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Ever have one of those days when you wake up and automatically decide that it’s a Taco Bell day? Thursday was one of those days for me. I don’t know what triggers it. Maybe it’s the week being almost over? Maybe it’s because I had a salad for lunch the first three days of the week?
But once I was in the mental space that it was a Taco Bell, the next challenge was to decide what my order would be. After writing Snackology for more than a year, I have a pretty strong grasp on Taco Bell’s menu. I know the beefy options. I know the chicken options. I’ve even learned to add Nacho Fries to my Crunchwrap.
As I was getting our daughter’s breakfast ready, an email popped into my Snackology inbox.
Bacon Ranch Street Chalupas and Chicken Bacon Ranch Nacho Fries were making their menu debut on Thursday.
This news made my lunch order simple. Taco Bell would have to try extremely hard to announce a new item that I would skip. A new street chalupa/fries combo? That’s a no-brainer.
“Chicken Bacon Ranch is a flavor that people instantly recognize and love,” Liz Matthews, who has the coolest job as Taco Bell’s global chief food innovation officer, said in the restaurant’s announcement. “By pairing it with our Street Chalupas — a form that earns more and more fans with each passing iteration — we’re giving this iconic combo a new platform to shine in a way that’s unmistakably Taco Bell.”
Is the fusion of Taco Bell and chicken bacon ranch a merger worthy of my lunchtime?
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I gave the crunchy Street Chalupas duo a “pass” last time they were on the menu (this was before the introduction of the snack score), writing that “I kept taking bites out of both of these versions of the Toasted Cheddar Street Chalupas, hoping to find a bite that offered everything they promised. But neither the chicken nor the steak variant nailed it.”
That wasn’t a problem with the Chicken Bacon Ranch Street Chalupas.
Look at this guy. There’s no shortage of goodies in terms of what’s inside the latest version of Taco Bell’s Street Chalupas. The chain promises that they’re “filled with slow-roasted chicken, crispy bacon, freshly prepared daily pico de gallo, shredded cheddar cheese and Taco Bell’s creamy Avocado Ranch Sauce.” It’s all there.
The crunchy cheddar-covered shells of the Street Chalupas perfectly delivers those fillings. Where I found the Cantina Chicken Toasted Cheddar Street Chalupas and Steak Toasted Cheddar Street Chalupas to be lacking in what was inside those crunchy shells, this week’s release is absolutely packed. I love how the chicken and bacon pair with Taco Bell’s Avocado Ranch Sauce.
Snack Score
Chicken Bacon Ranch Street Chalupas
🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪
(5 out of 5)
ALSO FROM THE OMNICOSM
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I’ve become a huge fan of Taco Bell’s Nacho Fries over the past few rounds of new releases. (I’m serious when I say that I now add them to my Crunchwrap and burrito orders.) The Chicken Bacon Ranch Nacho Fries are very likely my favorite version of them yet.
The Chicken Bacon Ranch Nacho Fries are packed with a wild mix of toppings. Everything that makes the Street Chalupas a success is right at home in this batch of Nacho Fries. Taco Bell knocked this release out of the park.
Snack Score
Chicken Bacon Ranch Nacho Fries
🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪
(5 out of 5)
Snackology is a publication of The Omnicosm.
Issue No. 161
Snackology is written and produced by Bill Kuchman. Copyediting by Tim Kuchman.
The Omnicosm founder. Snackology, Popculturology and The Cold Open writer. A Rochester, N.Y., native now living in the Washington, D.C., area. Won’t pass up a Genny Cream Ale.
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