How to Make Delicious Chicken Sauces Easily at Home

Chicken is a versatile ingredient that can be made into so many delicious dishes. However, plain chicken on its own can be a bit boring and dry. The secret to taking chicken from bland to spectacular is a flavorful sauce.

Sauces are a simple way to infuse chicken with lots of extra flavor. With the right sauce you can give chicken a flavor profile that ranges from tangy to creamy to spicy and more.

Making your own homemade sauces may sound intimidating. But I’m here to show you that it’s actually quite easy! With just a few basic ingredients and techniques, you can whip up restaurant-quality sauces in your own kitchen.

In this guide, I’ll share plenty of simple sauce recipes and tips to help you make delicious chicken dishes at home. Let’s get saucy!

Why Make Homemade Chicken Sauces?

Here are some of the best reasons to make your own homemade chicken sauces:

• More flavorful – Store-bought sauces often taste generic. Homemade sauces made with quality ingredients are much more flavorful. You control the seasoning so you can make it exactly how you like it.

• Healthier – Commercial sauces can be loaded with preservatives, salt, and sugar. Homemade sauces allow you to avoid unwanted additives and make them as healthy as you want.

• Cost effective – Making sauces at home costs just a fraction of what you’d pay for a pre-made sauce at the store.

• Adaptable – Don’t like an ingredient? Want to add more spice? You can tweak homemade sauces to suit your taste.

• Fun! – Experimenting with different sauce recipes is an enjoyable and rewarding cooking project.

Easy Ways to Make Chicken Sauces

There are several easy methods for making flavorful sauces for chicken at home. Here are some of the most common:

Simmering Sauce

This technique involves simmering ingredients like vegetables, herbs, spices, and liquids into a flavorful sauce. Try combinations like tomatoes, garlic, basil, and chicken broth. Let it simmer until thickened and spoon it over chicken.

Pan Sauce

Pan sauces are made right in the pan you used to cook the chicken. Start by sautéing aromatics like shallots or garlic in the pan drippings. Deglaze the pan with wine or broth, then simmer and finish with butter or cream.

Blender Sauce

Purée fresh ingredients like fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices in a blender with some olive oil, vinegar or citrus juice. You’ll end up with a bright, flavor-packed sauce for chicken.

Yogurt Sauce

Stirring tangy plain yogurt with lemon juice, garlic, herbs and spices makes an easy creamy sauce for chicken. Greek yogurt works best as it’s thick and rich.

Mayo-Based Sauce

Mixing mayonnaise with ingredients like mustard, honey, herbs, hot sauce, or citrus juice yields a quick creamy sauce perfect for chicken.

With just a few basic techniques like these, you can whip up homemade sauces in no time. Keep reading for plenty of recipe inspiration!

15 Easy and Delicious Chicken Sauce Recipes

Here are 15 of my favorite easy chicken sauce recipes to give your chicken next-level flavor:

1. Lemon Garlic Sauce

Buttery with bright lemon flavor, this sauce takes just 5 minutes to make. It’s delicious on grilled or baked chicken breasts.

Main ingredients: butter, lemon juice, garlic, red pepper flakes, parsley

2. Ginger Scallion Sauce

A traditional Chinese recipe, this sauce packs a flavor punch from fresh ginger and scallions. It’s great with chicken and rice.

Main ingredients: ginger, scallions, soy sauce, rice vinegar

3. Creamy Mushroom Sauce

Sautéed mushrooms in a creamy, buttery sauce flavored with shallots, white wine, and thyme. Ideal for chicken breasts or pasta.

Main ingredients: mushrooms, shallots, butter, white wine, chicken broth, thyme, cream

4. Spicy Peanut Sauce

With Thai-inspired flavors, this easy peanut butter sauce is amazing with baked chicken thighs or drums.

Main ingredients: peanut butter, soy sauce, lime, ginger, garlic, chili peppers

5. Honey Mustard Sauce

A classic flavor combo, this super easy sauce has just 3 main ingredients. Delicious on chicken tenders or wings.

Main ingredients: honey, mustard, mayo

6. Tzatziki Sauce

Cool and refreshing, this Greek yogurt-cucumber sauce takes just 5 minutes to whisk up. It’s fantastic with grilled chicken.

Main ingredients: Greek yogurt, cucumber, lemon juice, garlic, dill

7. Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Purée roasted red peppers with Parmesan, olive oil and cream for an elegant sauce for chicken breasts or pasta.

Main ingredients: roasted red peppers, Parmesan, olive oil, cream

8. Chimichurri Sauce

A vibrant Argentinian green sauce made with parsley, garlic, oregano, olive oil, and vinegar. Excellent on grilled chicken.

Main ingredients: parsley, garlic, oregano, olive oil, red wine vinegar

9. Sun-dried Tomato Cream Sauce

Sun-dried tomatoes give this sauce rich flavor. Heavy cream provides a silky texture. Toss with pasta or chicken.

Main ingredients: sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, chicken broth, heavy cream

10. Cilantro Lime Sauce

Zesty and fresh-tasting, this sauce packs a flavor punch from cilantro, lime juice, jalapeño, and cumin. Great on fajitas or grilled chicken.

Main ingredients: cilantro, lime juice, Greek yogurt, jalapeño, cumin

11. Alabama White BBQ Sauce

This unique white barbecue sauce has a tangy mayo and vinegar flavor. Use it on grilled or baked chicken for a change from tomato-based sauces.

