The chicken at Dave’s Hot Chicken is hot. I mean, it’s not named Dave’s Hot Chicken for nothing. Find out all about the pop up turned fast casual chicken joint in our Dave’s Hot Chicken review.
Let’s start this out with a fact. Dave’s Hot Chicken is hot. It’s right there in the name. The restaurant is giving you all the facts right off the bat. It’s hot chicken. Not temperature hot, but style-wise.
Hot chicken is a style that originated in Nashville. There’s a specific preparation for the Southern chicken, which includes cayenne pepper, that gives it a bright red hue, making it look … well, as hot as it tastes.
The Guinness Book of World Records named Carolina reaper the world’s hottest pepper in 2013. It is used in Dave’s Hot Chicken.
So it’s only fitting that after over 500 franchise locations in the United States, Dave’s Hot Chicken finally made it to the (sort of) namesake of it’s signature ingredient. (Side note: yes, we know the Carolina reaper actually originated in South Carolina. ).
Dave’s Hot Chicken opens its first Carolina location today, and, luckily for us, it’s opening in Wilmington, NC.
We were invited to Dave’s for its soft opening and got to try out all the hot chicken earlier this week. That includes The Reaper, which is Dave’s hottest piece. “Because it’s so dangerous, you’ll have to sign a waiver,” they said. ” And not just in that Barenaked Ladies lyric way. But in an actual waiver that prints from the register when you order the Reaper.
For more hot chicken reviews, check out our Al’s Hot Chicken review. That’s also a chain. We had the chance to check it out in Tacoma, WA.
Are you obsessed with that creamy, spicy, absolutely mouthwatering sauce from Dave’s Hot Chicken? You’re not alone! As a total sauce fanatic, I’ve been on a mission to crack the code of this addictive condiment that has chicken lovers going crazy.
Our favorite thing about Dave’s sauce is that it has just the right amount of heat and creaminess. We love putting it on crispy chicken tenders or using it as a ranch dip for fries. But what is this magic sauce made of? Let’s look it up!
The Basic Components of Dave’s Hot Chicken Sauce
The main part of Dave’s Hot Chicken sauce is a creamy mayo-based sauce that has a spicy kick. The restaurant doesn’t want to share their exact recipe, but we’ve taste-tested and researched a lot to find out what makes this sauce so great.
The sauce has that distinctive orange-ish color and the perfect balance of spiciness and creaminess Here’s what we know is likely in Dave’s Hot Chicken sauce
Main Ingredients:
- Mayonnaise – Forms the creamy base
- Chipotle sauce – Adds smokiness and heat
- Cayenne pepper – Brings that signature spiciness
- Honey or sugar – Balances the heat with sweetness
- Various spices – Including garlic powder, paprika, and more
Detailed Breakdown of Ingredients
Let’s look at each ingredient and understand why it’s crucial to achieving that Dave’s Hot Chicken sauce flavor
1. Mayonnaise
Mayonnaise serves as the creamy foundation of the sauce. It’s what gives Dave’s sauce that smooth, rich texture that coats chicken perfectly. The subtle sweetness and tanginess in mayo also helps balance the spicier elements.
In most copycat recipes, you’ll need about 1 cup of mayo to start with. We recommend using full-fat mayo for the best results – this isn’t the time to go with light versions!
2. Hot Sauce Components
There are actually a couple different approaches to the spicy elements:
Option 1: Chipotle Sauce: One source says that Dave’s sauce gets its unique smoky heat from about 1/4 cup of chipotle sauce. You can think of chipotle peppers as smoked jalapeños, so they have both heat and that great smoky flavor.
Option 2: Traditional Hot Sauce + Spices
Another recipe suggests using about 1/4 cup of regular hot sauce combined with spices like cayenne pepper (about 2 tablespoons) to achieve that signature kick.
3. Sweeteners
To balance out all that heat, Dave’s sauce includes something sweet:
- Honey – About 2 tablespoons adds natural sweetness and helps with texture
- Sugar – Some recipes call for about 1 tablespoon instead of honey
This sweetness is crucial! It’s what makes the sauce addictive rather than just painfully hot.
