Taco Bell is testing Crispy Chicken Nuggets in Minneapolis starting October 12.
Nancy Luna/Insider
Taco Bell is testing Crispy Chicken Nuggets made with all white meat. Chain reps threw shade at rivals like McDonald’s when describing the quality of the Taco Bell nuggets. Taco Bell is also going after McDonald’s at breakfast with the nationwide debut of breakfast tacos.
There’s nothing Mexican about chicken nuggets, but that doesn’t bother Taco Bell.
Starting today, October 12, the chain is testing Crispy Chicken Nuggets in select stores as the chain plans to disrupt a category where it sees weakness.
“This is like truly a very premium nugget. It’s not a chicken nugget patty you might get at some fast-food restaurants. This is very much more elevated,” brand marketing representative Jessica Perri said during a recent media event at the fast-food chain’s headquarters in Irvine, California.
Chef Brett Pluskalowski, who works on Taco Bell’s food innovation team, didn’t hesitate to throw some shade at McDonald’s, as well.
He said Taco Bell, which has been developing more chicken items due to consumer demand, is making its nugget with all white-meat chicken.
Taco Bell brand reps say their nuggets are made of all white meat and are higher quality than those from fast-food rivals.
Nancy Luna/Insider
“When you go to McDonald’s, that’s not what you see,” Pluskalowski said.
“This is real chicken,” he said of Taco Bell’s nuggets, which are marinated in a jalapeño buttermilk.
According to McDonald’s website, “McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets are made from 100% chicken breast meat. However, as a percentage of the total recipe when the batter, seasoning and oil to cook the nuggets are taken into account, chicken meat constitutes 45% of the total Chicken McNugget.”
The Crispy Chicken Nuggets will be tested in 83 Taco Bells in Minneapolis. Five-piece nuggets plus sauce will sell for $3.99 to $4.99, depending on the location; a 10-piece item comes with two sauces and ranges in price from $6 to $8.99 depending on the location, Taco Bell said.
Taco Bell created two new dipping sauces, Bell Sauce and Jalapeño Honey Mustard, to go with the nuggets.
Nancy Luna/Insider
Taco Bell also developed two new dipping sauces, Bell Sauce and Jalapeño Honey Mustard, to accompany the nuggets. The Bell Sauce is mildly spicy, with tomatoes, red chilies, garlic, and onions. The Jalapeño Honey Mustard is a mashup of honey and hot mustard to get a sweet, tangy dipping sauce with a mild kick.
Perri said the nuggets are Taco Bell’s “new spin on how to bring crispy chicken” to consumers in a way that “fits our brand.”
There’s also a practical reason for launching nuggets, brand marketing rep Jessica Wilson said.
“It’s for people who don’t like tacos,” Wilson told Insider during the media event.
This isn’t the chain’s first attempt at a chicken nugget. Back in 2017, it launched triangular-shaped bites called Naked Chicken Chips nationwide. The chips were served with a nacho cheese dipping sauce.
Taco Bell rolling out Toasted Breakfast Tacos nationwide
Taco Bell says its new toasted breakfast tacos are part of a plan to step up the chain’s breakfast game.
Taco Bell
Taco Bell is also going after McDonald’s at breakfast.
On Thursday, the chain debuted Toasted Breakfast Tacos nationwide. The new breakfast tacos are part of the chain’s desire to step up its breakfast game, Perri said. The $1.49 tacos feature eggs, melted cheese, and either bacon, sausage, or potato in a grilled tortilla.
Last December during an investor day conference, outgoing Taco Bell CEO Mark King said the chain has dabbled with breakfast for several years. But “we have to commit” to breakfast to beat rivals like McDonald’s, said King, who is retiring at the end of 2023.