{"id":18329,"date":"2015-04-09T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-04-09T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/?p=18329"},"modified":"2023-08-30T15:34:16","modified_gmt":"2023-08-31T01:34:16","slug":"review-taco-bell-crispy-chicken-chipotle-chickstar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2015\/04\/09\/review-taco-bell-crispy-chicken-chipotle-chickstar\/","title":{"rendered":"REVIEW: Taco Bell Crispy Chicken Chipotle Chickstar"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Taco<\/a><\/p>\n

Perhaps the worst thing about Taco Bell is ordering. <\/p>\n

Are they really going to make me say \u201cChickstar\u201d out loud? Chickstar. Can I instead order the \u201ccrunchy, chewy pentagonal chicken pouch\u201d? <\/p>\n

Don\u2019t test me, Taco Bell.<\/p>\n

I walked away from that movie Chappie just because I didn\u2019t want to have to say \u201cChappie\u201d out loud to the box office. You think the branding is cute but it sounds like I\u2019m doing jaw exercises before delivering a high school sports report on the local news. Chi-ck-stahr. Que-sah-ree-toh. Break-fast fail-ures.<\/p>\n

The Crispy Chicken Chickstar can slide, though, just this once. It\u2019s pretty good! To start, this sandwich thing is shaped like the Crunchwrap Supreme, so it\u2019s completely inviting comparisons. The first bite is a bit of a shock. \u201cI know the Crunchwrap Supreme. And you, sir, are no Crunchwrap Supreme.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"Taco<\/a><\/p>\n

It lacks the snap of a tortilla shell wedged into each bite, but give it some time–the texture is still dynamic, thanks to the fried chicken fillets. The breading of the two chicken finger-sized pieces is made of tortilla chips and while it doesn\u2019t taste different than most other fast food breading, it has a jagged, harder feel that gives it some substance. The chicken itself is also white and dense, like a U.S. congressman.<\/p>\n

The softness of the outer tortilla contrasts nicely with the rough-breaded chicken and that interplay is definitely the star (Chickstar?) of the show. Having no bread, it means the protein is allowed to pop more and it also means there are those delightful bites that consist of folded over flour tortilla. So satisfying. Hold on to the tiny joys in life.<\/p>\n

I tried the creamy chipotle version of the Chickstar. The sauce filled in the flavor profile and rounded out the taste a bit, but overall it felt a little anemic with the heat. The grated cheese and lettuce and tomato are even more of an afterthought than usual and remain borderline useless. However, the chicken did a decent job of picking up the slack, like Allen Iverson. Al-hen Thigh-verson? Mmm, Al-hen Thigh-verson.<\/p>\n

\"Taco<\/a><\/p>\n

I know these sound like negative points for the Chickstar, but something about the entire package clicks together. It’s crunchy and soft in the right places and knows how to showcase the novelty of a tortilla chip-breaded chicken. Maybe it’s magic. Maybe it’s black magic. Taco Bell does fold these things into pentagrams. Or are they hexagrams. They added an extra side to the pentagram just like they added a fourth meal to the day! Must be voodoo.<\/p>\n

The Chipotle Chickstar is a good item. Taco Bell\u2019s new chicken fillet thing is good. But it cost me four bucks and I can get a couple chicken sandwiches for half that at most fast food restaurants. It even costs more than a Quesarito, and is almost as embarrassing to say. <\/p>\n

What does \u201cChickstar\u201d even mean? Is it a chicken hipster? A poultry constellation? Lady rock star? Debbie Harry? Chrissie Hynde? (Crispy Fried is her Chickstar name). Whatever. I\u2019d pay another dollar just to not say the name out loud in the restaurant. And I\u2019ll throw the cashier another twenty if he wants to go next door and say \u201cOne for Chappie\u201d for me.<\/p>\n

(Nutrition Facts – 760 calories, 43 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 60 milligrams of cholesterol, 1650 milligrams of sodium, 70 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of sugar, 4 grams of fiber, and 25 grams of protein.)<\/small><\/p>\n

