The Chickery

Got the Chickery on Über Eats for dinner. Order the 6 piece chicken strips with the creole potato salad. To summarize the chicken strips was rubbery, I’m guessing the chicken was not fresh and the breading fell off. I’m hoping I don’t get sick, fingers crossed. Totally unacceptable and when your business model revolves around chicken that is weak. The creole potato salad was only thing I enjoyed. I will not be returning as customer.

The food was OK. I got the sampler. They did allow me to sample the crispy chicken sandwich for $ 6 and I have to say, that was GREAT! I enjoyed meeting the owners, but there’s not much you can do to chicken, lol. I would recommend it for a quick easy inexpensive but damn good crispy chicken sandwich. The cornbread was wayyyy too dry, the mac and cheese was ok, the collard greens were ok, the chicken was ok.

I love the chickery. Maybe it’s my love for chicken and sides that make me feel so strongly about the chickery. I love the selection of sides. They are all good. The chicken never lets me down.
Can’t forget the sauces. The chickery has some of the best dipping sauces I have ever tasted in my entire life. The ranch and plum sauce are phenomenal omg. Ordering from here is never a let down. My favourite discovery of Toronto so far!!!

Il y a toujours beaucoup de monde mais le service est en or. Les chicken fingers sont succulents. Pour tout dire même avec 6 on a comme un goût de pas assez même si on est gavé.
Pour ce qui est des plats à emporter ils respectent toujours les délais.

i ordered the chicken fingers with fries, the chicken sandwich, mac n cheese, garlic mash, and potato salad via hurrier. this food had no soul, was rigid like a bread stick. i was really bummed on the mac since the pics looked so good but it was just bland and disappointing. The only thing that was a nice combo was the chicken sandwich which would have been a ¹⁰⁄₁₀ had they not included a big piece of bone which i bit into and lost my appetite. probably best to leave that out next time.

Two ladies I used to work with swear by this place.
The food is great, chicken strips are a good size, the fries are super shoestring with a good crunch but the mac and cheese is a bit blah. The real star of the dish is the jalapeño biscuits, oh my god so good.
I have been a handful of times and that is because that is all I could afford while still making sure I pay my rent, car insurance and hydro. This place is pricey. The owner must be able to buy a small island at the end of each day because the prices are high but it does not deter the crowds. Do yourself a favour and get there before noon, I have seen the line up spill out the door during the summer.
The Chickery is the type of place I would not go out of my way for, but if I am hungry and in the neighbourhood, I would pop in.

There are always issues with deliver but this place is your best bet. We order from here ALL the time! Sometimes the food gets a bit cold on the way but the chicken strips always manage to stay crispy. I like to think the good karma I put out is rewarded in the extra chicken strips I always end up getting. I also love that they change up their sides!
If you get the pickled beets and drink the juice as I do, don’t be alarmed the next day when you pee.

Very yummy as hangover food. Their fries are way too salty but the rest of the food is good. Their potato salad has bits of pickles in it which is delicious. They’d get a 5 star review from me if I didn’t have sodium hangovers every time I ate it.

3.5 stars
Went after work. Chicken was great. The sides were not so good. Pickled beets and salad were fine and interesting but too sour. Next time would stick with the fries or mac and cheese. They are also introducing 3 new sides.
Basically you order, pay and they give you a metal sign with a number. Then you find a seat and they will bring the food to you.

Been watching Foodnetwork for awhile so I’m familiar with the owner and chef David Adjey, So out of curiosity I was dying to try this place. Made my order through Ritual food app. Got there lady recognized me from my ritual profile called out my name =). They were slightly late on my order so the lady was was nice enough to give a half chicken dinner instead of a quarter I ordered. I have to give them a A+ for consumer service.
The chicken I have to say was on the small side, maybe they’re hormone free? I mean the bones seem smaller too. The chicken (dark meat) was not dry but it was not juicy. Its probably been rested and keeped warm for awhile. The skin was not rubbery and the seasoning seem like standard a bbq rub of paprika and cayenne, but lacking the kick, smokeyness or sweetness from what you would expect from a bbq dry rub. The chickery sauce came half filled in a already small container. it had a nice pepper corn taste but was a tad bit thick to point felt bit starchy, creamy and heavy. I did like the shoe string fries because they are thin and matchstick like texture. Overall the Chicken didn’t hit it out the park for me for that reason its a 3 star, sorry David Adjey.

Great delivery, prompt. Buttermilk Ranch was stellar, very fresh and interesting tasting, the house sauce was overwhelming and had a gross texture, and the fries did not transport well. But OMG THE ROAST CHICKEN! Seriously, so moist, tender, flavourful and just sooooo much of it.
Mac and cheese was delightful and a must have, I will be going back many a time for some of their items, but that chicken will be the one to beat. Especially the price, $ 50 combo, lasted my boyfriend and I four large meals over 2.5 days. Ummm ya… thats a steal!

