Taco Bell Cheesy Street Chalupas And Crispy Chicken Nuggets Review: Order The Chalupas, But Skip The Nuggets

Attention Bell Heads: Taco Bell is introducing two limited-edition menu items this week at participating locations! First up, Cheesy Street Chalupas. These street-inspired eats come with your choice of shredded chicken or grilled steak and feature a soft, chewy chalupa shell stuffed with a blend of gooey mozzarella and pepper Jack cheese. Next, Taco Bell is throwing its Crispy Chicken Nuggets into the ring, taking on an established group of fast-food fried chicken offerings. Made with all-white meat marinated in spiced jalapeño buttermilk, Taco Bell's Crispy Chicken Nuggets are breaded in a uniquely crisp tortilla coating and come with a choice of two new sauces, Bell Sauce and Jalapeño Honey Mustard.

Taco Bell is a ubiquitous fast-food chain that regularly develops innovative food offerings to attract new customers every day. From the Crunchwraps and Nacho Fries to the Mexican Pizzas and Cinnamon Twists, it's easy to see why Taco Bell has a loyal fan base that keeps returning for unique, fun, delicious, budget-friendly fare. Taco Bell invited us to try both items and we've compiled all you need to know about the Cheesy Street Chalupas and Crispy Chicken Nuggets. Read on to see what these exciting new menu items are all about — because they may not be around for long.

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What Is In The Cheesy Street Chalupas And Crispy Chicken Nuggets?

Taco Bell's Cheesy Street Chalupas are a unique handheld full of mouthwatering flavor. The chalupas are available in two meaty ways: shredded, all-white-meat chicken and grilled, marinated steak. Both come garnished with chopped onion and cilantro, like classic Mexican street tacos, and a drizzle of jalapeño ranch sauce. The chalupas are wrapped up in two shells stuffed with gooey mozzarella and pepper Jack cheese. If you've had authentic chalupas, expect the shells to be slightly different. Chalupas traditionally feature a corn masa-based shell; however, Taco Bell uses flour instead of corn to make a doughy flatbread shell that, when fried, becomes chewy inside and crisp outside. Each order comes with two chalupas — and no, you cannot order one with chicken and one with steak (sigh).

Taco Bell's Crispy Chicken Nuggets are made with chunks of 100% real chicken breast marinated in spiced jalapeño buttermilk, rolled in a crunchy tortilla chip coating, and fried until crisp. To accompany the nuggets, Taco Bell developed new sauces for two unique dipping experiences: Bell Sauce and Jalapeño Honey Mustard. Bell Sauce offers eaters a mildly spiced ranch-like taste made with tomatoes, red chiles, garlic, and onion. Jalapeño Honey Mustard provides flavors of sweet honey, tangy mustard, and a kick of jalapeño for a cross between hot honey and honey mustard.

They Are Available At Participating Locations And Only For A Limited Time

The Cheesy Street Chalupas will be available at participating Taco Bell locations in Indianapolis, Indiana, beginning October 12, while supplies last. Since the Street Chalupas will be available only at participating locations, make sure to check the store locator to see if your local Taco Bell is featuring this new menu item. The Cheesy Street Chalupas cost between $5.49 and $5.99, depending on location. The price may seem a little steep, but that's because you get two chalupas per order. (Sweet!)

The Crispy Chicken Nuggets will be available at participating locations in Minneapolis, Minnesota, starting October 12, while supplies last. The nuggets will be offered in two sizes: a five-piece for $3.99 and a 10-piece for $4.99. If you're craving the accompanying Bell Sauce or Jalapeño Honey Mustard, you'll be disappointed to learn that the sauces can't be ordered a la carte. So, if you want to try either of the new sauces, you'll have to order some nuggets to go with them.

The Nutrition Breakdown

One Cheesy Street Chalupa with either grilled steak or shredded chicken has 400 calories, higher than the chalupa offerings currently on the Taco Bell menu, like the Chalupa Supreme, which has 360 calories. That amount of calories isn't all that atrocious considering it's fast food, but remember that you get two chalupas per order. So, if you plan on eating both chalupas, you'll have ingested 800 calories by the time you've finished your meal. And that's assuming you didn't get a side of Nacho Fries with your order.

With the Crispy Chicken Nuggets, the amount of calories will depend on which size — and sauce — you order. The five-piece nuggets with Jalapeño Honey Mustard have 540 calories, while the five-piece nuggets with Bell Sauce clock in at 550 calories. The 10-piece nuggets without sauce have 680 calories (compared to McDonald's 10-piece McNuggets, which have 410 calories). Finally, Taco Bell's 10-piece nuggets with both the Bell Sauce and Jalapeño Honey Mustard boast 1,090 calories.

As with any nutritional information, the numbers above only represent the items being tested beginning on October 12. These numbers may change for future tests and if the menu becomes available nationally.

How Do These Offerings Compare To Other Taco Bell Items?

Taco Bell introduced its chalupas in 1999. Since then, chalupas have had a permanent presence on the menu, and in true Taco Bell fashion, chalupa variations have appeared and reappeared on the menu over the years. The Chalupa Supreme is a menu staple that features seasoned beef, a three-cheese blend, lettuce, tomatoes, and reduced-fat sour cream, while the Black Bean Chalupa Supreme is available on the digital-only Veggie Cravings menu. Other chalupa iterations that have come and gone (for now) include the Naked Chicken Chalupa, which swapped out the flatbread for a fried chicken cutlet shaped like a taco shell, the Quesalupa, and the French Toast Chalupa.

This is the first time in Taco Bell history that chicken nuggets will be on the menu. But it's not the first time a fried jalapeño buttermilk marinated chicken with tortilla chip coating has appeared. In 2021, the company tested a Crispy Chicken Sandwich Taco in select markets. This half sandwich-half taco featured the same coated, fried chicken now reappearing as a chicken nugget. Clearly, Taco Bell execs hope this new finger-food version of the buttermilk marinated chicken will resonate with Bell Heads and attract new fans. Additionally, certain participating locations offer an online exclusive Cantina Crispy Chicken Taco, a flour tortilla filled with crispy chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, cheddar cheese, and creamy chipotle sauce.

The Chalupas Are The Clear Winner Here

The Cheesy Street Chalupas are the best Taco Bell item we've eaten in a while. The warm, bready chalupa shells are squishy and soft with a delightful exterior crunch, and the cheesy layer between them adds a mouthwatering salty, fatty taste. The grilled steak is juicy and tender, and the toppings of fresh cilantro and crisp onions made us feel like we were walking down the streets of Oaxaca. The tasty jalapeño ranch sauce provided heat and creaminess to tie it all together. Our verdict? Taco Bell's new Cheesy Street Chalupa is a masterful combination of crispy-chewy bread, tasty fillings, and flavorful sauce that's a surefire winner we hope will stay on the menu for a long time.

We really wanted to like Taco Bell's Crispy Chicken Nuggets, but sadly, that didn't happen. The meat was moist like we expected it to be with a buttermilk marinade, but the tortilla coating wasn't all that crunchy or tasty. But here's what it came down to: If a chicken nugget is made right, it doesn't need sauce. But unfortunately, without sauce, Taco Bell's new Crispy Chicken Nuggets were pretty bland. The only way we could enjoy the nuggets was by dipping them in the accompanying Jalapeño Honey Mustard — which, unlike the nuggets, was superb. Our verdict? If you're a fast-food chicken nugget connoisseur or just curious to try this new chicken offering from Taco Bell, sure, check them out. As for us, we'll pass.

Read the original article on Mashed.