Taco Bell to add Diablo Dusted Crispy Chicken Nuggets to menu

Taco Bell is heating up its menu with a new limited-time dish: Diablo Dusted Crispy Chicken Nuggets.

Available starting Thursday, April 16, the fast-food chain will begin offering the new flavor of its all-white meat Crispy Chicken Nuggets. Diablo Dust, a granular version of Taco Bell's Diablo sauce, coats the nuggets' crispy, tortilla chip-breaded coating.

"Diablo Sauce has a cult following, it’s that lingering heat with a hint of lime. Turning that iconic flavor into a dust reimagines how that heat hits," said Liz Matthews, Taco Bell’s global chief food innovation officer, in a news release. "By coating our nuggets with Diablo Dust, we’re unlocking a new level of intensity and opening the doors for even more creative, dusted flavor experiences with our Crispy Chicken. This is just the beginning!"

Additional unannounced new menu items will arrive in days to come. Taco Bell fans might get some hints from the dishes revealed last month at its Live Más Live gala.

Among the previewed menu items were two other nugget twists – Doritos Cool Ranch Dusted Crispy Chicken Nuggets and Flamin’ Hot Dusted Crispy Chicken Nuggets – and Mountain Dew Baja Midnight Pie, the successor to last year's Mountain Dew Baja Blast Pie.

Here's when you can get Taco Bell's Diablo Dusted Crispy Chicken Nuggets

The limited-time menu item becomes available on Thursday, April 16 (prices may vary by restaurant). Crispy Chicken Nuggets à la carte also return to menus for a limited time:

• 5-piece Diablo Dusted Crispy Chicken Nuggets – comes with a choice of one sauce ($4.49).
• 10-piece Diablo Dusted Crispy Chicken Nuggets – choice of two sauces ($7.49).
• 10-piece Crispy Chicken Nuggets Combo – comes with Regular Nacho Fries, a large fountain drink and choice of two sauces ($9.99, available only in the Taco Bell app).
• Diablo Dusted Crispy Chicken Nuggets Deluxe Combo – comes with 5-piece Diablo Dusted Crispy Chicken Nuggets, choice of one sauce, a Chalupa Supreme, Crunchy Taco, Regular Nacho Fries and a medium fountain drink ($10.99).

Members of the Taco Bell Rewards loyalty program have a chance to try the Diablo Dusted Crispy Chicken Nuggets for free. Watch the Tuesday Drops page in the Taco Bell app on May 5 at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT and the first 30,000 Taco Bell Rewards Members who click "Claim Reward" will get a free 5-piece order.

As new menu items arrive, others depart. Taco Bell's Crispy Chicken Crunchwrap Slider, added to the menu on March 17, along with the Cantina Chicken Rolled Quesadilla, may be a short-timer at restaurants. The quesadilla, however, is a permanent menu addition.

The Butter Chicken Taco is also coming to Taco Bell

However, there's another new chicken menu item to look forward to later this year. Taco Bell recently held a global vote on which of two tacos served by the chain internationally should join the menu for a limited time. Voters opted for India's Butter Chicken Taco over Thailand’s Kickin’ Chicken Taco.

The Butter Chicken Taco is a crispy fried chalupa shell filled with shredded slow-roasted chicken, which has been cooked in a spicy tomato cream-based sauce, then topped with onion, cilantro, lettuce, and cheddar cheese. It will be available for a limited time at participating U.S. locations later this year.

This story has been updated with new information.

Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at  mikegsnider  &  @mikegsnider.bsky.social  &  @mikesnider & [email protected].