Bottom Line: The 3 Cheese Chicken Flatbread Melt from Taco Bell is on the small side and doesn’t bring much heat, but it is still a good addition to the menu.
It’s 2024 and chicken still rules in the drive thru. I just reviewed the new wings from Whataburger (more on that here) and I have the new KFC Spicy Mac & Cheese Chicken Wrap on the to do list. Meanwhile, Taco Bell has added another new chicken item to its lineup, and it looks like they are trying to use it to muscle in on the Chicken Sandwich Wars again like they did previously with the Crispy Chicken Sandwich Taco (more on that here). Chicken, chicken, and more chicken. It’s not that I don’t like the bird, but somebody needs to tell these chains that they can spice up more than just poultry products.
But anyway, here we are and I am reviewing the new 3 Cheese Chicken Flatbread Melt (that’s quite a mouthful of a name) that just joined the new three-dollar and less menu at the Bell. That is comprised of a soft flatbread filled with grilled, marinated, all-white meat chicken, Creamy Chipotle sauce, and melted three-cheese blend. It sells for only $2.29 in my area which is a good deal for the drive thru these days.
Taco Bell is of course known for mixing up the regular ingredients it has in the back to come up with a “new” item that isn’t really new but is just a little bit different than what they have offered before. The 3 Cheese Chicken Flatbread Melt bucks that trend largely because the flatbread is not a regular item in their kitchen, though they have had it on the menu before. This is also crossing the line between a sandwich and a taco, so you know that the Bell is hoping to lure some cars over from those long lines at Chick-Fil-A or Popeyes. The actual flatbread that I got was not as fully stuffed as what they show in the promo pics, so somebody looking for one of those hefty Popeyes sandwiches may not be satisfied with it. But for cheap eats, it works out pretty well.
The chicken is standard Taco Bell fare, tender with decent taste and good for the drive thru. The Chipotle sauce gives some smokiness, but no real heat and it seemed rather sparse on mine. The three-cheese blend is nice and creamy and well-melted while adding a bit of sharpness. Some lettuce and tomato might have been nice for some texture and freshness, but I am not complaining too much at this price (those really wouldn’t set them back too much, though they are happy to charge you $1.40 for both if you add them). The flatbread is nice and pillowy with some sweetness and a toasty taste, and I consider it the highlight of the item. Overall, everything comes together quite well to make this just different enough that it stands out from the other Taco Bell items.
As for the heat, well, this is the Bell so don’t set expectations too high. The one I had did not even come to the Mild level on my scale, though perhaps a bit more of the Chipotle sauce would have helped. I added some of the Fire sauce, and that worked well with the other ingredients taste-wise and brought the heat up to about Medium. If you happen to have some Secret Aardvark Habanero Sauce (one of my favorite taco toppings, more on that one here), then you can really kick up this flatbread.
Calorie-wise, this comes up to 330 cals which is not bad for a fast food item. You can pair this with a regular taco (170 cals) or the Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes (240 cals) and you are not going to tip the scales too much. As a bonus, you won’t even break five bucks for either of those pairs (before tax, that is).
The 3-Cheese Chicken Flatbread Melt is a good addition to the Taco Bell menu and I think they should keep that flatbread around because there are plenty of other fillings that would go quite well with it. But this is the Bell and things disappear from their menu on a regular basis because some marketing “genius” somewhere thinks that is good business. I recommend giving this a try, especially if you are trying to watch your calories and/or your budget, just plan on adding hot sauce if you are looking for some heat.
Nutrition Info:
Serving Size: 1 Flatbread
Calories: 330
Fat: 15g (6g Sat/0g Trans)
Protein: 29g
Carbs: 20g
Sodium: 760mg