I’ve had The Chickery four times now, and I consistently crave it… so I’ve gotta give these folks five cluckin’ stars.
Whether diner, dive, chain beast or otherwise I love chicken fingers, so naturally I am a huge fan of their scratch-​made, free range, buttermilk babies. Last night I had them with their cheddar and jalapeño biscuits to go, and I thoroughly enjoyed every bite. On other occasions, I’ve had two sides of their mac n cheese as a full meal, and with it’s breadcrumb crust and creamy sauce, it, too is the stuff that dreams are made of.

This place is great at what they do– chicken. This event here was great. I really like how the owner took the time to sit down with us and talk about his restaurant and himself. The space is pretty small so when it’s busy it would be quote cozy but it’s a nice intimate space. They have great deals and you definitely get more than your money’s worth!

I wasn’t in the mood for anything particularly heavy, so I ordered a Chino Salad, and that might be where I went wrong at The Chickery. It was OK, at best. Definitely not something I would go back for. The boyf ordered the chicken finger sandwich with a side of coleslaw, both of which were MUCH better than my salad, but still not spectacular.
One thing that I liked about this place was how they handle their sides — they get rid of the worst performers every season to keep the menu fresh — Great idea!

The food here tastes really delicious. The fact the chicken is organic is also great.
Try the potato creole; it’s really tasty — finely diced pickles in it make a wonderful flavour kick!
I would give it 5 stars for the food alone (best fried chicken in downtown I think) except for the following reason:
— Price. Relative to other franchise options etc. I would frequent here often if the prices weren’t so hefty. But the ingredients appear to be great quality, so part of the reasoning for higher prices seems justified (partly). Or, if prices are going to be higher, bump up the portion sizes (For the sides at least).
If you’re really hungry, you probably want more than one side, but the $ keep adding up.

I was thinking about it, and it doesn’t feel fair to give this place a 3-​star review considering how often I’ve frequented the joint since my previous review. However, it still has problems that keep me from giving it a solid 4 stars. I mean, the food is amazing. There are few places in the city that have a mac and cheese that is both this easily accessible AND delicious.
My big concern with the Chickery is that it doesn’t seem to have any idea what it wants to be, and the overwhelming struggle to fit in is apparent every time I go in. Since the store opened, the inconsistency in service, portion sizes, and meal choices is confusing for me as a customer.
I value consistency in a food establishment. I admit that I’m the kind of person who will get the exact same thing every time I go to a restaurant because I know I love it and I know that I won’t leave disappointed. There was a chain restaurant that I used to go to 1 – 2 times a month, and I would order the exact same thing every time I went in. When they pulled that particular item from the menu I wrote corporate (naturally), and upon finding out that it was gone for good, I literally stopped going to this restaurant. Forget that there are other items that would no doubt be tasty — they didn’t have what I wanted. What does this have to do with The Chickery? Plain and simple — I don’t want to have to look at the menu each time to confirm you still have my favourite menu items! And the amount of times things have changed for no apparent reason since opening makes no sense to me. Some things could be viewed as an improvement, but some things are making me crazy!
When the store first opened there was the option to have pop in a glass bottle. After I got used to that, the coolers disappeared and were replaced with soda fountains. Fine — I can see the financial reasoning behind this. But then the menu items started changing too! There used to be a time where you could get the chicken fingers with the option of one or two sides. Now the chicken fingers only come with one side, and the price keeps inching higher and higher for less food.
50% of the time when I order the two-​piece chicken, I somehow get a third piece. Why am I complaining? Because I ordered the two-​piece chicken and now when I only get two pieces in the future I am going to be annoyed because sometimes you give me a third piece and now I don’t feel like I’m getting my money’s worth!
Sometimes I’ll go in and just order two sides of mac and cheese. At this point, I am convinced they go to the back and spin a wheel to decide how they will serve it to me. Will it come in two small separate round containers? Will there be a heaping portion in a clear salad container? Will there be an average sized portion in a paper container? I HAVE NO IDEA, CHICKERY! Some days I bring my two servings of mac and cheese back to the office and am so full for the rest of the day I can hardly get my job done. Other days, I started praying to the cake gods that somebody in the office has a birthday so I have something else to eat.
The sides are constantly changing too. I don’t know if this is still the case, but they used to change the options based on customer reaction. I am all for taking the advice of your customer base, but this is starting to feel gimmicky. I want to know what your menu sign printing budget is, because it honestly feels like I am looking at a completely different board every time I walk through the door.
Even the to-​go bags have no idea what they want to be. Will I get plastic? Will I get paper? Will I get paper with a super fancy stamp on it? Will there be utensils and napkins? NO IDEA!
The long and short of it is, I love the food at this place. I really do. It’s delicious and filling and is the very definition of comfort food. But I wish that it would figure out what it wants to be and stick with it! It has so much to offer, and I know it can be a really great place once it gets into a good rhythm and sticks with it for awhile!

