Taco Bell Is Bringing Back the Menu Item That Sold Out Last Year—and Making It Permanent

Everyone knows that Taco Bell is constantly creating new innovations and adding them its already robust fast food menu. From its classics, like tacos and burritos, to signature specials, like the Crunchwrap Supreme and Mexican Pizza, ordering at Taco Bell’s drive-thru already entails a lot of choices. Yet, the chain continues cranking out new menu items that are somehow even better than the last.

In 2024, Taco Bell released a ton of new, delicious menu items, like its Cantina Chicken menu, Cheesy Street Chalupas, and, of course, the internet-breaking Mountain Dew Baja Blast Gelato. While those new offerings have become incredibly popular—so much so that Taco Bell recently released a spicy “Caliente” version of its Cantina Chicken and new Toasted Cheddar Street Chalupas—its best-selling release wasn’t necessarily Tex-Mex-inspired at all. The winner of 2024 was Taco Bell’s Crispy Chicken Nuggets.

In December, Taco Bell swung for the fast food fences by adding Crispy Chicken Nuggets, made with a tortilla-chip breading, to its menus. The nuggets, which went through more than 50 recipe iterations, were a hit, selling out in less than a week—and fans have been begging for their return ever since.

At Live Más Live 2025 in March, the chain announced that the popular nuggets would return to menus twice this year—and the time has finally come.

Taco Bell's Crispy Chicken Nuggets Are Back

Beginning April 24, Taco Bell’s Crispy Chicken Nuggets are officially back on menus, alongside the Hidden Valley Fire Ranch Sauce that fans loved the first time around. The nuggets, which are marinated in a zesty jalapeño buttermilk flavor before breaded with tortilla chips and fried to crispy perfection, will be sold à la carte in a five-piece with one dipping sauce or 10-piece with two dipping sauces, as well as a combo, complete with Nacho Fries, nacho cheese sauce, and a large drink.

In addition to the Hidden Valley Fire Ranch Sauce’s return, Taco Bell is bringing back its other nugget dippers, including Bell Sauce and Jalapeño Honey Mustard.

While the Crispy Chicken Nuggets’ first return will only be available for a limited time, the announcement comes with even more exciting news. Taco Bell plans to add a crispy chicken option to its permanent menu by 2026.

“The demand for our nuggets was off the charts, which is why we’re looking at making crispy chicken permanent to give our fans what they are telling us they want. We know we’re not the usual name in crispy chicken, but our nuggets speak for themselves—they’re bold, different, and unmistakably Taco Bell,” Taco Bell’s Chief Marketing Officer, Taylor Montgomery, said in a press release.

Taco Bell promises to bring the chicken nuggets back in new forms and with new dipping sauces, including a collab with Mike’s Hot Honey, which was announced at Live Más Live. We know that the chain is also currently testing chicken strips in its Crispy Chicken Bacon Club Burrito—and, at Live Más Live, the brand sounded confident that those strips would hit nationwide menus sometime this year.

This time, you might have to fight off the other 5 million Americans who loved the Crispy Chicken Nuggets the first time—plus, those who haven’t tried them yet, but now want to—to get your hands on an order. However, there’s hope that Taco Bell’s beloved nuggets will be around for good sooner rather than later.

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