Taco Bell's Chicken Bacon Ranch Street Chalupas And Nacho Fries Review: You Can't Go Wrong With Either

The Doobie Brothers once encouraged its fans that "Takin' It To The Streets," in the song of the same name, is where many find authentic credibility. This is especially true of fast food, where words like "street tacos" invite such thoughts of items that were genuine, down-to-earth, and more delicious than ones made far away from the curb. Taco Bell has embraced this street cred, starting in 2024 with Cheesy Street Chalupas, and a year later, returned to a similar avenue with the Toasted Cheddar Street Chalupa. In 2026, the chain is once again takin' it to the street with the Chalupa, and its side piece Nacho Fries, but this time, chicken, bacon bits, and Avocado Ranch Sauce are here to flavor things up.

In a statement, Liz Matthews, Taco Bell's global chief food innovation officer, noted, "Chicken Bacon Ranch is a flavor that people instantly recognize and love." She added, "By pairing it with our Street Chalupas — a form that earns more and more fans with each passing iteration — we're giving this iconic combo a new platform to shine in a way that's unmistakably Taco Bell."

So, are these new Chicken Bacon Ranch items worthy of a run to your nearest Taco Bell, or should you not even bother to put on your running shoes, unless you're looking to kick these street guys back to the curb? The Takeout took both the Chicken Bacon Ranch Street Chalupas and the Nacho Fries out for a test drive, and now we're ready to reveal all in this chicken-y, bacon-y, and ranch-y chew and review.

On the day of their release, I headed to my nearby Taco Bell in Manhattan, New York to try both the new Chicken Bacon Ranch Street Chalupas and Chicken Bacon Ranch Nacho Fries. I ordered the items in the store, and ate them, onsite. The Chalupas were sampled first, followed by the Nacho Fries. Then further bites of both were taken to draw final conclusions.

This review is a summation of my own personal tastes and opinions. It also takes into account my previous experiences with Taco Bell, and Chalupas, Nacho Fries, and in general, with bacon and ranch dressing. The ultimate criteria considered for this chew and review were flavor, appearance, presentation, smell, texture, temperature, value, familiarity, originality, uniqueness, and overall, whether one of both items were worthy of an encore purchase.

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

Taco Bell introduced its first Chalupa back in 1999. What made it stand out from the rest of its other breaded brethren was its unique shell. When it was first released, it was described as crispy on the outer shell, but soft when you bite into it. The Chalupa was a hit with eaters and warranted many sequels in the decades to come, which included a breakfast version, one where the shell was made of actual chicken, and the tearable (not to be confused with "terrible") Triplelupa. In 2024, looking for street cred, Taco Bell introduced its first Street Chalupas in a "Cheesy" form, followed by a "Cheddar" one the following year. In 2026, the Street Chalupa is back, and is now being flavored with the dynamic pieces of chicken and bacon, as well as dressed up in its own signature avocado ranch sauce. This trio is also being smothered atop Taco Bell's Nacho Fries, which has been a popular side item since they were first introduced back in good old 2018.

The Chicken Bacon Ranch Street Chalupas feature two toasted cheddar Street Chalupa shells filled with slow-roasted chicken, bacon, pico de gallo, shredded cheddar cheese and Taco Bell's creamy Avocado Ranch Sauce. The Bacon Ranch Nacho Fries begin with a plate of the crispy fries, and then topped with slow-roasted chicken, bacon, nacho cheese sauce, Avocado Ranch Sauce, and pico de gallo.

Starting February 19, Chicken Bacon Ranch Street Chalupas and Chicken Bacon Ranch Nacho Fries are being added to the menus of participating nationwide locations of Taco Bell. Both will remain on menus for an unspecified limited time only, while supplies last.

These Chicken Bacon Ranch items can be ordered anytime Taco Bell is open, which includes breakfast hours. Ordering options include in-store, at the counter, kiosk, or drive-thru where available. Advance ordering for dine-in, pick-up, or delivery is available through both Taco Bell's app and website. Additional fees may apply for orders placed for delivery or through third-party apps and sites.

The suggested retail price of the Chicken Bacon Ranch Street Chalupas is $5.99, and the Chicken Bacon Ranch Nacho Fries for $4.99. Prices will vary per location, which is certainly true, as at the New York location where I picked mine up, the pair of Chalupas cost $6.99, and the Nacho Fries were billed at $5.49. Like most items sold at Taco Bell, they are completely customizable to remove or add ingredients, with the latter incurring additional costs.

Chicken Bacon Ranch Street Chalupas come as a pair, which also serves as their serving size. That's good for 620 calories, 41 grams of total fat, 11 grams of saturated fat, 70 milligrams of cholesterol, and an eye-catching 1,220 milligrams of sodium. The total carbohydrates comes to 38 grams, which includes 6 grams of dietary fiber, 4 grams of sugars, and 25 grams of protein. The two Chalupas also pitch in 350 milligrams calcium, 2.6 milligrams of iron, and 380 milligrams of potassium. Ingredients of note include a shell with reduced fat cheddar cheese and sugar, chicken breast and thigh meat seasoned with onion powder, garlic powder, tomato powder, and chicken stock, pico de gallo with vinegar and lime juice concentrate, Avocado Ranch Sauce, cultured buttermilk, avocado, cage-free yolk, garlic juice, lemon, and lime juice.

