Taco Bell Crispy Chicken Nuggets Review: It's A New Era, And It's Delicious

Taco Bell is introducing Crispy Chicken Nuggets to its menu on December 19. Until now, the chain's lineup has mostly been inspired by Mexican-American cuisine, which has helped it stand out from the hamburger-and-fry chains of the world. However, if you think Taco Bell's decision to sling chicken nuggets is a move toward conformity, think again. The chain is putting its zesty spin on these all-new chicken nuggets, in hopes that — in line with the well-known Taco Bell slogan — all who eat them will "live más" and order más, too. 

When Taco Bell invited Mashed to a private Crispy Chicken Nuggets tasting event ahead of the official unveiling, my intrigue was immediate. I was encouraged to bring along the biggest chicken-nugget snob I know — so I invited Margaux St John, a teen with a discerning palate, whose perpetual fried-chicken hankerings can only be dimmed by her affinity for elk burgers and teriyaki eel. She also happens to be my daughter. 

At a Taco Bell Cantina in Midtown Manhattan, we were greeted by an ornate table display of the new nuggets. There they were, crispy and golden, huddled in white ceramic bowls, camera-ready beside boxes of Taco Bell Nacho Fries and little tubs of dipping sauce. Right away, it was clear that I was witnessing Taco Bell's new direction. It felt exciting, and I hadn't even tasted the nuggets yet! Here are the details from my exclusive Taco Bell Crispy Chicken Nugget taste test, plus all the details you need to know about the upcoming launch. 

Taco Bell's entry into the chicken nugget game is a bold move, and the chain understood the importance of getting the product right. If the nuggets are mediocre or bland, Taco Bell could come off like a fast food eatery with a brand identity crisis. Making the nuggets too zany or gimmicky would put Taco Bell at risk for mixed opinions from fans. At Taco Bell's taste-test event, we learned that the nuggets' all-white chicken pieces are marinated in jalapeño buttermilk and breaded with crushed pieces of tortilla chips. The recipe was a winner.

Integrating familiar Taco Bell flavors into Crispy Chicken Nuggets keeps them from wandering too far from the menu that's already in place. Taco Bell's understated approach to the chicken's marinade and breading also makes it a perfect match to three brand-new dipping sauces. The release of Taco Bell's Crispy Chicken Nuggets will be accompanied with Bell Sauce, Jalapeño Honey Mustard Sauce, and a Fire Ranch Sauce made with Hidden Valley Ranch. 

Over 100 sauces were tested to determine which ones paired best with Crispy Chicken Nuggets. The chosen three sauces are delightfully different from one another. Bell Sauce is tomatoey and tangy with a touch of chili peppers, onions, and garlic. Jalapeño Honey Mustard is a classic dipping sauce with an edge, marrying sweet honey with a bite of jalapeño. Hidden Valley Fire Ranch Sauce combines the eatery's Fire Sauce with Hidden Valley ranch dressing. 

When Taco Bell drops Crispy Chicken Nuggets on December 19, they will be sold in a box of five or a box of 10. With a five-piece order, customers will get to choose one dipping sauce. A 10-piece order comes with a choice of two dipping sauces. Crispy Chicken Nuggets will also be available as a combo meal, consisting of a box of nuggets, a large drink, and Nacho Fries. Taco Bell started selling Nacho Fries as a limited-time-only item in 2018, but since then, these fries — generously sprinkled with seasonings and served with nacho cheese sauce — have become one of Taco Bell's most popular products. 

So, how much will all of this set you back? Crispy Chicken Nuggets will be sold nationwide, which means the prices will vary based on what region you buy them in. When Taco Bell was testing its chicken nuggets in Minneapolis during 2023, a five-piece order of was priced between $3.99 and $4.99, while a 10-piece order cost between $6.99 and $8.99, depending on specific locations. The price point remains similar with this nationwide release of these nuggets — Taco Bell's suggested price for five nuggets is $3.99, while a 10-pack is slated at $6.99, and a combo meal is recommended to be priced at $5.99 for five nuggets and $8.99 for 10.

A variety of big changes at Taco Bell in 2024 have kept customers continually intrigued, with novel offers ranging from vegetarian-friendly combo options to the "Decades Menu" of discontinued Taco Bell items. Taco Bell's Crispy Chicken Nuggets debut aims to cap off the year in style. The nuggets roll out as a limited-edition item with no declared end date. If the nuggets sell well, their promotion to becoming a permanent menu item is not out of the question. 

