Believe it or not, the ultimate Taco Bell fan experience is not just the joy you feel pulling into the drive thru at 2 a.m., but rather a live event where the company breaks business news, unveils new menu items, and revives some beloved oldies. The 2025 affair was held on March 4 in Downtown Brooklyn, New York, before a crowd of Taco Bell devotees committed to the cause of living más. And among the reveals, the official return of the fast food giant’s crispy chicken nuggets was a big clucking deal.
Taco Bell, whose history dates back to 1962, first introduced à la carte nuggets in December 2024. The fan-favorite crispy chicken bites will now be featured on the menu on a larger scale, served alongside an array of flavorful sauces, including Mike’s Hot Honey Diablo sauce, and folded into tacos and wrapped in burritos. “Known for pushing the envelope when others ‘stay in their lane’ to curate some of the most talked about menu items around (chicken nuggets), Taco Bell shed a light onto menu items and flavors they’re dreaming about,” a press release reads.
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Taco Bell’s original chicken nugget offering was launched in partnership with Hidden Valley Ranch (which was a real place!), the titular condiment being in the all-time top five nugget sauce lineup. (A new Taco Bell signature sauce and jalapeño honey mustard were also offered during the limited-time release.) True to Taco Bell’s experimental nature, the chicken nuggets veer from a standard restaurant’s lane by featuring a tortilla chip coating in lieu of the more standard breading. The company teased progress on new additions to Taco Bell’s extensive roster of sauces at the 2025 summit, too, including a spicy sriracha Fire sauce featuring gochujang and a hot ranch made with datil pepper.
In addition to the chicken throwback, Taco Bell detailed 30 novel foodstuffs in development, such as a short rib chile relleno burrito, Crunchwrap sliders, and a Mexican pizza empanada. “For more than 60 years, Taco Bell has been crafting bold, beautiful flavors that ignite cravings and redefine what’s possible. Our fans inspire us to push boundaries, break the rules, and explore the limitless potential of flavor. We’re not just making food — we’re creating experiences that surprise, delight, and keep people coming back for more,” Taco Bell’s Chief Food Innovation Officer Liz Matthews said, per press release. Tuesday’s summit was Taco Bell’s second Live Más Live event. Plans for a third have not yet been released.
