New Portillo's Dipping Sauce Flight (with Comeback Sauce!), Our Honest Review

For a limited time, Portillo’s is offering a sauce flight featuring five different offerings. Between a brand-new Comeback Sauce and four existing sauces getting new recipes in the pursuit of “boldness”, there’s gonna be something for everyone. We got our hands on the brand’s new “Saucy Tenders” combo, pairing a batch of large chicken tenders with a lovely fold-out box that safely stores all five sauces.

Videos by Sporked

Improved Portillo’s Sauce!

Portillo’s Buttermilk Ranch Review

Pros: This is a totally perfunctory fast-food ranch; if tangy and creamy ranch is what you’re into, it’ll do the job. And this goes for every cup in the sauce flight: Portillo’s is offering a good amount of sauce here. Paying $1.99 for five cups of this size is a great deal; paying just 99 cents if you order it alongside the chicken tenders online is unreal.

Cons: Despite my Midwestern heritage, I’m really not a ranch guy at all. Don’t let my traitorous opinion dissuade you on this one.

Credit: Griffin Parker / Portillo’s

Rating:

6/10

Sporks

Improved Portillo’s Sauce!

Portillo’s Honey Mustard Review

Pros: I’m probably not a ranch guy because I’m such a honey mustard guy. This sauce is genuinely sweet and right up my alley; I’m glad the per-cup portions are so generous.

Cons: I might be cursed with too much honey mustard knowledge to really enjoy anything from a fast-food chain. I have had some standout picks before, and while this is certainly up there for drive-thru offerings, it’s not beating anything that comes in a glass bottle.

Credit: Griffin Parker / Portillo’s

Rating:

8/10

Sporks

Improved Portillo’s Sauce!

Portillo’s Barbecue Sauce Review

Pros: The sauce flight box describes this as sweet & smoky, but I’d say it’s all smoke; this is impressively non-sweet for a fast-food barbecue sauce. That smokiness can trick you into thinking there’s some hidden heat in this sauce, but it’ll fade quickly.

Cons: While the focus on smoky flavors is a positive for me, I imagine many people will find that disappointing.

Credit: Griffin Parker / Portillo’s

Rating:

8.5/10

Sporks

Improved Portillo’s Sauce!

Portillo’s Giardiniera Sauce Review

Pros: This creamy sauce is made with Portillo’s standard hot giardiniera relish. I don’t have a major spice tolerance, but I really enjoyed the taste and how thick this sauce is, thanks to all the diced giardiniera ingredients. I didn’t expect this to be my favorite option from the sauce flight.

Cons: This is the only spicy sauce in the mix, and it ain’t that spicy. If you were hoping for some truly kickin’ heat from Portillo’s Sauce Flight, this will not thrill you.

Credit: Griffin Parker / Portillo’s

Rating:

9.5/10

Sporks

New Portillo’s Sauce!

Portillo’s Comeback Sauce Review

Pros: Comeback sauce deserves its own explainer here on Sporked, but to keep it brief, this is a tangy sauce based in mayonnaise and either ketchup or chili sauce. If you’re thinking of Cane’s Sauce, you’re not far off. (If you’re thinking of KFC‘s Comeback Sauce, which launched back in 2024, you’re right on the money!) The Portillo’s take on Comeback Sauce is truly tangy and absolutely made for these chicken tenders.

Cons: I can’t see myself putting this sauce on any other Portillo’s entrees… and I’m not sure I’ll be ordering the chicken tenders again, period. They’re fine, but other chains have better tenders. No other chain does an Italian Beef sandwich better than Portillo’s, so I’ll be sticking with that as my regular order every time I’m lucky enough to find myself in Chicago‘s favorite sandwichery.

Credit: Griffin Parker / Portillo’s

Rating:

8.5/10

Sporks