I had my first encounter with Chick-a-D(ee) at the Palmer Park Art Fair. I'm not sure whether this…read morehopping red food truck brands itself Chick-a-Dee or Chick-a-D (in our classic English Gothic 'D' font) so you'll have to bear with what they put on their website.
Food trucks are all the rage. It seems almost every food movement now has representation on wheels, a plus for those of us in specialty cuisine drought areas or savouring more than a hamburger or hot dog at entertainment venues and festivals. Now the competition in the Metro area is fairly fierce across all categories, so setting oneself apart takes no special magic other than damn good food at a reasonable price.
Chick-a-dee, with its eponymous poultry mascot suggests, specialises in chicken. Their simple menu stretches through the standards you might expect: chicken tenders and fries, fried chicken, chicken dogs. There may be a wider menu I somehow missed but you'll have to forgive me, I was too busy scarfing down an exquisitely breaded, juicy, oil-free tender spiked with delicately savory finishes to really notice.
That grumbling you heard? Me that I neglected to buy four pieces, instead of two, shared with my beau. It may also be my stomach insisting another piece would be ideal.
For all it's an American staple, breaded and fried chicken is notoriously difficult to do well. Too little care, it ends up an oil-engorged mess with the breading sloughing off or unpleasantly dry and chewy. Too often the latter happens, especially when made by an inexperienced or rushed cook. Not so the case with Chick-a-dee. I don't know what I was expecting, but what I got was an incredibly moist, tasty tender as long as my fist is wide, and generously breaded.
If I have a single complaint -- other than not being fed more of this goodness as part of a 9 piece tender basket -- it might be I'd like a more savory breading option. Am I hyper focused on that breading? Yes, yes I am, because it came out golden and fluffy, flashed to the right balance of crisp and soft. It sealed in the proper amount of juiciness to the chicken.
Prices are fair, the French fries are a little bit lacking compared to their amazing chicken, and they whipped up my order in no time flat. You've made a convert out of me, sweet birds, and I'll be singing your praises to my fellow Detroiters.