Review: Taco Bell's Crispy Chicken Nuggets Are A Delicious Addition

In 2024, Taco Bell introduced a new menu item with a spicy twist: its Crispy Chicken Nuggets. These bite-sized morsels became an instant hit, selling out nationwide in under a week, with one out of every six orders including an order of them. Starting on April 24, Crispy Chicken Nuggets are back. Plus, these nuggets are just the first step; Taco Bell is exploring even more crispy chicken creations this year to see how the category will take shape long-term.

These nuggets are made from real, tender chunks of all-white meat chicken soaked in a jalapeño buttermilk marinade and coated with a crispy tortilla chip breading. The Crispy Chicken Nuggets are being offered with a crave-able sauce line-up, which includes heavy-hitters, like Hidden Valley Fire Ranch Sauce, Bell Sauce, and Jalapeño Honey Mustard. 

Crispy Chicken Nuggets will be available in a few different combinations, including five pieces with one sauce for $3.99, 10-pieces with two sauces for $6.99, a 5-piece combo with Nacho fries and a drink for $5.99, and a 10-piece combo with Nacho fries and a drink for $8.99. You can purchase additional sauces with each order for 25 cents apiece. 

We wanted to sample these Crispy Chicken Nuggets to give our readers a first glimpse of what they can expect when diving into them, so we went out and snagged one of the first batches available at our local Taco Bell. Read on to discover what all the hype is about and why you might want to add these new chicken-y mouthfuls to your next Taco Bell order. 

This new offering from Taco Bell is proof that you don't need to grind up chicken to make nuggets. Each nugget is a good-sized hunk of meat that is juicy and flavorful. I was impressed that there wasn't any sinew or gristle, just quality chicken. The breading-to-chicken ratio was also well thought out, with enough to create a good bite, but not enough to mask the meat. The breading itself was nice and crunchy and had a good, slightly spicy flavor, although I did find it to be a bit too salty. Additionally, the chicken nuggets weren't greasy, which I appreciate with fried food.

After sampling the Crispy Chicken Nuggets as-is, I dipped them into each of the trio of bold sauces. The first sauce I tried was the cult-favorite Hidden Valley Fire Ranch Sauce. This sauce fuses Taco Bell's iconic Fire Sauce with America's favorite brand of ranch dressing to create a truly complex, creamy, yet spicy dip. I found it to be a great contrast with the delicately spiced chicken nuggets, providing an almost hot and cold sensation, which was really unique. The Signature Bell Sauce was next on my line-up. This had a pleasant, sweet, and savory flavor, with notes of smoky barbecue, that really played well off the delicate, all-white meat chicken. The Jalapeño Honey Mustard was a dud. It was dominated by yellow mustard, which masked the other flavors and made it overly sharp. 

When I arrived at my local Taco Bell, I decided upon the basic five piece and one sauce combination but added the other two sauces to my order for an additional up-charge so that I could sample them all. If I'm honest, I found the portion size to be somewhat small considering that once I got the extra sauces and paid tax, my meal ended up being $5. Though the Crispy Chicken Nuggets are not small, five of them wouldn't really be enough for a meal. They are more of an add-on or a snack. That said, they are a worthwhile add-on or snack, and the combos with the Nacho fries, which have a seasoning blend that is delicious, and drink are actually a pretty decent value, so that might be the better route to go. 

The chicken itself was surprisingly good in flavor and texture. It came out hot and fresh and didn't have that pre-frozen quality that can often make fast food chicken somewhat underwhelming or downright disgusting. The dipping sauces were hit or miss. My favorite was the Hidden Valley Fire Ranch Sauce, with the Bell Sauce a distant second. The Jalapeño Honey Mustard was a dud. You'd be better off making your own honey mustard sauce from scratch if that's something you really enjoy on chicken nuggets. Otherwise, I'd stick to the other two or just drench these nuggets in one of the other hot sauces Taco Bell has on offer.