Taco Bell's chicken nuggets return next week, with plans to make crispy chicken permanent by 2026

Taco Bell is lastly reviving its fan-favorite chicken nuggets after they offered out too soon following their launch last December.

Taco Bell will relaunch its chicken nuggets on April 24, following favorable fan feedback and as part of the chain’s push to broaden its chicken menu.

The nuggets vary from other chains because they’re marinaded in a jalapeño buttermilk and covered in a tortilla-chip crumb and breadcrumb covering. When we compared them to other chains’ nuggets, they were our clear preferred thanks to their crispy breading and special sauce tastes.

The chain’s brand-new lineup of dipping sauces, consisting of Hidden Valley Fire Cattle Ranch Sauce, Bell Sauce, and Jalapeño Honey Mustard, will likewise be back for a restricted time.

The chain’s brand-new Mike’s Hot Honey Diablo Sauce is anticipated to be launched midway through the launch.

Taco Bell’s huge bet on crispy chicken is sustained by Gen Z’s cravings

” I believe from a cultural perspective, Gen Z is consuming more crispy chicken and chicken in the classification than any other generation,” Taco Bell’s CMO Taylor Montgomery informed Company Expert on April 15.

” As a youth brand name, we require to progress to where youth culture and the next generation of customers are going,” Montgomery stated.

Montgomery stated the chain’s preliminary launch of chicken nuggets far gone beyond expectations. The limited-time deal sold out after its very first week, leaving numerous restaurants empty-handed.

Throughout the week the chicken nuggets were offered, almost 1 in 6 orders consisted of chicken nuggets, according to the chain.

” The need definitely blew us away,” he stated. “So we listened to culture and we listened to what our fans stated.”

A five-piece nugget with one dipping sauce begins at $3.99, and a 10-piece nugget and 2 dipping sauces begins at $6.99.

Montgomery stated the chain anticipates the nuggets to be around for 8 weeks and after that leave menus once again. The chain is try out a range of crispy chicken items– not simply nuggets– and prepares to make the classification irreversible by 2026.

” We take a great deal of shots, and I would state crispy chicken nuggets were a shot in 2015. It was a threat,” Montgomery informed BI. “We didn’t understand if it was going to work, however we got a great deal of brand-new information points in between from time to time. It assisted us get the projection right.”

Crispy chicken is a huge chance for fast-food chains

At Taco Bell’s yearly Live Más Live Customer Day in March, CFO Neil Manhas shared the substantial development capacity in the classifications the chain is concentrating on this year.

In the discussion, Manhas highlighted the size of the crispy chicken classification, worth $26 billion within the QSR landscape, and the french fries classification, worth $20 billion.

He stated the classification size of non-fried chicken menu products, like those included on the chain’s Cantina menu, was $12 billion, showing the power of fried chicken over other chicken items.

CMO Taylor Montgomery included that crispy chicken and products like Nacho French fries increase each other’s sales. The chain informed BI that in December, 45% of chicken nugget orders likewise consisted of Nacho French fries.

With the relaunch, the chain is using orders of nuggets, Nacho Cheese French Fries, and a big water fountain beverage as a combination meal to construct on that success. The combination begins at $5.99 for a five-piece meal and $8.99 for a 10-piece meal.

Taco Bell is getting ready to release much more brand-new menu products, consisting of chicken strips

The chain stated that 95% of developments in the Taco Bell test kitchen area function chicken as the premier protein, and brand-new menu products like chicken strips are likewise en route.

Though few information about the chain’s upcoming chicken strips are understood, Montgomery stated the item style will be really comparable to the chain’s nuggets and include the tortilla chip covering.

” Our method is how do we in fact develop a bit of a crispy chicken twist on a few of the types that customers understand and like us for,” Montgomery stated.

Montgomery stated other upcoming chicken items consist of a crispy chicken taco and a crispy chicken burrito.

The chain likewise wishes to broaden its dipping sauces, with a brand-new Spicy Ranchero sauce and an avocado cattle ranch sauce coming quickly.

” A huge pattern amongst food culture, however actually amongst Gen Z, are sauces,” Montgomery stated. “From a Taco Bell perspective, we like that due to the fact that ‘saucy’ is among our crucial equities.”

” Sauces are ending up being an entrance to experiment and attempt brand-new tastes and brand-new cultures,” he continued. “And I believe for us as a Mexican-inspired brand name, that’s actually interesting.”

Montgomery stated that the chain has “a lot more sauce development coming,” and it’s a chance for the chain to team up with other brand names with cult followings and present more individuals to the Taco Bell brand name.

Correction– April 17, 2025: An earlier variation of this post misstated what will be completely contributed to Taco Bell menus in 2026. Taco Bell stated the chain plans to make crispy chicken irreversible by 2026, however has actually not yet verified if nuggets will belong to the lineup.