Even Taco Bell Knows Bacon Makes Everything Better: Crispy Chicken Chipotle Bacon Melt Burrito Review

Most everyone loves the taste of bacon, including those who don't eat meat. In the 1960s, Betty Crocker did vegetarians a solid by introducing the bacon-free Bac*Os, allowing the familiar divine swine flavors be texture profiles to decorate the likes of salads, soups, and everything in between. Their popularity even gave rise to bacon bits ... made with actual bacon! In the middle of summer 2026, Taco Bell is changing the leafy lettuce subject by introducing Chipotle Bacon bits wrapped up in a cheesy burrito, headlined by its always seemingly disappearing, forever returning yummy Crispy Chicken Strips. Along for the ride is a dash of Avocado Ranch Sauce, and (gasp!) lettuce. Welcome to this world Taco Bell's Crispy Chicken Chipotle Bacon Melt Burrito!

So, is the Crispy Chicken Chipotle Bacon Melt Burrito the answer to the summertime blues, or will it have eaters seeing red? The Takeout was curious too and took one out to see how it all played out. Now the truth can be told in this hopefully super crunchy chew and review.

I ventured over to my nearest Taco Bell to try the new Crispy Chicken Chipotle Bacon Melt Burrito. I ordered and consumed it in store, as well as taste tested the new Chipotle Bacon as a standalone side, and then topped it on the Melty Pepper Jack Steak Burrito. It was all washed down with a cup of Pepsi Zero Sugar, and a splash of Wild Cherry Pepsi, all Pepsi beverage winners.

This chew and review is a summation of my own personal tastes and opinions. I also factored in my previous experiences with Taco Bell, its Crispy Chicken, bacon bits, and overall impressions of this new menu item. The deciding criteria considered for this review were flavor, presentation, texture, familiarity, originality, uniqueness, value, and, ultimately, whether this is something worth your time and dime.

This taste test began with a side order of the Chipotle Bacon. These bits of bacon look like any typical bacon bits — dry, granular pieces, with a reddish brown hue, but perhaps a tad redder than usual. The smells were also familiar — smoky, salty, bacon-y. I took a couple of spoonfuls of these lightly chilled bacon bits. There was no needle moving in terms of taste, but it still delivered the goods, with perhaps a few small notes of spice.

The burrito had a nice bit of stoutness. The tortilla was kissed with the grill press marks you've seen a thousand times before. Inside the tortilla, one long chicken strip took up the space on one side, and the lettuce and sauce on the other. It was surrounded by a rim of melted cheese, where the bacon bits hung out, congealed.

I had a bite of it all together, and I was on board with its taste from the get-go. The Crispy Chicken Strip is a solid hunk of meat on its own, and is the star attraction in this burrito. Its crunch could be felt with each bite, and I liked having its demands offset by the softness of the tortilla. The lettuce was crisp, and along with the comely Avocado Ranch Sauce, added a needed pop of freshness to the affair. The bacon, mixed in with the cheese, were more like finishing touches, and did quite well in those roles. The bacon didn't pack a crunch anywhere close to what the Crispy Chicken Strip provided, but it added another texture to the tasty party, in a fun chewy form.

With a very full cup of Chipotle Bacon by my side, I returned for further standalone nibbles. I still liked what I was tasting, and now its spice seemed a bit more pronounced. There was nothing about it that would sound any fire alarms, but there was definitely a little pep here that separates it from the usual bacon bits you'd find at a communal salad bar.

I had heard very good things about the newish Melty Pepper Jack Steak Burrito, and had ordered one up as well. A first bite of this burrito provided an almost lust at first bite. The steak was delicious, and elevated even more with the hot and gooey pepper jack cheese sauce it was swimming in. I opened up the tortilla, and doused it with a friendly helping of my bacon bits. Just like with the Crispy Chicken Chipotle Bacon Melt Burrito, the bacon here added a new fun texture to the eating experience, thereby proving it's worthy as an excellent addition to any of Taco Bell's fare.

While the Crispy Chicken Chipotle Bacon Melt Burrito is the featured menu item, highlighting the Chipotle Bacon, it doesn't mean this burrito has to be featured in your own order. For $2 less, I was able to get a taste of the Chipotle Bacon, but wrapped up in something even more to my liking — this mighty Melty Pepper Jack Steak Burrito. The possibilities are endless with this new Chipotle Bacon. Have it spread on a pile of Nacho Fries, or go bananas and add some savoriness to top your Cinnamon Twists or even Baja Blast.

The Crispy Chicken Chipotle Bacon Melt Burrito is now available at participating nationwide locations of Taco Bell. It will be available for a limited time only, while supplies last. The Crispy Chicken Chipotle Bacon Melt Burrito can be ordered à la carte or even as a meal, at the counter, a kiosk, or drive-thru where available. It can also be prepared in advance for dine-in, takeout, or even delivery through Taco Bell's app.

The suggested retail price for the Burrito is $5.49, but at my Manhattan location of Taco Bell, it sold for $7.39. The Chipotle Bacon can also be ordered as a standalone side cup, and in some cases as an add-on for other entrees on the menu. The cost for the à la carte cup or to be included as an add-on on some menu items at my local Taco Bell was 99 cents.

The Crispy Chicken Chipotle Bacon Melt Burrito is made up of a Crispy Chicken Strip, shredded cheddar cheese, iceberg lettuce, Avocado Ranch Sauce, and Chipotle Brown Sugar Seasoned Bacon, all wrapped in a warm flour tortilla. If you've never had the Avocado Ranch Sauce before, it borrows the talents of such ingredients as cultured buttermilk, avocado, cage-free egg yolk, white wine vinegar, garlic juice, lemon and lime juice concentrate, sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, onion, garlic, natural flavor, and spices. The Chipotle Brown Sugar Seasoned Bacon obviously starts with cut up pieces of cured bacon, and throws in brown sugar, chipotle chiles, sugar, paprika, vinegar, corn syrup, natural smoke flavor, and unspecified spices. The burrito contains the following allergens: gluten, milk, eggs, and wheat.

A single Crispy Chicken Chipotle Bacon Melt Burrito nets an eater 700 calories, 39 grams of fat, 11 grams of saturated fat, 75 milligrams of cholesterol, 1,560 milligrams of sodium, 60 grams of carbohydrates, 6 grams of dietary fiber, 3 grams of total sugars (including 1 gram of added sugars), and 27 grams of protein. It also pitches in 0.3 micrograms of vitamin D, 320 milligrams of calcium, 2.5 milligrams of iron, and 510 milligrams of potassium.