Taco Bell Is Bringing Back This "Naked" Menu Item

Almost as soon as we learned we'll be saying goodbye to the Quesalupa at the end of the month, Taco Bell announced the return of another much-loved item that's about to steal the spotlight. Doubling down on their new adventures in chicken, the chain said it would be bringing back the Naked Chicken Chalupa this week.

It's hard to forget this Chalupa, which uses a flat piece of crispy fried chicken as a shell. In fact, when it first made an appearance on nationwide menus in 2017, the item was so popular that it spawned a whole new era of chicken experiments at Taco Bell. The Naked Chicken Chips, Crispy Chicken Quesadilla, and Chicken and Biscuits all followed the beloved "naked" item, which proved that Taco Bell can take on any crispy chicken rival in the fast-food arena.

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taco bell naked chicken chalupa — Courtesy of Taco Bell

The old-new Naked Chalupa starts with all-white-meat chicken that is marinated in Mexican spices and rolled in a crunchy coating and is stuffed with lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and avocado ranch sauce. But this fried chicken item is anything but ordinary when compared to its chicken sandwich competitors. Just as they did with the Chicken Sandwich Taco, Taco Bell is attempting to stand out with a chicken offering that's truly unique in a sea of bun-mayo-chicken-pickle items that all seem to be each other's clones.

"When you look at the industry, you see the same sandwich being introduced as new everywhere, but at Taco Bell, being a follower isn't our philosophy. We've listened to our fans and we're confident this is the perfect time to bring back this fan-favorite," said Liz Matthews, Taco Bell's Chief Food Innovation Officer, in a press release. "The Naked Chicken Chalupa is just the beginning of Taco Bell's chicken offerings this year with more unexpected menu items being introduced at a later time."

In fact, Taco Bell created a short promo video that takes a stab at its fast-food competitors, who all seem to be releasing the exact same monotonous sandwich.

The item will become available at nationwide locations tomorrow, but Taco Bell Rewards members can get their hands on it as early as today, by ordering through the chain's mobile app.

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