Taco Bell is adding yet another item to the menu after a testing period for the cheesy dish in Knoxville, TN. Its called the Cheesy Chicken Empanada, and it’s going nationwide on February 15th.
The chain tested the Empanada-inspired crispy creation last March in only a handful of locations in Knoxvile, TN with a $3.49 price point. They haven’t yet announced if the price will stay the same or increase once it hits menus nationwide.
Cheesy Chicken Crispanada
The news was dropped according to the Instagram account The Snackolator, a social media account dedicated to food and brand news. He captioned his post with a brief description of the new item:
“The Cheesy Chicken Crispanada features delicate pastry dough that’s ‘crisped to perfection’ and filled with shredded chicken and melty three-cheese blend. It comes served with spicy ranch sauce to dip,” he posted.
What is it?
It’s reminiscent of the popular dish of the Empanada, the Latin American fried pastry filled with seasoned meat. Taco Bell’s version does indeed use pastry dough, and is fried to it’s maximum crispy potential resulting in a thin delicate crispy outer layer. The filling consists of a 3-cheese blend with shredded marinated chicken, and a Spicy Ranch Sauce is served on the side.
Another item being tested by Taco Bell which was recently announced is the Takis Burrito. It’s a burrito stuffed with the popular rolled tortilla chips Takis, sour cream, and beef. It’s only being released in Costa Rica at the moment but depending on how it fares there…could possibly see a release in the United States.
However, Taco Bell is also testing a $3 Steak Burrito in Bakersfield, CA and this one, like the Cheesy Chicken Crispanada, will likely release nationwide after a brief period of testing.
