Thought I would pass this on since it was a big surprise to me tonight. Went out to eat and ordered the Alice Springs Chicken which came with no mushrooms. I asked the waiter and he went back to check on it and was told that the mushrooms have gluten because of the seasoning from being sauteed. He wasn't too clear, but that was the gist of it.

The Outback gluten free menu makes no mention of this so I'll probably e-mail the company to clarify what the deal is. I did a search first to see if anyone else experienced this and didn't find anything, but noticed a few people said they got sick from the Alice Springs chicken so I wonder if maybe that was why.

Outback makes butter balls to season their veggies. These butter balls include spices that contain gluten. Perhaps your Outback was using those to saute the mushrooms?

That must be what it was because he did say something about butter and spices. I'm wondering if they just started doing that as I've had it there before with no problems, but it's been quite a long time since I've eaten there. I must say it's just not the same without the mushrooms...

Hmm... that sounds odd. I ate at Outback 2 weekends ago and mine came with mushrooms, I didn't have any problems afterwards. I might call and check. I love the Alice Springs Chicken.

Oh no!!! That is my favorite meal there!

I eat @ Outback constantly & also eat the Alice Springs Chicken. All I was ever told was don't eat the Honey Mustard Sauce b/c sometimes it comes from different vendors. But again, I am assuming this is a location specific problem. The mushrooms are my favorite part so I hope they don't start using that seasoned butter on the mushrooms everywhere!!!

The mushrooms with the Alice should be fine. It is the sauteed burgundy mushrooms (the side item) that should be avoided. And as far as the honey mustard dressing, ALL of Outback's dressings are homemade, so there shouldn't be a distributor inconsistency issue.

- Lauren

Thank you for clearing that up Lauren!

They were very clear that it was the mushrooms that were on top of the Alice Springs Chicken that were the problem in this instance. I had the waiter double check for me because I've never had a problem with it when I ordered there before. I think that what Angie mentioned above is what happened. That for whatever reason they used the seasoned butter balls to sautee the mushrooms. I have no idea if this is a new thing at this particular restaurant or why they did it that way. I know it was not that way in the past and it never occurred to me that they might do that. It's certainly something I'll ask about in the future when I order.

It does make me feel better about eating there to know that they knew enough about gluten to catch it though.

Hey holiday,

I actually work at Outback, and while it is true that the butter "balls" that they use with the veggies have seasoning on them that is not gluten-free, they are not used in sauteeing the mushrooms. Alice Springs chicken should be entirely gluten-free as is. The staff may have been extra cautious because they may not be as familiar with the gluten-free menu as they should be(!) but you can enjoy it in the future with the mushrooms. Outback (as is the case with most chains I'm sure) is very rigid about doing things "their" way and by the books, so I wouldn't think the individual restaurant would prepare food differently.

- Lauren

Lauren is our Outback Spokesperson!!

Im 3 for 3 with getting sick from the Alice Spring chicken. I new there was something wrong with it? I wont get it anymore.

I have told my story about Alice Springs Chicken on a few other threads. I ordered this meal at the Outback in Saginaw, Michigan off of their gluten free menu. I went through the entire routine of making sure the staff understood the importance of this meal being prepared carefully. I ate the meal and about two hours later, I was extremely ill. I vomited and had the D for nine hours. I was so ill, I could not get up off of the bathroom floor. I probably should have sought medical treatment. I went there a few weeks ago with friends and one of my friends ordered this meal. I became ill just smelling it and needed to change seats with someone else to move away from the odor. I'll never eat there again.