Taco Bell is bringing its most controversial menu item nationwide — and we tried it first

It’s undeniable: 2024 has been a big year for fast food. From meal deals galore to the return of all-time fan favorites like the Snack Wrap, there’s been a lot of buzz, but no chain has arguably made more of a splash in the fast food scene this year than Taco Bell. The Tex-Mex chain set the stage for a huge 2024 back in February at Live Más LIVE, the company’s first-ever superfan convention.

It was there that the chain announced Internet-breaking innovations like the Cheez-It Tostada, Baja Blast Gelato and its highly acclaimed Decades Menu, which revived 50 years of defunct fan favorites. Just when we thought it couldn’t get any more buzz, Taco Bell 2024 is ending with a bang — and what may be its most controversial item yet. That’s because the chain is going where it has never gone before: the land of fast food lumps.

Taco Bell’s new crispy chicken nuggets

Taco Bell likes to test new menu items in select markets, and these chicken nuggets were no exception. Crispy Chicken Nuggets were first seen over a year ago in Minneapolis, and it seems the test was a success in both customer feedback and hype, because now they’re coming nationwide for the first time ever.

Taco Bell’s first foray into the world of fast food nuggets couldn’t be just any ordinary nuggets—they had to be special. Taco Bell’s Crispy Chicken Nuggets feature all-white meat chicken marinated in a jalapeño-buttermilk mixture and coated in a crispy tortilla chip breading.

The nuggets are accompanied by three brand new dipping sauces: Jalapeño Honey Mustard; a brand new signature Bell sauce; and Hidden Valley Fire Ranch Sauce, a spicy ranch made in collaboration with Hidden Valley. According to a press release, Taco Bell’s research and development team tested over 100 variations to find the perfect trio of sauces.

By introducing its first-ever nuggets, Taco Bell is attempting to disrupt the fast food scene once again by challenging chicken nugget loyalists to venture outside their comfort zone. But can the Tex-Mex chain’s nuggets bring Chick-fil-A and KFC devotees to the farm? Did it stray too far from its cheesy, meaty roots?

I got an early taste of Taco Bell’s new Crispy Chicken Nuggets, and here are my honest thoughts.

My honest review of Taco Bell’s new crispy chicken nuggets

I will say that going into the taste test, my expectations for these nuggets were not that high. I firmly believe that fast food chains must stay in their tracks. Sorry, but you won’t catch me ordering lattes from McDonald’s or empanadas from Dunkin’. But with all the testing behind them, I was curious to see how the nuggets would stack up against their crispy chicken competitors. And it’s safe to say these give Popeye’s and KFC a run for their money.

The chicken bites are very crispy, with a coating that is definitely closer to Popeye’s breading than McNugget batter. The small pieces of tortilla chips are barely noticeable in the breading, but add a subtle toasty corn flavor and textural dimension. The inside is juicy and super tender (probably from the buttermilk bath it takes before being breaded), with real chunks of white meat – no reconstituted chicken here. They weren’t too greasy or heavy, and within minutes I had quickly eaten more nuggets than I had planned, so that’s saying something.

As for the sauces, they might just steal the show because they are among the best fast food dipping sauces I’ve had. I’m a certified HMG (Honey Mustard Girl), so the Jalapeño Honey Mustard was an instant winner for me, with a nicely balanced level of sweetness and just a little warm heat on the back end. Even my tasting partner, a honey-mustard skeptic, agreed that it was a solid take on the sauce.

Hidden Valley Fire Ranch Sauce combines Hidden Valley Ranch with Taco Bell’s signature Fire Sauce hot sauce and tastes exactly as you would expect – in the best possible way. It reminds me of Reese’s slogan from the 70s: They are “two great flavors that taste great together.” This is probably the spiciest of the three, but it’s still super tolerable for the heat level.

Finally, there is Bell Sauce, a new signature for Taco Bell. It is described as a creamy sauce with hints of tomato, red chilli and garlic. I definitely got the tomato flavor, along with some sweetness that made it oddly reminiscent of BBQ sauce in a comforting way. It’s a sauce that plays super well with all of Taco Bell’s quintessential Southwestern condiments, and I could see this pairing perfectly with anything from a Crunchwrap Supreme to a Cheesy Gordita Crunch.

All in all, these are a huge success in my opinion, and I think Taco Bell fans and skeptics alike will find themselves in love with these nuggets. My boyfriend and tasting partner for this test is a certified chicken nugget connoisseur, and he agreed that these go toe-to-toe with the best of them. He wisely pointed out that they taste pretty much like KFC’s chicken nuggets, which isn’t super surprising considering that both KFC and Taco Bell are owned by the same parent company, Yum! Brands.

Ready to try them for yourself? Taco Bell’s Crispy Chicken Nuggets will hit restaurants nationwide on December 19 and will set you back $3.99 for a 5-piece order with one dipping sauce or $6.99 for a 10-piece order with two dipping sauces. You can also get nuggets in a combo with Nacho Fries and a large fountain drink starting at $5.99.