When January first rolled around, I began, like millions of others, a mission to lose weight for the new year.
Unfortunately, just a few days in, I was notified of an upcoming addition to my beloved Taco Bell menu - the Naked Chicken Chalupa. And with that, the "fast food fast" came to a screeching halt.
A shell made of fried chicken immediately makes us reminisce on the daring, yet delicious, heart-stopping colossus that was the KFC Double Down. A sandwich that was worth its weight in gold for free press and marketing. To this day, upon hearing that I've had nearly every fast food item in my locale, often the first question asked was whether or not I'd had the Double Down. I did, and it was everything I'd hoped it would be. The KFC Double Down truly was a pioneer of the kind of "yeah it's unhealthy, but it tastes good" over-the-top and in-your-face menu items that fast food has been using to boost short-term sales ever since.
One of the best parts of my Naked Chicken Chalupa experience was the ordering. Of course, I went on the first day it was served nation-wide, and the cashiers were obviously instructed to push it and offer it to every customer. When I answered "actually, I would!" to the "would you like to try our new naked chicken chalupa today?" question, the cashier got very excited and exclaimed "I did it! I got one!" Damn right you got one. You made the sale, girlfriend! A salesman pitching a product that perfectly fits what I'm looking for - that's just great business right there.
The Food
I sprung for the $5 box that included the naked chicken chalupa, two tacos and a drink. Gotta get that Doritos locos taco at a discount when you can. But at an individual price of $3.19, the Naked Chicken Chalupa is a little underwhelming on the size. I know that value isn't everything, but it's worth noting that one of these ain't gonna fill you up.
A HUGE pro of the Naked Chicken Chalupa, and what is pretty much the entire point, is that the shell itself is actually the meat. Most people when eating a normal Chalupa, around the mid-point, are not able to fit the entire height of the Chalupa into one bite. This causes an unfortunate compromise where eaters alternate between taking a bite off the top, with no meat, and a bite off the bottom, with tons of meat but little veggies. But with the Naked Chicken Chalupa, a bite from any point will be full of meat and veggies. It's a great fix for the pesky "Chalupa Chew" problem.
Flavor-wise, the chicken is actually a little spicier than you'd think. It's not "spicy chicken" by any means, but it does more than provide a full-bodied flavor canvas on which the remaining ingredients can paint. It has a little zest to it, and personally, I would have preferred it without whatever was giving it that little kick. But, for some, that could be just the thing that sets it over the top.
I also would have enjoyed it more if the avocado ranch sauce had more room to pop. Taco Bell's Avocado Ranch Sauce is a very underused condiment on regular menu items at Taco Bell, only making a few select appearances on such items like the shredded chicken burrito. This could have been a great moment for that sauce to shine and be the hero of each bite, but instead it just took a back seat and casually joined in. It became the friend in your group you forget is there half the night.
All that said, the Naked Chicken Chalupa for the most part delivered classic Taco Bell flavors in a new way that made the bite proportions much more favorable than a traditional chalupa. You'll still enjoy the expected tango between the cold veggies and the hot meat and the place in your soul that warms up when you eat Taco Bell will warm up all the same. I would still rather spring for a normal beef chalupa, but I wouldn't judge you for a second if the Naked Chicken Chalupa became one of your new go-to's. I also ding it for value, but as the World's Biggest Steak Quesadilla Fan, I know that sometimes a menu item that isn't much bang for your buck can still be too tasty to pass up.