When the craving for crispy fried chicken fingers inevitably hits, there are plenty of Alabama chain restaurants that are sure to satisfy it. And all of them offer up dipping sauces to go with them.

But which dipping sauce is best?

Every Alabama-based fast-food chain, like Milo’s, Jack’s, Foosackly’s and Guthrie’s, boasts a dipping sauce they swear is the crown jewel of any chicken-finger feast. One of them has to be right about that, right?

So, I took on the daunting task of trying the signature sauces at each of those restaurants to determine which one, I believe, should claim the throne and which ones, well, shouldn’t.

Check out my ranking below:

6. Milo’s Boom Boom Sauce

Milo’s Boom Boom Sauce is tasty but not tops in my ranking. (Amber Sutton)

I know for a lot of people, Milo’s popular Boom Boom Sauce would, without a doubt, take the top spot. But it turns out I am not one of them. For me, while the Birmingham chain has several sauces a chicken tender would be lucky to be repeatedly dipped in, Milo’s Boom Boom Sauce just didn’t make a lasting impression, and that’s why I have to put it in last place on my list. Though mayonnaise, chili sauce and garlic powder are likely involved, the exact components that make up the restaurant’s Boom Boom sauce (like most of the sauces on this list) remain a mystery. So, I can’t say what it was that didn’t strike my fancy – only that the sauce ended up being less of a boom and more of a fizzle.

5. Foosackly’s Foo Sauce

It’s easy to see why Foo Sauce is the signature sauce at Foosackly’s. (Amber Sutton)

Foosackly’s may not be as widespread as some of the other Alabama fast food restaurants on this list, but that doesn’t make its growing customer base any less devoted – and a big reason for that devotion is its signature Foo Sauce. That’s why it pains me to put the homemade Foo Sauce, which is creamy but with a kick of flavor, on the lower end of this ranking. It wasn’t that I found Foo Sauce to be lacking – I would (and did) dip all my chicken tenders and fries into the stuff without complaint. It’s just that its competition, including one of Foosackly’s other popular sauces, had a little something more going for it.

4. Guthrie’s Signature Guthrie’s Sauce

It’s easy to see why Guthrie’s Signature Sauce has been popular for so long. (Amber Sutton)

Guthrie’s has been serving up its iconic chicken fingers alongside its Guthrie’s Signature Sauce since 1982, and the Auburn-based chain is considered by many to be the pioneers of the fried chicken fingers-only restaurant industry. That fact alone confirms that Guthrie’s Sauce is good – great, even, to a lot of folks. But while I will agree that the beloved sauce is a classic you can’t really go wrong with, I wouldn’t say it’s the best. Made up of similar ingredients, like mayonnaise, ketchup and Worcestershire Sauce, to some of the other contenders on this ranking, Guthrie’s Signature Sauce is good. But when given the option, I’d still reach for some of the other sauces on this list.

3. Milo’s Double-O Sauce

Milo’s Double-O Sauce is a combination of two great sauces to create something special. (Amber Sutton)

While Milo’s Boom Boom Sauce might have missed the mark for me, the fast-food chain’s Double-O Sauce came much, much closer to a bullseye. A mix of the restaurant’s original Milo’s Sauce, which is a unique take on traditional barbecue sauce and is typically served on its burgers, and its original Ranch, Double-O Sauce manages to be both a little sweet and a little savory. It seems like such a simple thing – to take two already-delicious sauces and put ’em together – but the combination-potion creates a chicken finger sauce everyone can enjoy, and I’m definitely including myself.

2. Foosackly’s Sweet and Spicy Kung Foo Sauce

The Kung Foo Sauce at Foosackly’s breaks the tradition of going creamy and offers up syrupy goodness. (Amber Sutton)

From the moment I laid eyes on Foosackly’s fan-favorite Sweet and Spicy Kung Foo Sauce, I knew it was going to be – for better or worse – different from the other sauces in my ranking. While all the others on this list fall into a color spectrum ranging from pale orange to pale pink, Kung Foo Sauce is a thick, translucent shade of red with crushed pepper flakes floating throughout. Turns out my first impression of the tangy sweet-and-sour sauce was absolutely for the better. I all but smothered my Foosackly’s fingers and fries in the syrupy sauce, and I probably would have dipped my toast in it, too, if I hadn’t (sadly) run out.

1. Jack’s Comeback Sauce

Jack’s seems to have mastered the flavor of chicken finger sauces with its Comeback Sauce. (Amber Sutton)

Jack’s Comeback Sauce garners first place in my humble ranking of chicken finger dipping sauces at Alabama chains because, simply put, it does what most of the sauces on the list are trying to do. At first glance, it doesn’t stand out. I’m not sure I’d even be able to pick it out from the others in a lineup, if it wasn’t labeled. But after trying them all … The Birmingham-based chain’s Comeback Sauce is creamy with a savory flavor and a touch of heat – the perfect pairing for any chicken finger, or fries … or anything else you might want to put it on, for that matter. Simply said, the name Comeback Sauce is fitting. I – like many people – will be coming back for more of it.