A New Contender
In my head, I was hoping that the Chicken Sandwich Wars of 2019 were finally over. With most people comfortable in their decision, it seemed like the trend of restaurants creating a “new” and “innovative” way to reinvent the sandwich had finally ended. That was until Taco Bell decided to submit its entry (two years late…).
On February 22, 2021, the fast-food culinary world was turned on its head when Taco Bell released an announcement for their new crispy chicken sandwich. Food enthusiasts everywhere had their curiosity piqued and were looking for a new and different take on the classic that had taken America by storm. For some reason. Honestly, I’m still really confused by the whole Chicken Sandwich War debate. It just seemed really unnecessary.
Roadblock Ahead…
Now, the only issue is that this item wasn’t going to be released to the public until later this year. HOWEVER! They were testing the tacos in two locations: Nashville, Tennessee and Charlotte, North Carolina. Obviously, I was disappointed, but I understood. Gotta test it out before releasing it to the public to see how many people would want to buy the product. It does make logical sense in theory.
I do have to thank my friends, Alison and Arushi, for sending me this article in particular. It did alert me to the creation, but I also have to thank them for convincing me to do a road trip down to North Carolina.
Thanks to Arushi for the Taco Bell shirts. This was the wrong Taco Bell...
Yes, you did read that correctly. I drove 6 hours with my friends in order to get these tacos. I honestly can’t figure out why or how I was convinced to make the drive. Nevertheless, the drive was made, and the tacos were acquired. But I guess the big question is: was it worth the drive?
The short answer? No. No it was not.
Curiosity Inconvenienced the Cat
If I’m being completely honest, I was hesitant about going on this trip in the first place because as I stated before, it was going to come to every other Taco Bell later this year. But you know what. I’ve been told that I need to experience more things, so I just went along with the flow. Throw caution to the wind. Other things that make me slightly uncomfortable.
Please keep in mind that this review is written by someone who has only gone to Taco Bell twice in his life… So, I am even less qualified to review the food than usual.
Crispy Chicken Sandwich
If there is one thing I can say about the crispy chicken sandwich, it’s that it is severely underwhelming. Especially for a six-hour drive. But even if I didn’t drive so far to eat this sandwich, I’m almost confident that I would have the same reaction.
This isn’t to say that the sandwich was awful. In my minimal experience eating at Taco Bell, I can definitely say that this was not the worst thing I’ve eaten on the menu… Again, this isn’t saying much because I can’t even eat half of the menu, but I’ll stand by what I said. If you’re looking for a chicken option at Taco Bell, but you aren’t in the mood for something huge, this is a solid option that you can choose.
However, there is nothing about this sandwich that doesn’t scream “make this at home.”
One of the most unappetizing photos I've ever taken.
The chicken… Is almost exactly like the chicken tenders that you would find in the frozen section of the grocery store. You know the ones. They are already cooked and only need to be heated for a few minutes in the oven (or microwave if you’re feeling extremely lazy). They need little to no preparation and make for a quick snack. The chicken had no seasoning on it at all, so the flavor was lacking in a lot of ways.
They did add some spicy mayo that attempted to give the sandwich a kick. It added… Almost nothing. If I was really looking for it, I could have pointed out its flavor profile, but in the end, it didn’t accent any of the flavors that it was trying to produce. It was more like it was trying to overwhelm and distract you from the lack of flavor everywhere else.
Now, the one saving grace of this sandwich was the breading. Because it wasn’t a “traditional” chicken sandwich, Taco Bell decided to wrap the chicken tender in a “folded flatbread.” It was soft and chewy which added a nice texture when opposed to the crisp of the chicken, and it provided a slight change in the flavor profiles which brought out the taste of the chicken well.
Overall, I would say that I was unimpressed by the sandwich. The only thing that it has going for it is that it was interesting to look at and even that is a stretch since it just looked like a chicken taco.
Spicy Crispy Chicken Sandwich
This… Was the exact same sandwich. Except that they added jalapeños. Two slices of jalapeños to be exact.
Literally two...
I’ll be frank and say that while this was the better of the two sandwiches, a lot of the same complaints remained the same… Because the only thing they did was put on two thin slices of jalapeño.
Honestly, I don’t know what they were thinking. While it is true that the addition mattered, it was strange that this wasn’t the default because I don’t necessarily think of jalapeños as spicy unless I’m eating several at the same time. But I will recognize that it might just be a matter of opinion.
This version was just… Better. It’s a smart move to add something that will help maximize the flavor of the chicken, but I was disappointed that they didn’t do anything to the breading. Every other fast-food restaurant that embarks on this “chicken sandwich journey” has made a spicy version (which is usually superior) that adjusts the breading to give it a bit more spice. This one… Doesn’t.
From a restaurant that prides itself on the idea of Mexican food, I would’ve expected a little bit more thought into the endeavor.
Final Ratings
Crispy Chicken Sandwich: 3/10
Spicy Crispy Chicken Sandwich: 4/10
Author’s Note
One big thing that I didn’t talk about in my official review of these sandwiches is that half of them were burnt when we received them. I’ll chalk it up to the fact that this is the first time they are producing these, and they might not know the cook time yet. So, my opinion is open to change; however, it would only go up by one point per sandwich. Take that as you will.
If it gets significantly better on a national release, then I will consider writing an update about these tacos.
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