Review: Taco Bell Achieves The Impossible And Improves Its Mexican Pizza With Cantina Chicken

If you had 10 seconds to name as many Taco Bell menu items as you could, how many could you name? I managed to spit out eight, headlined by the obvious choices like tacos, burritos, nachos, and the always delicious Crunch Wrap Supreme. Shockingly, pizza wasn't a word that came to mind. It's understandable, because Taco Bell is hardly known for this Italian staple, but that doesn't mean everyone's favorite taco fast food joint can't put a spin on a pizza. 

Beginning May 21, Taco Bell is remixing its Mexican Pizza with Cantina Chicken. The new, limited-time creation features slow-roasted Cantina Chicken, black beans, green chile sauce, a three-cheese blend, purple cabbage, and pico de gallo layered between crispy tortilla shells. Joining the Cantina Chicken Mexican Pizza is the new Jalapeño Citrus Salsa. The sauce promises a sweet-and-spicy flavor profile from citrus, red jalapeños, and guajillo chiles, and will be served with the entire Cantina Chicken lineup for a limited time. 

Taco Bell Rewards Members received early access beginning May 19 through the Taco Bell app, so I picked up the new pizza and sauce the day they dropped to find out if they're worth trying. Read on to see if this pizza lives up to the hype, or if you're better off sticking to more tried and true menu items.

Taco Bell reached out to The Takeout about trying the two new items prior to their release. The brand sent me a gift card to purchase the pizza and sauce, and I did so through the Taco Bell app the morning they hit the menu. I brought my items home and, after snapping a few photos, dug in, evaluating the food on flavor, texture, and overall cohesiveness. Some recommendations are based on first-hand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the chain.

I'd never had one of Taco Bell's Mexican pizzas before, so this was uncharted territory for me. To my surprise, it's a legit-sized meal. As one of the more expensive items on the menu, I'd expect no less, but the size of this thing surprised me. The fact that it also has three layers of fillings/toppings means you don't need to add much, if anything, to fill you up.

The crispy tortilla shells are just that: light and crunchy even after a car ride home and a quick photoshoot. I appreciate the layer of refried black beans as a glue to hold things together, and the chicken and cheese are both more than plentiful. It's the cabbage and pico de gallo that really stand out, though, and make this a really light, refreshing bite. Between the veggies and the tortillas, each bite is crispy, crunchy, and anything but heavy.

The Cantina Chicken Mexican Pizza comes with two sauces: the Jalapeño Citrus Salsa, which we'll get to in a moment, and the Avocado Verde Salsa. It's another perfect pairing, with the Jalapeño Citrus bringing the heat and the Avocado Verde adding a great green punch to each bite. I'm a huge sauce guy and was happy with the quantity provided, but you can always get another packet of either sauce for an extra 20 cents.

Taco Bell has mastered the sauce game. Whether it's the original Mild, Hot, and Fire sauces or newer creations like the Diablo Ranch Sauce, it seems Taco Bell has created a dipping option unique to every taste bud. The Jalapeño Citrus Salsa is no different.

As I mentioned above, the Cantina Chicken Mexican Pizza is really tasty on its own. The chicken is tender and flavorful, but doesn't pack a ton of spice, which is where this sauce comes into play. The jalapeño, once the gold standard of spice, has been left in the rearview as habaneros, ghost peppers, and reapers have stepped into the spotlight. But Taco Bell hasn't forgotten about the jalapeño, and neither should you.

This sauce utilizes more mature red jalapeños, resulting in a sauce with some kick. By itself, I find the citrus difficult to taste, but paired with the pico de gallo and red cabbage of the Mexican Pizza, the brighter, fruitier notes pop. It's a hot sauce that doesn't rely on a strong peppery flavor to bring the heat, and it's a perfect pairing with Taco Bell's Cantina Chicken.

Is there anything Taco Bell can't do? With another Mexican pizza that's near perfect — though some nacho cheese does sound like a fun upgrade — the fast Mexican chain has once again proven that anything can be tacofied if you simply believe. It's another great release in a year that's already seen a ton of fun items hit the Taco Bell menu.

Paired with the spicy, citrusy Jalapeño Citrus Salsa, the Cantina Chicken Mexican Pizza makes for a refreshing, but filling meal. It is a bit messy, though, so it's probably not the best for on-the-go consumption, but trust me, it's worth sitting down for.

Both the Cantina Chicken Mexican Pizza and Jalapeño Citrus Salsa are now available to Taco Bell rewards members through the app and will hit menus nationwide on May 21. Both will only be around for a limited time, and with no end date announced, it's probably best to snag yours early.

The Mexican Pizza costs $6.49 and comes with one packet each of the Jalapeño Citrus Salsa and the Avocado Verde Salsa. Additional sauce packets are 20 cents apiece. The pizza will run you 515 calories, while the Jalapeño Citrus Salsa has 45 calories.