The Chicken Bacon Ranch Nacho Fries is a single serving that nets an eater 350 calories, 24 grams of total fat, 4 grams of saturated fat, 40 milligrams of cholesterol, 940 milligrams of sodium, 22 grams of total carbohydrates, 3 grams of dietary fiber, 2 grams of sugars, and 13 grams of protein. It also provides 0.2 micrograms of vitamin D, 40 milligrams of calcium, 0.9 milligrams of iron, and 650 milligrams of potassium. Both the Chalupas and the Nacho Fries contain the common allergens gluten, milk, eggs, and wheat. Ingredients are similar to the Chalupas, but the fries also include a Nacho Cheese Sauce, which includes the handy work of sea salt, jalapeño puree, and vinegar.

Unwrapping the foil, I was surprised at how tiny the Chicken Bacon Ranch Street Chalupas were. They stood there as a pair, almost meshed together like conjoined twins. After getting over their size, or lack thereof, what next occupied my mind was the beautifully baked in cheese look the chalupa shell had, and how this new item's name didn't even bother to mention its cheesy bona fides.

I leaned in for a whiff, and the pita doughiness of the shell was the dominant essence, with a tinge of cheesiness seeping through. Without further ado, I took my first bite, at one of its fat ends. The mouth had a lot of textures to wade through here, and mine loved this challenge of deciphering it all at once. The chalupa shell had a lovely softness to it, which was accented by the burnt orange cheese crisp baked onto its exterior. Inside, crispy bits of bacon added further crunch to the affair, while the mushy piece of chicken and saucy avocado ranch further added to the textural fun. The shell here was the main draw, and with its closed-lipped nature, it barely let the other ingredients visibly be shown, and to some degree, their flavors known.

Nonetheless, this Chicken Bacon Ranch Street Chalupa added up to one tasty treat. The bacon was the second more prevalent flavor on display, with the Avocado Ranch Sauce adding a nice touch of liquid to break up the more rigid parts of the bite.

I popped off the plastic top of this platter, delicately, so as to not disturb the neat mess hanging out here with the latest round of Nacho Fries. Unlike its big Chalupa brother, which kept its toppings wrapped up like a surprise secret, all the ingredients were splayed out here for all to marvel at. So many wonderful colors were coming together in this adorning mishmash rainbow of Taco Bell ingredients. The top of this heap was highlighted in muted reds and browns of the diced tomatoes and bits of bacon respectively. The chicken was practically camouflaged amongst the similarly-hued fries, but what was surprising was the amount included, which seemed to far outweigh the total amount of meat distributed between the two Chalupas. This was all accented by the highlighter-minty-green avocado sauce, which by sight alone looked to be chilling all of its neighbors out.

These Nacho Fries platters are best approached with the use of the fork, and that's how I proceeded. Each bite seemed to highlight different aspects of the toppings, but any that included the bacon was always the best bite. Here, devoid of the Chalupa's awesome shell, the bacon had a more flavorful impact and standout crunch. In fact, that turned out to be the case with all the other toppings — free of the shell, they were now allowed to shine on their own. The Nacho Cheese Sauce in particular, was a true added bonus, chipping in both some gooey cheesiness, but also a bit of spiced pep to make this item worthy of an order all its own.

Before I embarked on this taste test with these latest Chalupas, I was trying to remember if I had ever had a Chalupa before. Turns out I did, back with 2024's Cheesy Street Chalupas, but apparently they weren't all that memorable. So I approached these new Chicken Bacon Ranch Street Chalupas with basically a fresh mindset to judge them on their own merits. I fell hard for this soft shell with the unmissable crispy cheesy exterior, but either the ones I was served were either not all that stuffed with chicken, bacon, nor ranch, or the delivery mechanism itself just didn't allow for its filler ingredients to have their moment. Regardless, I really enjoyed both the ones I quickly downed, but wished that four came to an order, to fully satisfy my hunger. It's kind of hard to walk away from these Chalupas disappointed, but I wouldn't have objected to them being overloaded with the title ingredients, and definitely with an additional side order of Avocado Ranch Sauce for some dipping good times.

I have had so many kinds of Nacho Fries platters, all dressed up in so many different ways, I asked this latest one to forgive me if we had somehow met before. Alas, Taco Bell's version of poutine has time and time again delivered in sights and tastes. I just assumed it would be more of the same here, and it was — more piles of deliciousness. With the bacon, Avocado Ranch Sauce, and Nacho Cheese Sauce, it fronted a three flavor attack on the tender pieces of chicken, and the fries, which thankfully remained crisp, despite physically propping up all the ingredients above. The Nacho Fries revealed the Chicken Bacon Ranch flavors best, and provided a better bang for its buck, but I'd be hard pressed to not want to lap up some more of those Chalupas again. You can't go wrong with either. Enjoy!