McKenzie's Ovenbaked Fresh Chicken

We've been looking for a place that serves gluten-free chicken strips or nuggets for a long time, and one place in particular popped up on our radar: McKenzie's.

Since we settled into the Drogheda area back in November, we've always said we'd go down there to see what the hype is about, and whether or not we'd feel any pain after we ate there.

Needless to say, it's all baked, and all gluten-free. We each got a Chicken Tenders Meal, which came with chips (fries) and a choice of either 2 dips or a gravy. If you've known me for more than 5 minutes, you'll know I opted for the gravy, while Tammy opted for 2 dips. She got BBQ and Cajun Mayo.

Chicken Tenders, Chips, and Dips @ McKenzie's Ovenbaked Fresh Chicken
Stephen's Green, Dublin 2
Photo: TotallyTammy

The chips were great. They seemed to have a little bit of spice on them, but it was probably a type of seasoning salt.

The chicken? Well, I'm from Vancouver, so for me it tasted like the frozen chicken strips you can buy from M&M Meat Shops or Safeway. Tasted like I baked them in the oven, so nothing great or special, besides the fact that they were gluten-free. I do love me some chicken strips, so I was a big fan.

Chicken Tenders and Gravy @ McKenzie's Ovenbaked Fresh Chicken
Stephen's Green, Dublin 2
Photo: TotallyTammy

The gravy is pretty good. It's quite salty for a gravy, and a little thin, but otherwise it's gluten-free so you can't expect KFC-level gravy quality. Yes, KFC gravy is the holy grail of gravy. I said it.

So it was all fun and games until Tammy stopped eating, looked at her food and asked "Why do I always get the hair in my food?" I had to take a look...and it definitely wasn't her hair! She immediately lost her appetite, but I was really hungry so I kept going at my food.

Hairy Chicken Tender @ McKenzie's Ovenbaked Fresh Chicken
Stephen's Green, Dublin 2
Photo: Brewji

It wasn't as bad as the Santé Gluten-Free Cafe in Victoria, because here the service and quality of the food (apart from the hair) was actually quite good. The only problem here was the hairy situation.

Overall, I was going to give McKenzie's a solid 6 for being gluten-free and tasting good. But, I'm a stickler for clean kitchens and food safety, especially when you're serving the public. So that drops them 5-ish points.

McKenzie's Chicken: Nooope.

Food:	0.5
Service:	7
Ambiance:	N/A
Would we return?	NO