Taco Bell Is Unleashing New Fried Chicken 'Sandwiches' in Taco Form

Taco Bell—the chain that casually inverted breakfast tacos by making the shells out of fried egg—isn't exactly known for a conventional menu, to say the least. Even its customizable Cravings Boxes fly in the face of fast food bundle meal norms. So, it should come as absolutely no surprise that Taco Bell is proudly declaring that its latest menu creation is both a fried chicken sandwich and a taco.

Weeks after teasing its much-anticipated foray into the seemingly endless fast food chicken wars, Taco Bell officially unveiled what it describes as a "chicken innovation" that's "out of this clucking world": the Crispy Chicken Sandwich Taco. As you can tell from the name alone, the Fourth Meal maniacs at the chain really want you to think of this thing as both a sandwich and a taco. A T-Bell spokesperson goes even further, boldly saying in an email to Thrillist, "[I]t’s a sandwich AND a taco. And it doesn’t have to explain itself to be this delicious." Well then.

The centerpiece of the taco—or, erm, "sandwich"—is the chain's new Crispy Tortilla Chicken, which features white-meat chicken marinated in jalapeño buttermilk, Mexican-inspired spices, and a crunchy crust made with tortilla chip crumbs (think fried chicken tenders, but Taco Bell-style). Beyond that, things get a little weird... The chicken comes served in a "puffy bread" that's shaped like a taco. It ends up looking kind of like a cross between a Chalupa and a pork bun. Finally, each one is topped with creamy chipotle sauce and a spicy version sports jalapeño slices for extra heat.

It’s actually a great marketing idea. The contents change every month or so. Sometimes it highlights a new item.

It’s always filling and includes a drink for $5. I’m on the road for work and eat lunch in my truck every day.

No they do not make any effort to make Mexican food, and outside of the $5 box thing they are quite pricey.

If its in the middle of the day I get the $5 box with usually three items and a drink. If its between 2 and 5 (happy hour when drinks are a dollar) I get a Baja Blast Freezy and two or three items off the value menu, $1.29 around here, or a crunchy or cheddar taco for $1.49 which ends up coming to around $5 as well. I never purchase the more expensive items.

I wouldn't eat that. God only knows what that “chicken” really is. Their “beef” certainly isn't beef.

To each his own. My family including my parents eat at Taco Bell often. After reading this thread we will be going there in an hour or two. We have some very conscientious kids working at our favorite one. We know kids who have worked at them. One of the things that I like is that the meat, beans, etc. comes precooked in bags that are frozen. They are heated up by soaking them in hot water, the chance of getting something under-cooked or even dirty from bad hygiene practices seems minuscule the way the food is prepared.

When I was a fire officer we gave yearly inspections to every restaurant in town. I was always impressed by the cleanliness and the food preparation procedures in place at our local Taco Bells. Your chances of getting sick from fast food are actually much lower around here than eating at a normal restaurant. I assume that you are aware that you are statistically twice as likely to be struck by a food borne illness when eating at a restaurant than when eating at home. Food preparation that follows strictly prescribed protocol may not produce the most palatable products, but it definitely enhances safety.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.