Taco Bell is bringing back its controversial Naked Chicken Chalupa to get in on the chicken sandwich wars
Taco Bell is bringing back the Naked Chicken Chalupa.
First introduced in 2017, chalupa fillings are served inside a fried chicken shell.
The chain also announced a Crispy Chicken Sandwich Taco earlier this year.
Taco Bell is bringing back the Naked Chicken Chalupa on May 20, the chain's latest offering in the slate of chicken "sandwiches."
The item - consisting of a crunchy fried chicken shell wrapped around lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and avocado ranch sauce -was first introduced as a limited-time menu offering in 2017 after years of testing. That first launch was such a hit that Taco Bell brought it back the next year and launched several other fried chicken products.
In a 2018 taste test, Insider called it the chain's "most controversial chalupa ever,"
Taco Bell menu items usually use ground beef or beans as protein, but it hasn't shied away from testing chicken dishes. There was the Crispy Chicken Chickstar in 2015, followed by Naked Chicken Chips and Crispy Chicken Quesadilla following the unorthodox chalupa. Most recently, Taco Bell released the Crispy Chicken Sandwich Taco in a few markets ahead of a nationwide release.
"When you look at the industry, you see the same sandwich being introduced as new everywhere, but at Taco Bell, being a follower isn't our philosophy. We've listened to our fans and we're confident this is the perfect time to bring back this fan-favorite," Liz Matthews, Taco Bell's chief "food innovation officer, said in a press release.
Taco Bell is one of many players in the world of fast-food chicken sandwiches and similar dishes. The segment has become red-hot in recent years.
Several chains are gearing up to introduce competitors to Chick-fil-A and Popeyes, both of which sell wildly popular crispy chicken sandwiches with pickles.
In January, KFC introduced a crispy chicken sandwich now available nationwide, and Jimmy John's dropped its own version of the chicken sandwich in a Super Bowl ad earlier this year. Burger King announced a new chicken sandwich coming later this year, and McDonald's latest chicken sandwich has been praised as a worthy competitor to Chick-fil-A.
Taco Bell is known for a frequently-changing menu and bringing back old favorites. Matthews hinted that more chicken dishes could be on the horizon.
"The Naked Chicken Chalupa is just the beginning of Taco Bell's chicken offerings this year with more unexpected menu items being introduced at a later time," she said.
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