Taco Bell joins the chicken wars with a new taco

Everyone seems to love fried chicken sandwiches. But how about a fried chicken sandwich on a taco? Taco Bell is making that dream come true with its new Crispy Chicken Sandwich Taco.

It’s a creative concoction: The all-white piece of chicken is marinated in jalapeño buttermilk and fried with a crunchy tortilla chip coating, served in a puffy bread that’s shaped as a taco. That’s then topped in a creamy chipotle sauce. There’s also a spicy version that includes an additional topping of jalapeño slices.

Taco Bell is serving the tacos only at participating restaurants in Nashville, Tennessee, and Charlotte, North Carolina, beginning on March 11 for $2.49. A nationwide rollout is planned for later this year, signaling the chain is ready to grow its menu again following a major reduction last year.

Taco Bell isn’t top of mind when it comes to the fried chicken wars. But its menu features a number of chicken items, including its Naked Chicken Chalupa featuring crispy chicken shaped into a shell filled with traditional toppings, such as lettuce and cheese.

In 2019, it briefly sold the Crispy Tortilla Chicken, which shares similar traits to Monday’s announcement including a piece of fried chicken marinated in a jalapeño buttermilk.

With fried chicken sandwiches becoming commonplace, fast food chains are getting creative with more flavor-filled options. In recent weeks, Wendy’s debuted a Jalapeño Popper Sandwich, Shake Shack added a chicken sandwich with a spicy-sweet Gochujang glaze and Chick-fil-A rolled out a spicy grilled chicken sandwich.

The chicken clash further escalates Wednesday when McDonald’s adds three new chicken sandwiches to its menu.