If you haven't tried Alabama white sauce, you are in for a treat! It's a mayonnaise-based sauce that has just the right blend of spices. It's perfect on pulled chicken sandwiches, roast beef sandwiches, or as a dipping sauce for wings and even french fries!
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This is the same recipe that I used when I owned my BBQ restaurant, and our smoked chicken sandwich with this white bbq sauce was the #1 seller. It's that good! If you haven't never tried a white bbq sauce recipe before, definitely give it a try, it will take your chicken or roast beef sandwiches to the next level!
Frequently Asked Questions
It must be stored in the refrigerator due to the mayonnaise and it will last 3-4 days at least.
Yep! Just replace the sugar with your favorite sugar substitute.
Yes, you can make as much or as little of the sauce as you like. Simply adjust the ingredients up or down. We used to make gallons at a time at our bbq restaurant, so this recipe is a scaled-down version.
Where did Alabama White Sauce Originate?
I bet you can guess that it was in Alabama, but you might not know that it dates back to 1925. As the story goes, a guy named, Robert Gibson from Decatur, Alabama used to slather his chicken in it while cooking for friends and family in his backyard as a way to keep the chicken moist. It is said that he loved vinegar based sauces, but added the mayo as a barrier that protected the chicken from drying out. He ended up owning Big Bob Gibson Bar-b-q and the white sauce became famous.
Now, I've never been to northern Alabama and I've never had Big Bob Gibson's BBQ, but I've been told my many people that this version of white sauce is amazing.
What is Alabama White Sauce?
It's a combination of vinegar, mayonnaise, with spices that is one of the best things I've ever had on pulled chicken and roast beef sandwiches. Seriously, it's so delicious. I would describe the sauce as a tangy, slightly spicy, and sweet sauce. It's a versatile condiment for sure! I've used it as a salad dressing, a dipping sauce, and it's especially good with smoked or air fried chicken wings! Alabama BBQ sauce is the perfect complement to smoked chicken, that is for sure. If you haven't tried it yet, give it a try!
When do you add White BBQ Sauce?
I always add it at the end of cooking. It's not like a traditional tomato based sauce that you might baste on your meat as it's cooking. It's definitely a finishing sauce, so add it at the very end of your grilling, if that is how you are preparing the chicken. I love the sauce so much that I often bake a chicken breast, pull it and slather it with the sauce and either put it on a sandwich bun or on top of a salad.
What do you put Alabama White BBQ Sauce on?
I think it's best on chicken and roast beef, but some people use it on pulled pork or even pork chops. Personally, I'm not a fan of it on any pork and I don't even use it on beef brisket .
My favorite way is to make this recipe for Perfect Roast Beef, slice it really thin against the grain and pile it high on a sandwich bun, add some red onion and pour the white sauce over the top of the roast beef. It's so good!
If you like smoked chicken, I strongly suggest smoking a chicken breast (bone and skin intact, of course), then removing the skin and bones and pull the chicken. Pile the chicken on a toasted bun and pour the white sauce over the meat. That's how we served it at my restaurant and it's one of the best sandwiches ever.
If you don't like smoked chicken, roast a bone-in, skin-on chicken breast in the oven or on the grill. Let it cool until you can comfortably remove the skin and bones, pull the chicken and pile it high on a toasted bun and top with sauce. Your taste buds will thank me for sure!
You can use grilled chicken, cut into strips or boil a few chicken breasts and shred them. This sauce isn't picky, it's great on any preparation of chicken. In fact, try it on these air fryer wings instead of the garlic parmesan sauce!
More Great Sauces!
At my restaurant we had the traditional red bbq sauces and they are fantastic, but we also had a line of fruit based sauces that everyone loved. Here they are, so take your pick!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Mayonnaise
This is the main ingredient in Alabama White Sauce and you should use a good quality mayo, like Hellmann's or Duke's. While I really don't suggest replacing it with anything, you could try making it with Greek yogurt if you don't like or can't have mayo.
Apple Cider Vinegar & Lemon Juice
If you don't have apple cider vinegar, you can try using white vinegar or even a white wine vinegar instead. I do not recommend using a balsamic or red wine vinegar, it will change the flavor too much.
As far as the lemon juice goes, you can use freshly squeezed or the kind in the bottle, it doesn't matter in this recipe. The lemon juice really brightens the bbq sauce, so I wouldn't skip it.
Horseradish, Spices, & Sugar
This blend of horseradish and spices is the key to making a fantastic white sauce. The only one you can skip without affecting the flavor is the parsley.
