Taco Bell is bringing back chicken wings for the NFL playoffs, and this time it’s pairing them with its Mexican Pizza.
The Mexican fast-food chain on Thursday said it was bringing back its Crispy Chicken Wings, a product it introduced for a limited time a year ago following a successful test in 2020.
In the process, the company is launching a new “Ultimate Gameday Box,” featuring one Mexican Pizza, four Crunchy Tacos and eight Crispy Chicken Wings along with Spicy Ranch dipping sauce. The box is available in the restaurant and through digital channels and cost $22. The wings on their own cost $6.99.
The company is also adding a “Wings Filter” on its mobile app to ensure customers can tell which restaurants have the wings available.
The wings come a year after Taco Bell somewhat surprisingly introduced wings to its menu but kept them there for just a week. This introduction is set to last a bit longer, starting Jan. 26 through Feb. 9.
To be sure, this is a far better time to be introducing chicken wings on a national scale than in 2022, when high chicken prices and heavy consumer demand kept prices elevated. The price for chicken wings is down 34% over the past year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Taco Bell’s chicken wings are crispy and coated with a Mexican Queso seasoning. And their reintroduction follows the permanent return of the Mexican Pizza, which drove significant headlines last year and strong sales for the Irvine, Calif.-based Taco Bell.
The company believes that its box could give it the shareables business during playoff football games, a business typically reserved for chicken wing chains such as Buffalo Wild Wings or Wingstop and pizza chains such as Papa John’s and Domino’s.
“The Ultimate Gameday Box allows Taco Bell to compete in a space that’s been traditionally reserved for pizza and wings, in a way only this brand can,” Sean Tresvant, chief brand officer for Taco Bell, said in a statement.
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