Hello, BuzzFeeders, sauce lovers, and chicken nugget connoisseurs alike! I’m Dannica, and if there’s one thing I love more than a chicken nugget, it’s the sauce I’m 100% dunking the chicken nugget in. So when I found out that Wendy’s AND KFC came out with their own versions of “saucy nuggets,” I dropped everything and, with my sisters’ help, tried every single flavor. (Spoiler alert: I ended up with a total of 70 nuggets.)
Oh yes, it’s true! At Wendy’s, they’re churning out “Saucy Nuggs” by taking their ever-popular chicken nuggets and tossing them in one of seven (!) sauces: honey BBQ, spicy honey BBQ, garlic parm, spicy garlic parm, buffalo, spicy buffalo, and spicy ghost pepper. Starting at $2.79 for a 4-piece, these nuggets officially launched nationwide on June 10, 2024.
The difference between the spicy saucy nuggets and the non-spicy saucy nuggets isn’t the sauce but the nuggets themselves! So, technically, there aren’t seven sauces — you just get to decide whether you want Wendy’s spicy or regular nuggets as the base. But it’s still seven different eating experiences!
But wait! The plot thickens! In response to Wendy’s new release, KFC came to the chicken nugget boxing ring and dropped their OWN saucy nuggets in three new(ish) flavors: honey BBQ, honey sriracha, and Korean BBQ. KFC first introduced their saucy nuggets in March 2024 with five flavors but decided to kick off summer with three, with the addition of the new honey BBQ flavor. KFC’s saucy nuggets start at $7.49 for an 8-piece, and they were released on June 10 as well (dramaaa).
Now that I’ve covered the ~lore~, let’s get into the taste test! Considering KFC has only three flavors compared to Wendy’s seven, I’m going to rank each nugget by flavor first and then compare which nuggets are better overall. The ranking will range from 1 to 10, with 10 being “meh” and 1 being the pinnacle of saucy girl summer. Here’s the rubric I’m going to be judging the nuggets by:
I had Tums at my side throughout the entirety of this taste test, BTW.
Here’s what Wendy’s saucy nuggets look like:
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