Menu Guide

Best Cook Out Sauce: The 6 Dipping Sauces and What to Pair Them With

Published October 18, 2026

Quick Answer: The best Cook Out sauce depends on what you order. For chicken strips and nuggets, you choose from six dipping sauces: Cook Out Sauce, BBQ, Honey Mustard, Polynesian, Ranch and Buffalo. Many sandwiches already come with a sauce built in, such as hot sauce on the BBQ sandwich, Texas Pete on the Cajun chicken sandwich and honey mustard on the Original chicken sandwich. This guide pairs each sauce with the menu items it suits best, so you can order with confidence at the window.

Cook Out sauce pairings: Cook Out Sauce, BBQ, Honey Mustard, Polynesian, Ranch and Buffalo matched to strips, nuggets and sandwiches

A quick note before we start: this is an unofficial fan guide. Sauce choices can vary by location, and stores sometimes run out of a sauce or change what they offer. If a pairing below matters to you, ask at the speaker before you pay. For the full list of sauces and toppings with typical prices, see our Cook Out sauces and toppings menu.

The six Cook Out dipping sauces at a glance

Third-party delivery menus for Cook Out list the same six sauce choices for chicken strips and chicken nuggets:

Sauce	Flavor profile	Best with
Cook Out Sauce	the house sauce, creamy and tangy	strips, nuggets, fries
BBQ	sweet and smoky	nuggets, strips, hushpuppies
Honey Mustard	sweet with a mustard bite	strips, wraps, chicken sandwiches
Polynesian	sweet and fruity	nuggets, strips
Ranch	cool and herby	spicy chicken, Cajun fries
Buffalo	vinegar heat	strips, a ranch wrap for contrast

The flavor descriptions are our own tasting notes, not official recipes. Cook Out does not publish ingredient lists for its sauces on its menu boards, so treat them as a guide to taste rather than nutrition or allergen information. If you have an allergy, read our Cook Out allergen guide and ask the store directly.

What is Cook Out Sauce?

Cook Out Sauce is the chain's house dipping sauce, and it is the first sauce listed for strips and nuggets on delivery menus. To our taste it is creamy and tangy, a little like a fry sauce, but that is a tasting note rather than an official description. Because Cook Out does not publish the recipe, any copycat recipe you see online is a guess.

The best way to judge it is to order it next to a sauce you already know. Get a 5-piece nugget order with Cook Out Sauce and add a side of a second sauce, then dip one nugget in each. You will know within two bites whether it becomes your default.

Best sauce for Cook Out chicken strips

Homemade Style Chicken Strips are the item where sauce choice matters most, because they come plain and you pick the sauce.

First visit: Cook Out Sauce. It is the house signature and it is built for fried chicken.
If you like sweet: Honey Mustard or Polynesian.
If you like heat: Buffalo, with Ranch on the side to cool it down.
If you are sharing a tray: order two different sauces so everyone gets a choice.

The Chicken Strip Snack (3 strips) is served with a choice of sauce, which makes it an easy way to test a new one without committing to a big order. If you build a tray, our tray builder helps you plan the main, two sides and drink.

Best sauce for Cook Out chicken nuggets

The 5-piece Chicken Nuggets are crispy white breast meat and come with a choice of the same six sauces. Smaller pieces mean more surface area for dipping, so stronger sauces work well:

BBQ gives a classic, kid-friendly pairing.
Polynesian brings a sweet, fruity contrast to the salty crust.
Buffalo is the pick if you want the nuggets to taste like mini wings.

Sauces that come built into Cook Out sandwiches

You do not always need to choose a sauce. Many sandwiches come with one already, according to the item descriptions on delivery menus:

Menu item	Built-in sauce or topping
BBQ Sandwich	homemade slaw and hot sauce
Cajun Style Chicken Sandwich	Cajun seasoning, Texas Pete, lettuce, tomato and mayo
Original Style Chicken Sandwich	lettuce, tomato, mayo and honey mustard
Barbeque Style Chicken Sandwich	BBQ sauce, pickles and mayo
Cheddar Style Chicken Sandwich	cheddar, bacon, grilled onions and mayo
Cook Out Style Hot Dog	homemade chili, slaw, mustard and onion

If you want to change a sauce on a sandwich, ask for it by name: "Original chicken, no honey mustard, add BBQ." Most stores will try to help, but there is no guarantee every swap is possible. Our guide to how to order at Cook Out explains how to word special requests at the speaker.

For a ranking of the chicken sandwiches themselves, see our Cook Out chicken sandwich ranking.

Pairing sauces with burgers, wraps and sides

Burgers

Cook Out burgers are ordered by "style", and each style has its own toppings. Our guide to Cook Out burger styles explains each one. If you want a dipping sauce for the fries that come with a burger tray, Cook Out Sauce and Ranch are the two most versatile picks.

