Easy Chicago Sauce Recipe || Simple Mild Sauce

I looked around the web at recipes for Chicago sauce, and I discovered that there is no one right way to make this iconic windy city fare.

using a fork to dip a piece of fried chicken in chicago sauce

As a matter of fact, it seems that this sauce is a little different in varied establishments throughout the city.

I wanted to make it and taste it for myself. So, I designed my own version of this recipe using the elements that I saw in others on the web.

I’m pretty sure it is right on as far as claiming it as an authentic Chicago sauce. 

This isn’t my first go ’round at recreating a recipe. You could even say I’m pretty good at it. And this one was quite easy to replicate.

I’m going to share this version with all of you today. I recommend you try it for yourself to see what you think of it.

I found it to be pretty tasty. It is a delightful combination of smoky, spicy, tangy, and sweet flavor profiles. 

What Is Chicago Sauce?

This beloved condiment is referred to as mild sauce in Chicago. And because that reference is used in my neck of the woods, to refer to a version of buffalo wing sauce, I expected it to be a bit spicier than it was.

a jar of homemade chicago sauce on a table with a dish of blue cheese dressing and celery sticks next to it

It is more of a bbq sauce with a twist. And it is a staple in Chicago’s south side. There is a bit of a debate about who actually invented the original Chicago sauce.

Three of the most well-known peddler’s of this sauce are Harold’s Chicken Shack, Lem’s Bar-B-Q, and Uncle Remus Saucy Fried Chicken.

At least one of these proprietors claims to be the inventor of this iconic sauce. And they are not alone in making that claim.

It seems where it actually originated from will remain a mystery at this point.

Amongst the descriptions I found about this sauce it was said that it should be sweet, with a little bit of a pucker.

And it shouldn’t taste too much like ketchup. If that’s accurate, I hit the mark for sure with my version of this recipe.

Ingredients Needed To Make This Recipe

ingredients for a recipe laid out on a checkered cloth on a table
  • KETCHUP – Use a good quality tomato ketchup to make this recipe. There is a recipe for homemade ketchup on the blog if you would like to make your own.
  • BARBECUE SAUCE – Choose your favorite bbq sauce to make this sauce. There is a recipe for a really great bbq sauce on the blog if you want to up your game.
  • APPLE CIDER VINEGAR – Apple cider vinegar gives this dish a bit of extra tang.
  • BROWN SUGAR – This ingredient adds a caramelization flavor profile to the sauce.
  • HOT SAUCE – I used Frank’s red hot sauce in my recipe. Tabasco or any other hot sauce will work.
  • YELLOW MUSTARD – I’m not the biggest fan of yellow mustard. But for this recipe it is the way to go. Mustard powder would work too, if you don’t have any yellow mustard in the house.
  • WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE – This ingredient adds the perfect savory element to this recipe.
  • SMOKED PAPRIKA –  Along with the barbecue sauce this spice provides a little smokiness.
  • ONION POWDER – Onions are almost always welcome in any sauce. Onion powder is definitely a welcome addition to this sauce.
  • GARLIC – Fresh pressed garlic was used for this recipe. Granulated garlic or garlic powder would work as well.

How To Make This Chicago Mild Sauce Recipe

There’s not much to the instructions for making this tasty sauce. It’s basically just putting all of the ingredients together in a medium saucepan and heating them over low heat on the stove.

an overview of a small saucepan with homemade sauce and a spatula in it

It is important that you heat them. Don’t decide that just mixing them together is good enough. Heating them through helps the flavors to meld together.

It makes a bigger difference than you may think.

Also, let the sauce cool, or at least come to room temperature, before you serve it. It will thicken as it cools.

And the flavors continue to marry with one another during this process as well. If you want it to be warm when you serve it, you can reheat it later.

Adjust The Flavor Profile To Your Personal Preferences

It’s crazy easy to adjust the flavor profile of this sauce to meet your own personal preferences. And I suspect that is what retailers of it have done in the windy city.

dipping a french fry in a dish of chicago sauce

It is likely the reason that there is no exact recipe.

If you want the sauce to be sweeter then add a bit more brown sugar to it. Or, assuming the bbq sauce you use is a sweet version, you can up the amount of bbq sauce you put in it as well.

To heighten the tangy flavors in the sauce, add some extra apple cider vinegar or even a bit more yellow mustard.

And to kick up the smoky flavors, you can adjust the amount of smoked paprika you put in the recipe.

