I tried the tropical nuggets from the Hawaii-themed Chick-fil-A, and now I understand why TikTokers love them
- There is a Hawaii-inspired Chick-fil-A in Fayetteville, Georgia.
- On a recent road trip, I visited it to see what the hype around its menu items was about.
On a recent road trip through three Southern cities (Charleston, South Carolina; Savannah, Georgia; and Atlanta), I stopped off in Fayetteville, Georgia, to try the viral Hawaii-themed Chick-fil-A location called Truett's Luau.
Truett's Luau has been showing up on TikTok with videos raking in as many as 5.6 million views. TikTokers have documented long trips and vacation detours to taste the company founder S. Truett Cathy's attempt to "bring Hawaii to Fayetteville, Georgia." Though experts in Hawaiian cuisine and culture previously told Insider they didn't think there was anything Hawaiian about this restaurant or its food.
Still, I drove about 45 minutes to the restaurant from my hotel in Atlanta and ordered one of everything that was unique to the location. I wasn't able to try the cod sandwich or tacos because the restaurant hadn't gotten its supply in on the day I visited.
After tasting everything available on the Hawaii-themed menu, I was most delighted by the tropical nuggets, one of the more well-known menu items. (An eight-count order cost me $4.69, $0.50 more than plain nuggets.) They're a saucy play on the chain's chicken nuggets, which traditionally come dry. The menu at Truett's Luau didn't offer an ingredients list or name which sauce was used on the nuggets.
First, I tried the sauce on its own. I felt it had a slight bit of heat but nothing significantly spicy. It was goopy and tasted mostly like traditional sweet chili sauce but with a hint of cocktail sauce mixed in, which wasn't a bad thing at all. The visible pepper flakes floating around were an aesthetic plus, in my opinion.
When I asked an employee about the ingredients, I was told the nuggets were covered in a special "tropical sauce," but a quick search on TikTok showed loads of copycat recipes that combined two of the chain's popular sauces: Polynesian and sweet and spicy sriracha. (Truett's Luau does offer an already made sweet chili sauce.)
After tasting the entire dish, I think it's a home run.
As always, at least in my experience, the chicken was moist and slightly sweet in flavor.
I loved that these nuggets retained their crunchy exterior even though they were doused in a thick, sticky sauce. The breading didn't get mushy or soggy, which I found impressive.
I nearly finished the entire serving (which says a lot since I was there to taste a total of 10 items), but I knew there was nothing particularly unique about this dish, even though I loved it. I think you could create a similar flavor at your local Chick-fil-A by playing around with sauce ratios.
Truett's Luau is temporarily closed for remodeling, according to its website, so if you want a taste of what the restaurant has to offer, you may want to try saucing up your own nuggets at home. If you're going to try making them, I recommend serving or eating them immediately so that those crispy bits don't soften and you get to experience that true textural magic.