The horseradish is prepared horseradish that is always kept in the refrigerator section and usually near the seafood department if your grocery store has one. There is also a horseradish sauce that is kept on the shelf and not refrigerated, this is NOT the same thing and shouldn't be used in this recipe. The brand doesn't really matter as much as the consistency. Prepared horseradish is the grated root with vinegar, water, & salt. Creamy horseradish sauce is prepared horseradish mixed with other ingredients, like sour cream or mayo to make it milder and creamy. Creamy horseradish will throw off the balance of spices in this recipe, so, if you must use it, adjust seasonings to taste.
You can use cayenne pepper instead of the chipotle, but the chipotle gives it a slightly smoky flavor and I really recommend using it. Of course, you can adjust the amount of chipotle to your liking; this recipe only uses a very small amount, so feel free to increase it if you like a little more spice.
Sugar is used to balance all the flavors and I think it helps to thicken the sauce. Even though sugar isn't a thickening agent, I do think it changes the viscosity of the sauce a little bit. Mostly it's for flavor, so feel free to skip it or replace it with your favorite sugar substitute.
How to make Alabama White Sauce
Grab a bowl, a whisk, and a few ingredients. This takes about 5 minutes, tops!
You'll need at least a 4-cup mixing bowl, in order to be able to whisk everything easily. Measure out 1 cup of mayonnaise and add to the bowl (I LOVE (affiliate link)this measuring cup for measuring mayonnaise!). Add in the vinegar, lemon juice, horseradish, and spice blend. Whisk until combined. Serve Immediately or refrigerate until use. The sauce will thicken a little in the refrigerator.
If you want a little more of a flavor kick, add some more horseradish or chipotle or both. Serve the sauce on top of piled-high pulled chicken or thinly sliced roast beef. Or as a salad dressing for a pulled chicken salad!
Alabama White BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 3 Tablespoons white granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon prepared horseradish (not creamy horseradish)
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley or 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground chipotle powder
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Instructions
- Combine all ingredient into a 4-cup measuring bowl and whisk until combined. The sauce can be served right away or refrigerated until use. It will thicken some in the refrigerator.
- Use as a topping for pulled chicken or beef sandwiches, as a dipping sauce, or as a salad dressing!
Notes
Nutrition
About the Recipe Author, Louise Long
Louise is a full-time recipe creator and food blogger @ The Salted Pepper. She has over 30 years of experience with cooking and recipe development. She owned a restaurant for several years and was a full-time RN until retiring to blog full-time.
She published her first cookbook in the Fall of 2018 and is very interested in writing several more.
Louise is also the creator of an online Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooking Course with over 100 instructional step-by-step videos. People absolutely rave about the course and all the value they have received from it.
Louise has several very active Facebook groups that help people with the basics of cooking and learning more about the appliances they love.
Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker & Air Crisper 101
Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Grill & Smoker
Louise is also a YouTube creator and you can find most of her recipes in video format on The Salted Pepper YouTube channel.
She is very responsive to messages and eager to help in any way she can. Get more Information about Louise & contact information
I WOULD LOVE TO SEE WHAT YOU ARE COOKING UP IN YOUR KITCHEN! TAG ME @THESALTEDPEPPER ON YOUR FAVORITE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM WHEN YOU MAKE A DISH!
BE SURE TO FOLLOW THE SALTED PEPPER RIGHT HERE ⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓
About the Recipe Author, Louise Long
Louise is a full-time recipe creator and food blogger @ The Salted Pepper. She has over 30 years of experience with cooking and recipe development. She owned a restaurant for several years and was a full-time RN until retiring to blog full-time.
She published her first cookbook in the Fall of 2018 and is very interested in writing several more.
Louise is also the creator of an online Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooking Course with over 100 instructional step-by-step videos. People absolutely rave about the course and all the value they have received from it.
Louise has several very active Facebook groups that help people with the basics of cooking and learning more about the appliances they love.
Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker & Air Crisper 101
Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Grill & Smoker
Louise is also a YouTube creator and you can find most of her recipes in video format on The Salted Pepper YouTube channel.
She is very responsive to messages and eager to help in any way she can. Get more Information about Louise & contact information
I WOULD LOVE TO SEE WHAT YOU ARE COOKING UP IN YOUR KITCHEN! TAG ME @THESALTEDPEPPER ON YOUR FAVORITE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM WHEN YOU MAKE A DISH!
BE SURE TO FOLLOW THE SALTED PEPPER RIGHT HERE ⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓
Carole
I've been trying to print this Alabama White Sauce and the recipe won't go in the "print mode" for me. I haven't been able to print other of your recipes, either. Please help.
Louise
Try refreshing your browser and see if that helps.
Joann Lowry
I really like the tang. Added more pepper for my beef brisket.
David O Weibel
I have been a fan of yours for a long time and wanted to repeat my earlier comments on the GREAT work that you are doing. Many thanks again for your good work
Louise
Thank you so very much!
Alex
Can a sugar substation be used instead of regular sugar to make it low carb friendly?
Louise
yep!