Taco Bell is adding chicken tenders to its menu

Chicken tenders are a fast food staple, and now Taco Bell is offering their own take on the popular snack with the introduction of Crispy Tortilla Chicken. As the name implies, these are no ordinary chicken tenders — they’re made of all-white-meat chicken that’s been marinated in jalapeno-infused buttermilk and then dredged in crushed tortilla chips before being fried.

Taco Bell is expected to roll out the chicken tenders at restaurants in Dayton, Ohio and Houston, Texas next Thursday. A nationwide rollout will follow in 2020.

Crispy Tortilla Chicken will be available as a two-piece order for $2.99 or a three-piece order for $3.99. You’ll also be able to get it in soft taco form for $1.99. There will also be $5 and $7 meal boxes, and the chicken tenders come with a new Creamy Chili Pepper sauce.

Kate Taylor got the opportunity to try out the new chicken tenders for Business Insider, and she noted that the sauce’s flavor was reminiscent of the type served at Chick-Fil-A and Raising Cane’s.

Hmm! Perhaps Taco Bell is hoping to wade into the ongoing “chicken wars” taking place between fast-food restaurants, ever since the wildly successful introduction of a fried chicken sandwich at Popeye’s in August 2019.  When you think about it, a taco could sort of be considered a type of sandwich, right?!

The announcement about Crispy Tortilla Chicken comes amid the return of another popular chicken menu item at the Mexican fast-casual chain this week. Rolled Chicken Tacos are back at Taco Bell, which come in a four-pack for $3.99. They’re served with your choice of Spicy Ranch Dip or Nacho Cheese Dip.

Taco Bell tweeted about their return on Nov. 21:

“#RolledChickenTacos are back,” reads the caption alongside a short animation of the tasty-looking tacos. “Feel free to double-dip.”

Yum! Are you excited to give Crispy Tortilla Chicken a try? Let the chicken wars continue!