Wraps

The wraps are already named for their sauce: Ranch Wrap, Cajun Ranch Wrap, Honey Mustard Wrap and Cajun Wrap. A popular move is to order a wrap as a tray side and pair it with a different dipping sauce, for example a Honey Mustard Wrap with a side of Buffalo for a sweet-and-spicy combination. Read more in our wraps and quesadillas guide.

Fries, Cajun fries and hushpuppies

Regular fries: Cook Out Sauce or Ranch.
Cajun fries: Ranch, because the cool sauce balances the seasoning.
Hushpuppies: BBQ or Honey Mustard for a sweet, Southern-style pairing.

Five sauce combos worth trying

These are fan-favorite style combinations rather than official menu items. Ask politely and be ready for small variations by store:

The sweet heat: chicken strips with Buffalo and Honey Mustard, dipped together.
The Carolina plate: BBQ Sandwich with hot sauce and slaw, plus hushpuppies with BBQ sauce.
The ranch everything: Cajun Ranch Wrap and Cajun fries with extra Ranch.
The island tray: nuggets with Polynesian sauce and a Cheerwine to drink. Not sure what Cheerwine is? See what is Cheerwine.
The house special: strips, fries and two Cook Out Sauces, because one is never enough.

For more off-menu ideas, our Cook Out secret menu hacks guide collects popular orders.

Sauce picks by craving

Sometimes it is easier to start with how you feel than with what you are eating:

Craving something sweet: Honey Mustard or Polynesian. Both work with any fried chicken item and are popular with kids.
Craving something smoky: BBQ. It also matches the Carolina-style BBQ Sandwich and plate if you want a theme.
Craving heat: Buffalo for dipping, or the Cajun Style Chicken Sandwich, which already has Texas Pete.
Craving something cool: Ranch. It is the go-to partner for anything spicy or Cajun-seasoned.
Not sure: Cook Out Sauce. It is the house option, so it is the natural first try for newcomers.

Ordering sauce for a group or a family tray

Ordering for four or five people is where sauce mix-ups happen. A few habits make it smoother:

Count the sauces as you would count drinks. One sauce per strip or nugget order is the usual starting point, so add extras for anyone who dips fries too.
Mix the flavors. For a family order, two Cook Out Sauces, one BBQ, one Honey Mustard and one Ranch covers most tastes.
Keep the spicy one separate. If you order Buffalo for one person, mention it so it is not handed to a child by mistake.
Label the bag. Write initials on the sauce lids with a pen once you get home or to the car, and dinner goes faster.

If you are feeding a crowd at an event, Cook Out catering may be easier than a big drive-thru order; see our Cook Out catering guide.

How to ask for extra sauce

Say it at the speaker, not at the window. It is easier for staff to add it to the order before it is bagged.
Name the sauce and the number. "Two Cook Out Sauces and one Ranch, please."
Ask if extra sauce costs more. Policies vary by location, so check before you pay.
Check the bag before you drive off. Sauces are small and easy to miss.

Checklist: pick your Cook Out sauce

[ ] Strips or nuggets? Choose one of the six dipping sauces.
[ ] Sandwich? Check the built-in sauce and decide whether to swap it.
[ ] Ordering a tray? Pick a second sauce for your sides.
[ ] Allergy? Ask the store before you order.
[ ] Want extra? Ask at the speaker and confirm any charge.

See the Full Cook Out Menu

Every item, with sizes and prices by state.

View the Menu

Frequently Asked Questions

What sauces does Cook Out have for chicken strips?

Delivery menus list six choices for chicken strips and nuggets: Cook Out Sauce, BBQ, Honey Mustard, Polynesian, Ranch and Buffalo. Availability can vary by location.

What is the best Cook Out sauce?

For a first visit, try Cook Out Sauce, the house dipping sauce, with chicken strips. If you prefer sweet flavors pick Honey Mustard or Polynesian, and for heat pick Buffalo.

What is Cook Out Sauce made of?

Cook Out does not publish the recipe, so any ingredient list you see online is a guess. To our taste it is creamy and tangy. If you have an allergy, ask the store directly.

What sauce comes on the Cook Out BBQ sandwich?

The BBQ Sandwich is listed with homemade slaw and hot sauce. You can ask to change or leave off either one when you order.

Can I get extra sauce at Cook Out?

Usually yes. Ask at the speaker, say which sauces and how many, and check whether your location charges for extras.

What sauce goes best with Cook Out nuggets?

BBQ is the classic, Polynesian adds a sweet and fruity contrast, and Buffalo makes the nuggets taste more like wings. All six dipping sauces are available with the 5-piece nuggets.