Item:<\/b> Taco Bell Crispy Chicken Chipotle Chickstar
\nPurchased Price:<\/b> $3.99
\nSize:<\/b> N\/A
\nPurchased at:<\/b> Taco Bell
\nRating:<\/b> 8 out of 10
\nPros:<\/b> Nice breading, great texture. Easy to eat, plenty of folded over tortilla.
\nCons:<\/b> Chipotle sauce is a little quiet, bland. Cheese is still Taco Bell cheese. Fairly expensive.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Perhaps the worst thing about Taco Bell is ordering. Are they really going to make me say \u201cChickstar\u201d out loud? Chickstar. Can I instead order the \u201ccrunchy, chewy pentagonal chicken pouch\u201d? Don\u2019t test me, Taco Bell. I walked away from that movie Chappie just because I didn\u2019t want to have to say \u201cChappie\u201d out loud […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1440],"tags":[1477,1519],"class_list":["post-18329","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews","tag-fast-food","tag-taco-bell"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":18262,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2015\/03\/26\/fast-food-news-taco-bell-crispy-chicken-chickstar-grillers-and-quesadilla\/","url_meta":{"origin":18329,"position":0},"title":"FAST FOOD NEWS: Taco Bell Crispy Chicken Chickstar, Grillers, and Quesadilla","author":"Marvo","date":"March 26, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Update: We reviewed it! Click here for our Chipotle Chickstar review. Taco Bell's new Crispy Chicken lineup features their new premium all white meat crispy chicken that's been marinated in Mexican spices and has a crunchy coating made from corn tortilla chips. The Chickstar is pretty much a crispy chicken\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fast Food News"","block_context":{"text":"Fast Food News","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/fast-food-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Taco Bell Crispy Chicken Chickstars","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Taco-Bell-Crispy-Chicken-Chickstars.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Taco-Bell-Crispy-Chicken-Chickstars.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Taco-Bell-Crispy-Chicken-Chickstars.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":22343,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2017\/05\/12\/fast-food-news-taco-bell-naked-chicken-chips-and-chickstar\/","url_meta":{"origin":18329,"position":1},"title":"FAST FOOD NEWS: Taco Bell Naked Chicken Chips","author":"Marvo","date":"May 12, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Update: We reviewed it! Click here to read our review. Taco Bell's Naked Chicken is back, but this time not as a Chalupa shell. It's now in the form of chips. Naked Chicken Chips are made of marinated, all white meat chicken with Mexican spices and come with a side\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fast Food News"","block_context":{"text":"Fast Food News","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/fast-food-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Taco Bell Chicken Chips","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Taco_Bell_Chicken_Chips.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Taco_Bell_Chicken_Chips.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Taco_Bell_Chicken_Chips.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":18383,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2015\/04\/23\/review-taco-bell-double-crispy-chicken-quesadilla\/","url_meta":{"origin":18329,"position":2},"title":"REVIEW: Taco Bell Double Crispy Chicken Quesadilla","author":"Kelley","date":"April 23, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"When I first heard that Taco bell was adding Crispy Chicken to their list of ingredients, my first thought was, \u201cWhy didn't they do this sooner?\u201d Then, \u201cWell, that's not exactly a staple of Mexican cuisine. And then, \u201cYeah, but neither are","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Reviews","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Taco Bell Double Crispy Chicken Quesadilla","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm8.staticflickr.com\/7606\/17249470471_d6cb51d7ec_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm8.staticflickr.com\/7606\/17249470471_d6cb51d7ec_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm8.staticflickr.com\/7606\/17249470471_d6cb51d7ec_z.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":18257,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2015\/03\/25\/fast-food-news-taco-bell-biscuit-tacos\/","url_meta":{"origin":18329,"position":3},"title":"FAST FOOD NEWS: Taco Bell Biscuit Tacos","author":"Marvo","date":"March 25, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Goodbye, Taco Bell Waffle Tacos! Hello, Taco Bell Biscuit Tacos! The newest additions to the Taco Bell breakfast menu feature a warm, fluffy, buttery biscuit that's folded into the shape of a taco. There are five varieties available: Sausage, Egg and Cheese, Crispy Chicken with Jalapeno Honey, Crispy Chicken with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fast Food News"","block_context":{"text":"Fast Food News","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/fast-food-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Taco Bell Sausage Egg and Cheese Biscuit Taco and Chicken Biscuit Taco with Jalapeno Honey","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Taco-Bell-Sausage-Egg-and-Cheese-Biscuit-Taco-and-Chicken-Biscuit-Taco-with-Jalapeno-Honey1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Taco-Bell-Sausage-Egg-and-Cheese-Biscuit-Taco-and-Chicken-Biscuit-Taco-with-Jalapeno-Honey1.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Taco-Bell-Sausage-Egg-and-Cheese-Biscuit-Taco-and-Chicken-Biscuit-Taco-with-Jalapeno-Honey1.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":25162,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2017\/10\/06\/fast-food-news-taco-bell-crispy-chicken-quesadilla\/","url_meta":{"origin":18329,"position":4},"title":"FAST FOOD NEWS: Taco Bell Crispy Chicken Quesadilla","author":"Marvo","date":"October 6, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"With all of Taco Bell's Crispy Chicken technology, I'm a bit sad its new Crispy Chicken Quesadilla is not made using two flour tortilla-sized discs of chicken. Instead, it's similar to the Double Crispy Chicken Quesadilla that came out in 2015. 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