Went back to The Chickery after a Unilocal event. Couldn’t remember what I had so ordered some of the feathers (flattened, battered chicken) and the chicken fingers (deep fried but not breaded). Really loved both — the chickens are kosher and extremely plump n’ juicy (and not pumped with water like what happens at most chicken places).
Few extra bucks, but well worth it.

Price a tad high, customer service pretty good, quality of food decent to very good.
Went to the Unilocal event several days ago, and got to try several of their dishes. The parmesan friend tenders ended up being the only one I liked, where-​as the rest I found to be nothing special.
The staff were for the most part friendly, with the exception of one girl who was dressed in her Chickery uniform who I was walking down the street before the event started, who gave the finger to someone.
The prices are a tad high, however considering their source and healthiness (for the lack of a better word) of their food, it seemed to match what they promise, since it’s locally sourced, has no antibiotics, etc.
So in the end, m’lady and I have decided to try them again on our own, and see if there is something we’d enjoy more than what we tried, such as the jalapeño cheddar cornbread.

Let me just say that I am not a big fried chicken fan. BUT only because I have never had good fried chicken. So if I am recommending a place to try fried chicken, it would be here.
I really enjoyed all of the chicken and chicken tenders as well as all of the sides! I am going to be coming back and taking more people with me!
All of the chicken tasted fresh and moist, not dried out or over battered like the other places I’ve been to (hence why I am not a fan). But I really tasted a lot of flavour that was in the chicken. Parmesan and pepper was my favourite seasoning on the chicken tenders. So crispy and actual chicken (big ones too)! The mac and cheese & the potato salad was my favourite side. As well as my first time trying corn bread, was really good and not super spicy.
So in conclusion, I would recommend the regular chicken (white meat or dark meat you specify) OR the chicken tenders with the parmesan flavour. My favourite sides would be the mac n cheese and potato salad. =)
Can’t wait to come back!

Specialty: Fried Chicken
Event: Dinner
Menu items: Roasted rotisserie chicken, chicken feathers, chino salad and mac & cheese
Roosters, bar-​style communal tables and stools and a lot of frying and roasting happening in the kitchen, are the first few things you notice when you come to chef David Adjey’s Chickery in the Fashion district in Toronto. Yes, the man behind the famous Food Network Canada show, the Opener, opened his own fast-​food chicken joint over two years ago on Spadina Avenue. Offering lovers of all things chicken an alternative to traditional fast food spots, chef Adjey is serving a mean chicken and even meaner sides!
What you also notice, asides from the tall man covered in tattoos, walking behind the counter checking on his food, is the quality of the meat, sauces and salads that are outputted daily for lunch and dinner time. Serving only organic chicken from Beretta Organic Farms, creating home-​made sauces from scratch and serving salads with fresh ingredients, The Chickery puts a new spin to good ol’ fast food.
Chicken feathers is what Chef Adjey called the great tasting strips of chicken that are lightly coated in batter and spices and served with an option of 3 of his home-​made sauces: Chickery sauce, smokey ancho bbq and buttermilk ranch. The deep fried coating on the chicken is light and firm while the chicken is super moist and juicy. The secret to the crunchy and airy fried goodness, as the chef revealed to me, is letting the chicken dry for a little bit after dunking it in the batter and flour, before it goes in the fryer, therefore allowing for the batter to stick to the chicken and keep the meat flavour pocketed in, as he puts it. Brilliant!
As an alternative to it’s fried version, chef Adjey is proud of it’s roasted chicken dish. Hundreds of chickens are roasted daily in his restaurant and coated in a secret spice mix (over 18 spices blended together) and then put in the wonderful roasting machine, for over 2 hours. Once again, achieving a delicious, tasty and juicy piece of meat.
If all there was to The Chickery was chicken, then it wouldn’t be a complete meal experience, and chef Adjey knows that. So much so, that he decided to add even more comfort to his dishes with delectable sides, one of them being the ooey-​gooey mac & cheese, coated with breadcrumbs and spices, then oven-​baked to perfection. Simply delicious.
Word has it, The Chickery is expanding to new locations across Toronto and the GTA, and even the Middle-​East, so stay tuned for a location near you!
Buen Provecho,
Viviana.

The food at the chickery has grown on me. I have been here so many times that the cashiers know my name. I have tried a few different options off the menu, mainly the ¼ chicken or the 2-​piece chicken fingers. On hungrier days, I ordered the ½ chicken or the 4-​piece chicken fingers. For sides, I usually get the fries or the mac and cheese. I’ve heard that the candied yams and the potato salad are good. I have also tried the chicken schnitzel, but not a huge fan. The pulled chicken sandwich is very good.
The Chickery can get very busy during the noon lunch hour. It’s still very possible that they give you someone else’s order, but I haven’t had an issue lately.