When coming up with a business idea and menu, Trinity Davi — one of the founders of Chick-N-Dips — immediately thought of chicken tenders.
“My family really loves chicken tenders, and we love a variety of sauces,” says Davi, who came up with the recipes for the business’s sauces. “Oddly enough, the chicken market is doing well — chicken nuggets and stuff.”
Located in Kahuku — close to Romy’s Kahuku Prawns and Shrimp — Chick-N-Dips opened in early July.
The biz takes its product seriously, according to Davi, who says that all chicken tenders are hand-battered to order — “they take 4 minutes and 20 seconds.”
“Here at our food truck, we try to get as many locally sourced ingredients as possible,” she says. “We use locally sourced chicken from Ludovico Farm; we use locally sourced honey in our sauce.
“We also make our own buttermilk mixture, flour mixture and all of our sauces in house,” she adds.
Choose from combs like the big dipper ($16.65) — five chicken tenders, Texas toast, two dips, fries and a drink — triple dipper ($12.35), which includes three tenders instead of five, and the duo dippers ($12.25). The latter features two chicken “handwiches” — mini slider sandwiches — a dip, fries and a drink.
The big dipper is the most popular order, according to Davi.
If you want something with more veggies, opt for the Chick-N-Dip salad ($6.45), which is the business’s housemade Caesar salad that’s topped with two chicken tenders.
Choose from dipping sauces like UTE, Hawaiʻi (a sweet and savory blend), Texas barbecue, New York buffalo, and creamy Cali buttermilk ranch. Additional sauces cost 49 cents.
“All of the states of our sauces have to do with family ties, where we have family at,” Davi says. “We have another location in Utah; we opened it at the end of July, after this one.
“UTE (pronounced yoot — like Utah) is kind of like a fry sauce; it’s garlicky and peppery,” she adds. “Hawaiʻi is a sweet sauce; it has a slight honey mustard base. I really love our UTE and Hawaiʻi; those are probably my favorites. I love the UTE especially with the duo dippers; it goes with the pickles really nicely.”
Save room for the business’s Stick-N-Dip ($4.29) — vanilla ice cream bar dipped in chocolate — for dessert. The hard-shell chocolate coating is made in house, according to Davi. Customers can choose from toppings ranging from Oreo cookie crumbles to sprinkles and coconut shavings; the Oreo is the most popular
“We do a pre-coat of chocolate just so it stays frozen,” Davi explains. “It’s a mix of milk and dark chocolate.”
Indulging in the frozen treat hits the spot after the savory fried meal. The only challenge: keeping up with the melting dessert in the hot Kahuku heat.
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CONTACT
Chick-N-Dips
56-1030 Kamehameha Hwy., Kahuku
Chick-n-dips.com
Instagram: @chick.n.dips
Open daily, 11 a.m.-7:30 p.m.
Kelli Shiroma Braiotta can be reached at kelli@alohastatedaily.com.
