I Ordered Taco Bell’s Chicken Nuggets Today—Here’s What I Thought

I’m a Taco Bell fan. I have been since my travel softball days when I often needed to stop for a quick bite before practice. The Taco Bell Decades Menu reminds me of all the delicious menu items come and gone, but that nostalgia won’t stop my hunt for the next legendary find. That’s why I knew I had to do a full Taco Bell chicken nuggets review.

In early November, we got a tip that Taco Bell was punching up its poultry game. It seems unusual for this Mexican-inspired fast-food powerhouse to try its hand at chicken nuggets, but there’s an explanation. In a press release, Taco Bell explained that while beef is its primary business, more and more people have turned to chicken. The chain saw a positive uptick in sales with the Chicken Cantina Menu and intends to keep the momentum rolling.

Equipped with numerous years of fast-food reporting experience, I’m going to dive straight into this review of Taco Bell’s chicken nuggets. I have to know whether they can compete with other fast-food chicken nuggets.

What are the Taco Bell chicken nuggets?

Made with all-white chicken meat, marinated in jalapeno buttermilk and breaded with a crunchy tortilla chip mixture, these chicken nuggets are one of a kind. That’s what we love about the Bell, though! We’re a bit sad the nuggets won’t be a poultry-fied version of our beloved Nacho Fries, but the flavor profile still sounds like it has just the right amount of kick.

Are the Taco Bell chicken nuggets good?

I ordered 5-piece and 10-piece chicken nuggets, and both orders came in a purple cardboard box with the Taco Bell logo stamped proudly on top. The individual nuggets are a bit smaller than I expected.

My first bite was surprisingly crunchy. I was afraid they’d be too soft, but they keep their hard outer shell. The flavor is definitely distinct—I could taste the bite of jalapeno spice as soon as it hit my tongue, and it’s easy to tell that bits of tortilla chips thoroughly coat the outside. While the chicken itself was a little drier than I had hoped, I immediately found myself wanting to take another bite.

The Bell Sauce is tangy and reminds me of Thousand Island dressing. It complements the nuggets well and definitely fits better than a barbecue sauce would. However, the clear winner for me was the Jalapeno Honey Mustard sauce. Sweet with a hefty pepper kick, it suits the nuggets best overall.

Overall, I’ll give them a solid 7/10. Taco Bell made these nuggets unique, and I appreciate that. I don’t know if anything will ever trump my love for Wendy’s nuggets, but these come pretty close. I’d definitely grab another box for myself in the future.

How long are the chicken nuggets at Taco Bell?

You can grab a 5-piece for $3.99 or a 10-piece for $6.99 for a limited time at participating locations. We don’t know how long they’ll be around, so grab an order before they fly away for good.