Taco Bell Unveils New Cantina Chicken Menu Alongside New Secret Aardvark Nacho Fries, Salt & Straw Ice Cream Chocolate Taco, Dulce De Leche Cinnabon Delights And More

Taco Bell just released a brand new menu along with a year’s worth of product announcements and partnerships for 2024 at its first-ever Live Más Live event in Las Vegas.

The largest and most epic announcements from the main stage included the launch of chef collaboration program TBX, the new Cantina Chicken Menu and a lineup of new food innovations and partnerships with brands such as Cheez-It, MTN DEW, and Tajín.

New Cantina Chicken Menu

The Cantina Chicken Menu brings a new flavorful chicken that has been oven-roasted, shredded, and packed with a savory seasoning of Mexican spices such as pasilla and other varieties of chilies. Also, the menu introduces all-new ingredients including purple cabbage, pico de gallo, a white corn taco shell and an addition to Taco Bell’s sauce packet lineup, Avocado Verde Salsa. The menu adds five new items that will soon be available across the country to satisfy any craving, including the Cantina Chicken Burrito, Cantina Chicken Taco (soft or crispy), Cantina Chicken Quesadilla and the Cantina Chicken Bowl.

Food Innovations and Partnerships

Taco Bell is also bringing more bold Mexican-inspired flavors to the world in 2024. More than a dozen food innovations are making their onto menus nationwide and will be available to fans for a limited time at participating Taco Bell locations, while supplies last. The new menu items include:

• Cheesy Chicken Crispanada: Debuting nationwide on February 15, the Cheesy Chicken Crispanada features tender chicken marinated and slow cooked with garlic, tomato and onion, combined with a blend of monterey pepper jack, cheddar and mozzarella cheeses, all tucked inside a delicate pastry dough crisped to perfection. The menu item draws inspiration from the popular empanada and is fused with the Taco Bell flavors fans know and love.
• Crispy Chicken Nuggets: Yet another chicken innovation, the new Crispy Chicken Nuggets consist of all-white meat chicken marinated in spiced jalapeño buttermilk before being breaded in a tortilla coating and fried to crispy perfection. Fans can choose from two new sauce options: signature Bell sauce, made with tomatoes, red chiles, onion, and garlic, or the hot and sweet Jalapeño Honey Mustard, crafted with sweet honey mustard with a kick of jalapeño.
• Cheesy Street Chalupas: The Cheesy Street Chalupas feature a cheesy flatbread with a small tortilla that’s stuffed generously with a blend of mozzarella and pepper jack cheeses and fried together then filled with a choice of slow-roasted chicken or savory grilled, marinated steak, and a flavorful sauce, and then topped with a layer of diced onions and cilantro. Each order will include two Cheesy Street Chalupas.
• MTN DEW BAJA BLAST Gelato: First tested least year, the gelato will finally be making its national debut, giving fans more ways to celebrate the Baja Blast 20th year anniversary. The creamy treat is infused with BAJA BLAST Tropical Lime flavor serving as the perfect complementary addition to any order on the Taco Bell menu.
• Cheesy Enchilada Dipping Taco: Building on the success of last year’s Grilled Cheese Dipping Taco, Taco Bell is releasing a new version that adds inspiration from enchiladas via the Cheesy Enchilada Dipping Taco, which features slow roasted chicken and a layered enchilada dipping sauce.
• Dulce de Leche Cinnabon Delights: Taco Bell is bringing more flavors to the iconic Cinnabon Delights with a new Dulce de Leche flavor.

This is also going to be a year full of partnerships with recognized brands and artists to co-create new and unique menu items and put unexpected twists on some classic fan-favorites:

• Cheez-It: The Cheez-It Crunchwrap is finally making its nationwide debut this year in a big way. Touted as one of the most surprising menu item collaborations ever, the Cheez-It Crunchwrap features a real Cheez-It Cracker sixteen times bigger than a normal one, loaded up with seasoned beef, nacho cheese sauce, and all the classic Crunchwrap fixings, wrapped inside a folded tortilla.
• Tajín: The electric flavors of Tajín are combining with Taco Bell classics in a new menu testing this year that’s full of sweet and spicy flavor. The menu, which features Tajín’s mouthwatering blend of chili peppers, lime and sea salt, will be made up of the Tajín Crunchy Taco, Tajín Twists and Tajín Strawberry Freeze.
• Secret Aardvark: Taco Bell is partnering with the Portland-based hot sauce brand and adding their iconic Serrabanero sauce to its Nacho Fries for fans nationwide. The combination is sure to fire up tastebuds.
• Disha Hot: Omar Apollo’s family’s hot sauce, Disha Hot, is a secret recipe that has been passed down for generations and it’s been Omar’s dream to share it with the whole world. This year, Omar and Disha Hot are getting their very own sauce packet at Taco Bell, the perfect pairing for any menu item.
• Salt & Straw: Known for making ice cream with innovative flavors, Portland-based ice cream company Salt & Straw is now revolutionizing the ice cream taco. Taco Bell and Salt & Straw teamed up for the Live Más LIVE event in Las Vegas, treating fans to the all new Taco Bell x Salt & Straw always-crispy Ice Cream Chocolate Taco, which features hand pressed waffle cones filled with fresh-made cinnamon ancho ice cream dipped in single origin chocolate, studded with toasted brown rice and complete with sweet sauces and dips.
• Beekeeper Coffee: Innovative newcomer Beekeeper Coffee is known for its ready-to-drink cold brew coffee and latte flavors all featuring a signature drop of honey. Taco Bell has partnered with Beekeeper Coffee for the creation of a pick-me-up, the Horchata Cold Brew Latte, which takes inspiration from the famous, cinnamon-flavored Mexican beverage.

Continuing its tradition to give fans the power to impact its menu, Taco Bell will be letting its Rewards Members decide what limited-time menu items they would like to enjoy this year. 2024’s clash of the classics will be between team Mexi Melt and team Caramel Apple Empanada. Those looking to cast a vote for their favorite contender will need to download the Taco Bell app, where the voting platform will live.

Supporting Emerging Culinary Talent Through TBX

Taco Bell’s back of house is getting bigger. TBX is a newly launched program that aims to spotlight emerging chefs while pushing tacos to new places through the equation of “their thing + our thing = a whole new thing.” Taco Bell will tap into three announced chefs’ talents to infuse their culinary style on one of the chain’s most iconic menu items, the Crunchwrap Supreme.

Three headliner chefs – Jennifer Hwa Dobbertin, Reuben Asaram, and Lawrence Smith – have been chosen and took the stage during the event to usher in a new era of innovation. The chefs will be partnering with the Taco Bell Food and Innovation team to co-create and reimagine the iconic Crunchwrap Supreme set to debut at select locations later this year.