4. Spice Blend
The magic really happens with the spice blend. These likely include:
- Garlic powder (1 tablespoon) – For depth and savory notes
- Paprika (1 tablespoon) – Adds color and mild sweetness
- Onion powder (1 teaspoon) – For additional savory flavor
- Kosher salt (1 teaspoon) – Enhances all other flavors
- Black pepper (1 teaspoon) – Adds subtle heat and complexity
Nutritional Profile
If you’re watching what you eat, you might be wondering about the nutritional content of Dave’s Hot Chicken sauce. Here’s a rough breakdown per 2-tablespoon serving:
| Nutrient | Amount | % Daily Value |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 160 | 8% |
| Total Fat | 14g | 18% |
| Saturated Fat | 2g | 10% |
| Trans Fat | 0g | 0% |
| Cholesterol | 10mg | 3% |
| Sodium | 480mg | 21% |
| Total Carbohydrate | 5g | 2% |
| Dietary Fiber | 0g | 0% |
| Sugars | 4g | Not significant |
| Protein | 1g | 2% |
Remember, moderation is key! This sauce is definitely a treat, not a health food.
Make Your Own Dave’s Hot Chicken Sauce at Home
Wanna try making it yourself? It’s actually super easy! Here’s my go-to copycat recipe that comes pretty darn close to the original:
Easy Dave’s Hot Chicken Sauce Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup chipotle sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- (Optional: 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper for extra heat)
Instructions:
- Add the mayo and chipotle sauce to a mixing bowl and stir until completely combined.
- Add the honey (and cayenne if using) and mix thoroughly.
- Refrigerate for 1-2 hours to let the flavors meld and to thicken the sauce.
- Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
That’s it! So simple, yet so delicious.
Alternative Recipe Version
If you prefer a more complex flavor profile, here’s another version that’s a bit more involved but might get you even closer to the restaurant version:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup hot sauce
- 2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions:
- Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl.
- Whisk thoroughly until smooth and well combined.
- Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
- Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Expert Tips for Perfect Dave’s Hot Chicken Sauce
After making this sauce like a gazillion times, I’ve picked up a few tricks:
-
Make it fresh each time – The flavors are always best when newly made rather than stored for days.
-
Adjust to your taste – Don’t be afraid to play with the ratios. Like it spicier? Add more cayenne. Prefer it sweeter? Up the honey.
-
Refrigerate before serving – This helps the flavors meld together and gives the sauce a better consistency.
-
Use quality ingredients – The better your mayo and hot sauce, the better your final product will be.
What to Eat with Dave’s Hot Chicken Sauce
This versatile sauce pairs amazingly well with so many foods! Here are some of my favorites:
Chicken Options
- Fried chicken (obviously!)
- Grilled chicken sandwiches
- Chicken tenders or nuggets
- Wings
Beyond Chicken
- Burgers
- French fries or sweet potato fries
- Sandwiches as a spread
- Tacos and burritos
- Scrambled eggs (seriously, try it!)
- Grilled seafood
The sauce has even been used to marinate chicken and beef. Just leave the meat in it for a few hours before cooking. The results are amazeballs!.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you buy Dave’s Hot Chicken sauce in stores?
Unfortunately, no. Dave’s Hot Chicken doesn’t currently sell their sauce separately in stores or online. Your only options are to get it at the restaurant or make your own copycat version at home.
Is Dave’s Hot Chicken sauce very spicy?
The basic Dave’s sauce has a moderate heat level that most people can handle. It’s spicy but balanced with creaminess and sweetness. Of course, at the restaurant, they offer different heat levels for their chicken, but the signature sauce remains consistent.
How long does homemade Dave’s Hot Chicken sauce last?
When stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, your homemade sauce should last 5-7 days. But honestly, it’s so good it rarely lasts that long in my house!
Is Dave’s Hot Chicken sauce gluten-free?
Most of the ingredients in the copycat recipes are naturally gluten-free, but if you’re making it at home, always check your specific brands of mayonnaise and hot sauce to be sure.
Final Thoughts
Dave’s Hot Chicken sauce is that perfect combination of creamy, spicy, and slightly sweet that makes it utterly addictive. While the restaurant keeps their exact recipe a secret, these copycat versions get pretty darn close!
The beauty of making it at home is that you can customize it to your preferences. Want it spicier? Add more cayenne. Prefer it sweeter? Increase the honey. It’s all up to you!
Now excuse me while I go whip up another batch… my chicken tenders are getting lonely without their sauce bath!
Dave’s Hot Chicken Review
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Dave’s Hot Chicken Spice Level Reviews
No Spice is equivalent to the type of chicken you’d expect from a typical fast food joint. There’s no spice at all, which is a great way to actually taste the quality of Dave’s Hot Chicken chicken tenders.
The tender is huge, meaty, and really juicy. The breading is really light, so most of what you’re eating is chicken.
It’s delicious and, arguably, one of the best tasting chicken tenders you’ll get at a fast food restaurant. Pricewise, like we mentioned above, it’s $4. 25 for a single tender at the Wilmington location. So you’re getting a quality chicken tender, but you’re also paying for it.
