Back in February, Yum! Brands (YUM) -owned Taco Bell took advantage of Super Bowl buzz to announce a major menu overhaul bringing items such as chicken nuggets, a Cheez-It Crunchwrap and Baja Blast gelato to its in-store menus.
The large number of new partnerships and foods that had never before appeared at Taco Bell stores made it easy to lose sight of the fact that the chain debuted five items with an ingredient that its customers like for its versatility and affordability: chicken.
Related: Taco Bell starts testing spicy take on fan-favorite items
The new Cantina Chicken Menu, which features five items made with the chain’s new shredded chicken seasoned with different chiles and other Mexican spices, has debuted through the app on March 14 for Taco Bell Rewards members and will be available in stores on March 21 for everyone else.
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Taco Bell: ‘We knew our fans wanted more chicken…’
“This Cantina Chicken menu has been a labor of love and we've worked tirelessly to ensure we landed on the best slow-roasted chicken recipe and selected the finest supporting ingredients to maximize craveability,” Taco Bell’s Global Chief Food Innovation Officer Liz Matthews said in a statement on the new menu. “We knew our fans wanted more chicken, and we also knew that we could elevate chicken with unexpected ingredients like purple cabbage and Avocado Verde Salsa.”
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The five new Chicken Cantina items include the Cantina Chicken Crispy Taco filled with the new shredded chicken protein alongside creamy jalapeño sauce, iceberg lettuce, shredded purple cabbage and a three-cheese blend for $2.99 and the $6.49 Chicken Cantina Quesadilla served with sides of guacamole, sour cream and Avocado Salsa Verde.
The other three items include Cantina Chicken Soft Taco (the same ingredients as the hard shell taco and also priced at $2.99), the Cantina Chicken Burrito (at $5.99, this is essentially a larger version of the taco) and the Cantina Chicken Bowl with the protein placed alongside rice and black beans for $7.99.
Taco Bell is making a big push with chicken
Chicken is by far the most common protein found on Taco Bell menus in large part due to its affordability — the chain said that this was also on its mind when deciding to invest in such a chicken-heavy new menu. Alongside chicken, the chain also premiered other new ingredients such as “shredded purple cabbage, white corn tortilla shell freshly fried daily, and pico de gallo freshly prepared daily.”
“Chicken innovation has long been cooking up at Taco Bell, but the protein is a main focus for 2024, from fried and delectable to slow-roasted and savory,” the chain said in promoting the new menu. “Last month, the Cheesy Chicken Crispanada graced national menus and there are more innovations that feature chicken hitting national menus later this year like the Crispy Chicken Nuggets.”
Taco Bell Rewards members, which basically means one has signed up to earn points through the chain’s online app, will also receive a free Cantina Chicken Crispy Taco that will be added to their account on March 21. Those who join between March 21 and April 4 will also be able to claim the free taco even before they start earning points.