The official release of Crispy Chicken Nuggets and its trinity of dipping sauces is well supported by the accompanying Taco Bell fan favorite, Nacho Fries. When Nacho Fries first showed up on the scene in 2018, they almost immediately became a bestselling Taco Bell menu item. Nacho fries have come and gone several times since then, and featuring them prominently alongside Crispy Chicken Nuggets is smart thinking.

As long as Taco Bell keeps Crispy Chicken Nuggets on its menu, we suspect that Nacho Fries will be along for the ride. Chicken nuggets and fries are an unflappable duo honored by time, and Taco Bell finally has both. For now, this pairing is designed to end someday, so if you're curious to try Taco Bell's take on this American fast food classic, don't wait too long. 

The items on Taco Bell's Cantina Chicken Menu may have paved the way for the chain's new chicken nugget venture, but those selections mostly stuck to the usual taco, burrito, and quesadilla format. The Cantina Chicken lineup — which made it debut in March 2024 — was centered around slow-roasted chicken seasoned with chilies, garlic, and onions. A few years earlier, in 2021, Taco Bell's Crispy Chicken Sandwich Taco made a splash as a sort of sandwich-taco hybrid. In addition to its divisive puffy flatbread, the Crispy Chicken Sandwich Taco contained a boneless fried-chicken tender marinated in jalapeño buttermilk.

Thanks to the latter offer, Taco Bell's test kitchen already had a jalapeño buttermilk marinade in its chicken arsenal, but the tortilla chip breading on these Crispy Chicken Nuggets appears to be totally new. What's more, Taco Bell has generally presented its chicken specialties as an ingredient in a featured dish. With Crispy Chicken Nuggets, Taco Bell is bringing jalapeño-buttermilk-marinated chicken to the table on its own. The new dipping sauces — along with Nacho Fries for those who wish to make it a combo meal — act as welcome accoutrements to the nugget experience, as Taco Bell is making chicken nuggets the star of the show. 

Taco Bell is a fast food chain, so low-calorie fare isn't exactly its area of expertise. Yes, this is chicken we're talking about, but fried is the only way that Crispy Chicken Nuggets are served, which doesn't make for the healthiest chicken-forward meal. Keep in mind that Taco Bell will be selling its Crispy Chicken Nuggets in five-piece and 10-piece portions. If you're looking to whittle down the total number of calories, the best way to make that happen is by ordering the smaller portion.

Five Crispy Chicken Nuggets clock in at 330 calories, while a 10-piece pack comes in at 670 calories. By comparison, a four-piece order of Chicken McNuggets from McDonald's is 170 calories — but the chicken you'll get at Mickey D's is decidedly more basic. 

But let's be real — most of us don't eat fast food chicken nuggets with nothing on them. To get a better idea of the actual calorie count you'll be consuming in an order of Taco Bell Crispy Chicken Nuggets, factor in the calories inside the dipping sauces as well. A single serving of Taco Bell's Jalapeño Honey Mustard sauce or Fire Ranch sauce will add 120 calories, while Bell Sauce adds 122 calories. Ordering the combo meal? An order of Nacho Fries totals 270 calories, while the nacho cheese sauce that comes with it has 60 calories. 

Before indulging in anything else, my taste-test companion (and certified chicken-nugget snob) Margaux St John and I tried a Crispy Chicken Nugget free of sauce. The breading was crisp and slightly powdery. From its appearance, you wouldn't know the nugget was made with tortilla-chip bits. Biting into the nugget revealed moist, white-meat chicken, just as Taco Bell described. "This is real chicken," St John noted with a smile, adding that "you wouldn't think it's out of the freezer."

We broke into the sauces, starting with Bell Sauce. We agreed this was the best one. "I can't think of anything on the market that's like that," St John remarked. A close second was the Jalapeño Honey Mustard. The spiciness came through at the end, harmoniously teaming up with the jalapeño notes in the nuggets' marinade. We enjoyed the Hidden Valley Fire Ranch Sauce too, but found it slightly less interesting than the others.

Munching on Nacho Fries with the nuggets was a bona fide treat. They were everything we wanted in a warm and zesty comfort food. The fries came with nacho cheese, which we dipped the nuggets in as well. The chicken wasn't overly greasy, and the breading didn't get soggy (even after a ride home). St John maintained that Taco Bell's Crispy Chicken Nuggets were "better than anything at Chick-fil-A, 100%." Dipping sauce is a mandatory enhancement to these nuggets, but overall, Taco Bell has a delicious thing going.