El Pollo Loco made a gross mistake and tossed a crazy extra ingredient into a side of macaroni and cheese ... at least according to a new lawsuit.
A California woman claims she took her 3 kids to the chicken joint, and found a "foreign object" in her side dish. According to docs, obtained by TMZ, that object was a bloody alcohol swab. She doesn't say if it actually got in her boca.
In the suit, she's demanding $75k for herself and the minor children, who she says all sustained injuries to their health, strength and activity ... just like their Mom did.
We reached out to El Pollo Loco ... so far, no word back.