Main ingredients: mayo, apple cider vinegar, horseradish, lemon juice, black pepper

12. Mango Habanero Sauce

Fruity mango balances the heat of habanero peppers in this sauce. Fantastic on grilled chicken wings and drumsticks.

Main ingredients: mango, habanero pepper, red bell pepper, onion, lime juice, cilantro

13. Parmesan Herb Sauce

A simple white sauce flavored with Parmesan cheese, lemon, and mixed herbs. Easy to make and very versatile.

Main ingredients: butter, flour, milk, Parmesan, lemon juice, herbs like parsley, thyme, oregano

14. Cherry BBQ Sauce

Sweet cherries give this barbecue sauce a fruit-forward flavor. Delicious brushed on chicken wings or thighs before grilling.

Main ingredients: cherries, ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder

15. Orange Ginger Sauce

With bright citrus and warming ginger, this easy sauce gives stir fries an flavor lift. It’s also great with chicken fingers or wings.

Main ingredients: orange juice, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, sesame oil

With this diverse collection of sauce recipes, you’ll never run out of ways to add excitement to basic chicken dishes! The sauces all share some common traits – they’re easy to make with simple ingredients, very adaptable, and pack a serious flavor punch.

Whichever sauce recipes you try, I recommend starting with smaller batches at first. That way you can tweak and adjust the flavors to your liking. Once you nail down a recipe, then go ahead and double or triple it to use on larger meals.

Trust me, once you realize how easy and delicious homemade sauces are, you’ll never go back to boring, store-bought ones again!

Tips for Making Great Chicken Sauces

Here are some helpful tips to ensure your homemade chicken sauces turn out perfectly every time:

• Sear the chicken first – Browning chicken before making a pan sauce boosts flavor through fond development. Fond is the browned bits stuck on the pan.

• Simmer and reduce – Letting a sauce simmer allows flavors to develop and the sauce to thicken. Reducing the sauce concentrates the flavor.

• Season to taste – Taste the sauce as you make it and adjust salt, pepper, herbs and spices until the flavor really pops.

• Use good broths – Quality chicken, vegetable or seafood broths make a big difference over water or bullion cubes.

• Finish with fat or cream – Stirring in a pat of butter, drizzle of olive oil, or splash of cream at the end enriches the sauce.

• Brighten with acid – A squirt of citrus juice or splash of vinegar right before serving livens up sauce flavor.

• Utilize pan drippings – Deglazing the pan with wine or broth after cooking chicken dissolves tasty browned bits into the sauce.

• Thicken if needed – Adding a slurry of cornstarch and water or cream cheese can help thicken up a too-thin sauce.

• Strain if desired – For smooth sauces, press the liquid through a fine mesh strainer after cooking to remove any bits.

• Make extra – Leftover sauce keeps well in the fridge for 5-7 days or freezer for 2-3 months.

Follow these tips and you’ll be whipping up phenomenal sauces in your sleep!

Simple Sauces to Buy

While homemade sauces are ideal, I realize that doesn’t always fit into a busy schedule. In a pinch, here are some high quality pre-made sauces you can purchase:

• Pesto – Look for pesto made with quality olive oil and real Parmesan cheese.

• Marinara – Choose an all-natural marinara without added sugars or fillers.

• Barbecue sauce – Seek out small-batch BBQ sauces without artificial ingredients.

• Teriyaki sauce – Opt for low-sodium teriyaki sauces without a lot of additives.

• Salad dressings – Vinaigrettes make quick marinades and sauces for chicken.

When buying prepared sauces, read the labels closely and look for options with recognizable, natural ingredients and no unnecessary additives.

Saucy Chicken Meals to Make Tonight

Armed with this arsenal of easy chicken sauce recipes, you’re ready to transform boring chicken breasts, thighs, wings and more into crave-worthy meals.

Here are some saucy chicken dinner ideas to try ASAP:

• Chicken Parmigiana – Chicken breasts baked with marinara sauce, melted mozzarella and Parmesan

• Coq au Vin – Chicken braised in red wine sauce with mushrooms, onions and bacon

• Thai Peanut Chicken – Baked chicken breasts in a spicy peanut sauce, garnished with cilantro

• Chicken Marsala – Pan-fried chicken breasts napped with a marsala wine mushroom sauce

• Chicken Piccata – Dredged chicken breasts cooked with a lemon caper butter sauce

• Barbecue Chicken – Baked chicken wings and legs glazed with your favorite homemade BBQ sauce

• Chicken Tikka Masala – Chicken simmered in an aromatically spiced tomato cream sauce

• Chicken Fajitas – Grilled chicken strips served with guacamole, pico de gallo, cheddar and warm flour tortillas

• Chicken Florentine – Baked chicken topped with spinach and a creamy Parmesan sauce

Chicken sauce recipes vary widely, but generally, they include a combination of aromatics (like garlic, ginger, and onions), a protein source (like chicken broth or stock), seasonings (like soy sauce, salt, pepper, and spices), and a thickening agent (like cornstarch or flour).

Chicken dipping sauce is a condiment used to enhance the flavor of chicken dishes, particularly fried chicken or chicken tenders. It can range from simple, like ketchup or honey mustard, to more complex, like a copycat Chick-fil-A sauce.