Can’t get enough of chicken wings?
Chicken menu items are ruling this football season! While chicken wings have a huge role to play in that, gone are the days where all they serve at football is chicken wings. We have upgraded to include other food items, such as pizza and burgers. In fact, Buffalo Wild Wings, whose specialty is chicken wings, have moved to feature bacon in their football seasonal menu.
In case you haven’t heard, Taco Bell and Big Chicken have something new in store for diners, and we’re here to help! One is a test menu item that will drop in a selected location, while another is new chicken menu additions that you can add to your list of snack or tailgating food to bring. Are you ready to talk about chicken? Braise yourselves as the two restaurants will bring you an irresistible chicken meal.
Taco Bell’s Chicken Al Pastor Street Chalupas
First up, we have Taco Bell who will conduct a test release on a new food item. Test releases aren’t new at the chain since they have also tested a few of their products, such as the exclusive Mountain Dew Baja Blast treats and the Cantina Chicken menu last March. Now, Taco Bell unveils the Chicken Al Pastor Street Chalupas to be tested in the Minneapolis market on October 31, 2024. If you’re around or near the area, you’re lucky to get the first bite of a Taco Bell menu item waiting for a nationwide release!
The Chicken Al Pastor Street Chalupas features a Cantina Slow-Roasted Chicken that is blended in a pineapple and chiles al pastor marinade. The chicken filling is served in two two-street-sized Quesalupa shells that are finished off with onions and cilantro. You can get two for $4.99 each for a limited time only. We can probably expect a nationwide release by 2025 since Taco Bell said that they will be releasing other al pastor-inspired offerings by next year.
According to David Gibbs, Chief Executive Officer of parent company Yum Brands, Taco Bell’s Cantina Chicken menu raised their sales during the second quarter, concluding that it performed above their expectations. Well, it looks like Taco Bell is expecting the same for the al pastor menu for next year. If you want to try Taco Bell’s take on Chipotle’s popular al pastor, then show it by purchasing the Chicken Al Pastor Street Chalupas if you have the chance!
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Big Chicken
We know Big Chicken as a restaurant founded by NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, thus the Shaq’s branding to it. This fall, the chicken chain will be dunking out everything for fans. After being tested out and perfected at the practice court, Big Chicken will finally be releasing two of its bold new players on the menu — the irresistible Dunks and the flavor-packed wings. Let’s check them out.
Dunks
Starting off with Dunks, you can now get them in Big Chicken locations nationwide! The Dunks are Big Chicken’s take on the classic chicken nuggets, but they’re actually made bigger. Still, you can expect them to be smaller than actual chicken tender pieces. The Dunks will be served in a portion size per order or about 10-12 pieces. You can dip them in Big Chicken’s six signature sauces and make them a meal together with fries and a drink.
You can choose among the following sauces to dip your Dunks:
- Big Chicken Sauce
- Carolina BBQ
- Memphis BBQ
- Chipotle BBQ
- Buffalo
- Ranch
According to Josh Halpern, Chief Executive Officer of Big Chicken, they disrupted the industry’s expectations for an emerging chicken place, so they are taking on the challenge by unveiling more items on their menu. Halpern added that the Dunks being on their menu just made sense because of its uniqueness. They are made us fun bite-sized pieces that are made customizable with the different dips. Halpern mentioned that the Dunks are part of their Big Chicken 2.0 vision.
Wings
Football season may have changed over the years, but we can’t fully celebrate the season without the appearance of everyone’s favorite chicken wings. Following the Dunks, Big Chicken also released the traditional chicken wings in mid-September. This was a part of the brand’s star-studded chicken lineup, where guests can choose from the following flavor coatings that can be ordered from five to ten pieces:
- Buffalo
- Lemon Pepper
- Memphis BBQ
- Thai Chili Sauce
Chef Robert Ryan, the executive who is leading the charge behind Big Chicken’s ongoing menu innovation revealed that they’ve been testing and perfecting their wing menu at two of their Las Vegas locations. The feedback that they got from their customers was astounding and they decided to release them nationwide. Chef Ryan said that he can’t wait for the brand to unveil more menu innovations soon. I guess it’s safe to say that we can expect more new releases from Big Chicken, and we’re not complaining about it!
Sandwiches and Strawberry Shake
Sounds like the perfect pair, right? Big Chicken is also bringing in the deluxe version of The Original Chicken Sandwich, which adds lettuce, mayo, tomato, and bacon as a new option for the deluxe filling. Adding to the sandwich side of the menu is the classic Crispy Chicken Grilled Cheese, which is making its highly requested return to Big Chicken locations nationwide.
Big Chicken isn’t going to end their menu releases without a sweet dessert-like refreshment, of course! On the brand’s sweeter side, they’re adding a Strawberry Shake, which features a blend of strawberries and whipped cream on top. It even comes in smaller sizes meant for the kids so they can also enjoy a sweet sip of the shake. The new Strawberry Shake will accompany the limited-time Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes Shake, which is the brand’s collaboration with the popular breakfast cereal line Kellogg.
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From The Club
Chicken is my favorite and probably most ordered fast food menu item and it’s a common component of many fast food dishes, too. Taco Bell’s Chicken Al Pastor Street Chalupas is everything I ever wanted on a soft taco as someone who is a huge fan of Mexican food. I’m hoping for a nationwide release for that one soon! As for Big Chicken, I honestly do not know what chicken meal to choose. I think I’ll order all. Don’t even get me started on the Strawberry Shake as for me, it makes the perfect pair to Big Chicken’s new offerings.