Or you can put a bit more worcestershire sauce in it for the same effect. Spicy flavors can be made more prominent by adding more hot sauce or a little cayenne pepper. 

The version of the sauce created for this post has a very mild kick to it. I’ll be honest, if I made it again, I would add more hot sauce to it myself. But I feel it’s better to put it out there as it is for now.

This version is one heck of a yummy sauce. And anyone who wants more spice can adjust it as they see fit with no trouble at all.

Variations For This Dish

Let’s start here with ingredients that others are touting as key ingredients in this sauce even though most of the recipes out there don’t include them.

a dish of chicago sauce on a plate of fried chicken tenders

I’m listing them here because I agree that they would make nice additions.

I just don’t necessarily believe they are staples. If I did, I would have included them in my recipe. They are celery salt and sweet relish. 

Others are suggesting black pepper, or white pepper. These would also make nice additions to this great sauce. I chose not to include pepper in my recipe at all.

But if you want to add some I say go for it.

I’ve seen recipes out there using tomato sauce and/or tomato paste too. These ingredients are being used in place of ketchup. I imagine they make a tasty sauce. 

Ketchup is quite salty and they are not. So, if you use them I would add a little salt to the mix along with them.

You can switch out the vinegar used in this sauce if you like. You can use any variation of vinegar that you like most.

It will, of course, change the flavor of the sauce. Particularly if you use something as varied from apple cider vinegar as balsamic.

All in all, this is a very versatile condiment. I’m not sure that you can really get it wrong unless you completely go rogue and make very drastic changes to the recipe.

How To Serve Chicago Sauce

The best I can tell from the recipes I see online are that this sauce is most often used for fried chicken, chicken tenders, and chicken wings.

overview of a plate of chicken tenders, french fries, and chicago sauce

When I made the sauce for this post it was my first time having it. I served it with breaded chicken tenders and homemade french fries.

It is really a great sauce with a distinctive taste that complemented that meal nicely. So, I believe it’s safe to say chicken and Chicago sauce pair well together.

It made a delicious dipping sauce for the fries too. So good. I admit I was wishing I had some crispy onion rings on hand because I knew they would be delicious dipped in this sauce as well.

​Potato salad, macaroni salad, pasta salad, and coleslaw would be awesome to serve alongside any main course that includes this sauce.

Some options for main courses, other than chicken, are ribs, burgers, or hot links.

This tangy sauce is served on ribs at Lem’s Bar-B-Q, which, as I mentioned earlier, is very well-known in the windy city for it’s version of the sauce.

Burgers are great with just about any sauce on them. I’d put an onion ring or two on top of mine if I was serving it with Chicago sauce.

And hot links are unfamiliar to me. But I’ve seen it mentioned in several places that this sauce is often served with them in Chicago.

They are described as a type of sausage that has a texture much like a hot dog. It seems they snap like a hot dog when you bend them.

Sounds like something I would give a try if I had one!

No matter how you choose to serve this delicious sauce, it is sure to deliver a burst of flavor to your taste buds that you will undoubtedly welcome with delight.

pinnable image for chicago sauce recipe

If you try this recipe and love it, please give it 5 stars! It supports my work more than you may realize, and I appreciate that a great deal!

You can also show your support by tagging me on Facebook @sustainableslowliving and/or Instagram @slowlivingbydianegail when you post a pic of your finished dish.

using a fork to dip a piece of fried chicken in chicago sauce
Yield: 2 1/2 cups

Chicago Sauce

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

This sauce is perfect for drizzling over chicken tenders and wings. It goes great with ribs and burgers too. It can even be used to dip french fries and onion rings. It's unique balance of sweet, spicy, and tangy notes will add a bold twist to your favorite meals. And it will bring a little taste of the windy city to your kitchen.

Ingredients

  • 1 c ketchup
  • 1/2 c bbq sauce
  • 1/4 c apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 c brown sugar
  • 3 tbls hot sauce
  • 2 tbls yellow mustard
  • 1 tbls worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1-2 garlic cloves, pressed

Instructions

  1. Place all ingredients in a small saucepan.
  2. Put the pan on the stovetop on low heat.
  3. Stir occasionally as the sauce heats up.
  4. Remove from the stovetop.
  5. Allow to come to room temperature.
  6. ENJOY!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

10

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 73Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 405mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 0gSugar: 15gProtein: 1g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix on 2/5/2025. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

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