Taco Bell Is Removing the Naked Chicken Chalupa from Its Menu

Courtesy of Taco Bell
Courtesy of Taco Bell

When Taco Bell first unleashed the Naked Chicken Chalupa nationwide in late January, some wondered if the world was ready for tacos made with fried chicken shells. Well, now it might be time to start wondering if the world is ready to lose said tacos made with fried chicken shells -- because they're about to start disappearing from the chain's menus. For real. 

That's right, less than a month after the Naked Chicken Chalupa took the Internet -- and probably your digestive system -- by storm, Taco Bell plans to phase out the stunt food masterpiece in early March, a spokesperson confirmed via email on Thursday. In other words, you have only until early March to get your hands on the damn things, which are made with four ounces of antibiotic-free white meat chicken that's fried with Mexican-style spices and filled with cheddar cheese, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, and creamy avocado ranch dressing.

The much-hyped taco's seemingly premature departure may come off as kind of strange, but then again, T-Bell only billed it as a limited time offering. Considering how heavily the company promoted the NCC, though, it's probably safe to say it'll make a triumphant return to menus some day. And if a recent test at Taco Bell locations in Lawrence, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri, is any indication, the fried chicken tacos could even come back with a new spicy version. In the meantime, you might as well start stockpiling buckets of Tums. 

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Tony Merevick is Cities News Editor at Thrillist and is interested in seeing what Taco Bell does with the NCC in the future. Send news tips to news@thrillist.com and follow him on Twitter @tonymerevick.