There’s no denying it: 2024 was a big year for fast food. From food options galore to the return of all-time fan favorites like the Snack Wrap, there’s been a lot of excitement, but perhaps no chain has made more of a splash on the fast food scene this year than Taco Bell. The Tex-Mex chain set the stage for a big 2024 back in February at Live Más LIVE, the company’s first superfan convention.

There, the chain announced groundbreaking innovations like Cheez-It Tostada, Baja Blast Gelato and its acclaimed Decades Menu, reviving fan favorites that haven’t been available in 50 years. Just when we thought things couldn’t get any more exciting, Taco Bell is ending 2024 with a bang — and what may be its most controversial item yet. Because the chain is going where it has never been before: into the land of fast food nuggets.

Taco Bell’s new crispy chicken nuggets

Taco Bell likes to test new menu items in select markets, and these chicken nuggets were no exception. The Crispy Chicken Nuggets were first spotted in Minneapolis over a year ago, and it appears the test was a success in both customer feedback and hype, as now they’re hitting the market nationwide for the first time.

Taco Bell’s first foray into the world of fast food nuggets couldn’t just be regular nuggets – they had to be special. Taco Bell’s Crispy Chicken Nuggets feature all-white chicken marinated in a jalapeño-buttermilk mixture and coated in a crispy breading enriched with tortilla chips.

The nuggets come with three brand new dipping sauces: jalapeño honey mustard; an all-new Signature Bell sauce; and Hidden Valley Fire Ranch Sauce, a spicy ranch sauce made in collaboration with Hidden Valley. According to a press release, Taco Bell’s research and development team tested over 100 variations to find the perfect trio of sauces.

With the introduction of its first-ever nuggets, Taco Bell is attempting to shake up the fast food scene once again by challenging chicken nugget fans to step out of their comfort zone. But can the Tex-Mex chain’s nuggets bring Chick-Fil-A and KFC fans to the yard? Has it strayed too far from its cheesy, beefy roots?

I got an early taste of Taco Bell’s new Crispy Chicken Nuggets, and here are my honest thoughts.

My honest review of Taco Bell’s new Crispy Chicken Nuggets

I have to say that my expectations for these nuggets were not that high before the taste test. I strongly believe that fast food chains should stay in their lane. Sorry, but you won’t catch me ordering lattes at McDonald’s or empanadas at Dunkin’. However, after all the testing, I was curious to see how the nuggets would compare to their crispy chicken competitors. And it’s safe to say that this will give Popeye’s and KFC a run for their money.

The chicken bites are very crispy and have a coating that is definitely closer to Popeye’s breading than McNugget batter. The small pieces of tortilla chips are barely noticeable in the breading, but add a subtle roasted corn flavor and textural dimension. The inside is juicy and super tender (probably from the buttermilk bath taken before breading), with real chunks of white meat – no reconstituted chicken here. They weren’t too greasy or too heavy, and within a few minutes I had quickly eaten more nuggets than I had planned, so that’s saying something.

As far as the sauces go, they might just steal the show because they are some of the best fast food dipping sauces I’ve ever tasted. I’m a certifiable HMG (Honey Mustard Girl), so the jalapeño honey mustard was an instant winner for me, with a nice balance of sweetness and just a little warm spiciness in the background. Even my tasting partner, a honey mustard skeptic, agreed that it was a solid take on the sauce.

Combining Hidden Valley Ranch with Taco Bell’s signature hot fire sauce, Hidden Valley Fire Ranch Sauce tastes exactly as you’d expect – in the best way possible. It reminds me of the Reese’s slogan from the ’70s: It’s “two great flavors that taste great together.” This is probably the spiciest of the three, but is still super tolerable in terms of spiciness.

Finally, there’s Bell Sauce, a new signature for Taco Bell. It is described as a creamy sauce with hints of tomato, red chili and garlic. I definitely tasted the tomato flavor, along with some sweetness that made it strangely reminiscent of BBQ sauce in a comforting way. It’s a sauce that pairs super well with all of Taco Bell’s signature Southwest seasonings, and I could see it pairing perfectly with everything from the Crunchwrap Supreme to the Cheesy Gordita Crunch.

Overall, I think they’re a huge success and I think both Taco Bell fans and skeptics will love these nuggets. My friend and tasting companion for this test is a confirmed chicken nugget connoisseur and he agreed that these can compete with the best. He astutely pointed out that they taste quite similar to KFC’s chicken nuggets, which isn’t particularly surprising considering that both KFC and Taco Bell are owned by the same parent company, Yum! Brands.

Are you ready to try them out for yourself? Available at restaurants nationwide starting December 19, Taco Bell’s Crispy Chicken Nuggets are priced at $3.99 for a five-piece order with one dipping sauce or $6.99 for a 10-piece order with two dipping sauces . You can also get the nuggets in a combo with nacho fries and a large fountain drink starting at $5.99.