Price will not be talked about again in this Dave’s Hot Chicken review, but we felt it necessary to do so now, before you start to feel sick and lose your ability to focus.
We read online that all the chicken at Dave’s Hot Chicken is spiced with Carolina reaper peppers, but the Lite Mild tender tastes like cumin. It’s “very cumin-forward” we wrote in our notes.
If your spice of choice is cumin, this is a good chicken tender for you. But, if you’re not a fan of it, just skip this one and go straight to Mild.
Mild is where the chicken turns a deep red (burnt sienna, if you will) color that just looks hot. No Spice looks like plain chicken; Lite Mild looks like you threw a piece in Shake N Bake breading; Mild and above look like you’re going to start questioning if you should lick your fingers after you touch the tender.
You’re not at the “do not lick” portion just yet. It just looks that way. The coloring from Mild on up is pretty similar, but the taste isn’t.
Mild is actually pretty mild. It has some heat, but it’s pretty on par with the Lite Mild. It’s made with spices, so technically it’s spicy. But the spices add flavor, not heat.
This one is definitely more tasty than it is spicy, and it’s a great choice.
The Medium tender is tricky. It starts out not hot. It’s flavor-forward and gives you the confidence that you can go up to the top of the spice scale.
After you swallow, just as you’re about to take another bite, the spice comes back and stays with you. And you start eying the French fries on the side of your basket, really happy that they came with your order.
Hot is where you start rethinking your choices and wondering if your taste buds can actually handle heat. Hot is when you start wondering if, even though you say you like spice, if you even ever had anything spicy. Because hot is hot. It’s not like a hot Buffalo wing or traditional hot sauce.
This chicken has a really forward punch of heat that jumps a lot from the Medium tender. The jump is fast and you won’t be prepared. Even though I’m telling you to be prepared. You’ll think I’m exaggerating.
And then you’ll try it and you’ll be happy you ordered the creamy macaroni and cheese on Dave’s Hot Chicken menu because that’s delicious and cheesy and the rumor that dairy cools your mouth will be true.
By the time you get to Extra Hot, your taste buds will be in stealth mode. They’ll know what to expect. They’ll understand heat.
Because for some reason, I actually think Extra Hot is less hot than Hot. Or, if it’s the same heat, it’s a more enjoyable heat.
We took a bite of each chicken tender to clear our palates, and then we made sliders out of our favorites. I picked the Extra Hot. And between the potato bread, the kale slaw, and the pickles (oh the pickles!), it was delicious.
I would say, in sandwich form, the Extra Hot is equivalent in heat to the spicy sandwich at Chick-fil-A, which I think is the spiciest fast food chicken sandwich (although not top ranking).
So, this is a funny story. Funny to me, anyway. But, let me start it with: Children, don’t try this at home.
For the review, the first four chicken tenders (No Spice, Lite Mild, Mild, and Medium) were served to us in one basket. The next three (Hot, Extra Hot, and Reaper) were in a second basket.
For sake of completeness, we took a photo of each tender individually, then carefully put it back in the box. My assistant (my non-spice-liking mom who blogs at Life of 2 Snowbirds) was in charge of moving the tenders from the basket to the photo area. She did this holding a napkin between her fingers and the chicken because she didn’t even want to touch the spice.
We took a bunch of photos and, unbeknownst to us until it was too late, in the course of this, the basket with the three hottest got flipped around.
We got up to Medium and my mom was ready to tap out. But I twisted her arm. “You already made it to level 4, see if you can make it to 5,” I said to the woman who is hesitant about adding red pepper flakes to her recipes.
I cut a piece for each of us. We chew. And our mouths are on fire. It’s so hot. My mom is questioning giving birth to me because if she had not, she wouldn’t have ended up in this situation. We’re wondering why Dave’s Hot Chicken milkshakes are coming soon, not coming now.
“I’m dying, it’s so hot, I think I have to leave,” my mom says moments after I take the funniest photo of her face and send it on my family’s group text.
And that’s when we look back on the aforementioned photos, compare the shapes of the chicken, and realize that instead of Hot, we’re eating the Reaper, the hottest chicken on the menu, the spice you have to sign a waiver for.
It was so, so hot.
But, here’s the thing. My mom ate it, ate lots of fries after, and ran quickly back down the scale to the No Spice to ease her mouth. But, like the Chow from the Hangover movies meme, I’m all, “But did you die?” No, no she didn’t. So if she can eat it, albeit it only a bite, you can too.
But it’s hot. It’s really hot.
