalo sauce is one condiment you can enjoy guilt-free (in moderation) since it is good for you.

For example, buffalo sauce contains whey protein as a thickening agent. However, this thickening agent’s concentrated protein is a good nutrient source for the body.

Also, capsaicin in the peppers is indispensable to the sauce and carries multiple benefits for the body, including the following:

  • Contains anti-inflammatory properties that are supplemental in warding off heart problems, especially in adults with the proper cholesterol levels.
  • Aids in weight loss due to its ability to increase metabolism, which enhances energy use and burns stored fats.
  • Capsaicin is an anti-oxidant whose activity has been linked to preventing up to 40 cancers.

But, this is why you should take the buffalo sauce in moderation:

  • Too much buffalo sauce at once will make you sick.
  • The pepper in the buffalo sauce irritates the lining of your guts, which makes your acid reflux and heartburn worse.
  • Diarrhea is a common side effect of overconsumption of pepper, which in buffalo sauce is made worse by the vinegar and other spices.

Moreover, here is the relevant nutritional information about the Zesty Buffalo sauce:

  • Calories: 25
  • Total Fats: 2.5 grams
  • Cholesterol: 5 milligrams
  • Sodium: 570 milligrams
  • Total Carbohydrates: 1 gram
  • Trace amounts of Vitamins A and C

The calories, fats, cholesterol, and sodium are all acceptable levels. However, the sauce contains both eggs and milk derivatives to which some people are allergic.

Does Chick-Fil-A Sell Its Buffalo Sauce?

Customers can buy buffalo sauce from Chick-fil-A restaurants through the app or order at the drive-through.

That said, the sauce sold at the restaurant comes in packets and eight-ounce tubs, and prices for the sauce vary by location.

For the diehard buffalo sauce fans who want it bigger, Chick-fil-A sells 16-ounce sauce bottles through retail stores across the country, including:

  • Publix
  • Walmart
  • Winn Dixie
  • Albertson’s
  • Food Lion
  • Target
  • Safeway
  • Harris Teeter
  • H-E-B
  • Kroger

To learn more, you can also read our posts on what chicken nuggets taste like Chick-Fil-A’s, why does Chick-Fil-A taste so good, and what does Chick-Fil-A sauce taste like.

Conclusion

Chick-fil-A’s version of buffalo sauce is the Zesty Buffalo sauce which goes with most of the restaurant’s offerings but for customers whose preference is spicy.

Also, the sauce is healthy and is particularly recommended for weight watchers. Further, it is suitable for the heart and may contain anti-oxidants effective against 40 types of cancer.

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Marques Thomas

Marques Thomas graduated with a MBA in 2011. Since then, Marques has worked in the retail and consumer service industry as a manager, advisor, and marketer. Marques is also the head writer and founder of QuerySprout.com.

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