Review: Diablo-Dusted Crispy Chicken Nuggets and Zab’s Chicken Ranch Nacho Fries from Taco Bell

Bottom Line: The Diablo-Dusted Crispy Chicken Nuggets from Taco Bell pack some good heat, but the Zab’s Chicken Ranch Nacho Fries come up short.

The Bell has been cranking out so many new items lately that it is hard to keep up with them unless you are a true drive-thru warrior (and if so, I suggest a consultation with a nutritionist). I try not to eat fast food more than once or twice a week so that I don’t have to go shopping for a larger size of pants, so I have missed out on several of the new offerings from Taco Bell. But the Diablo-Dusted Crispy Chicken Nuggets caught my attention, and I decided to pick up their latest Nacho Fries concoction while I was there as well.

Here is the description of each from the website:

Diablo-Dusted Crispy Chicken Nuggets: Featuring all-white-meat marinated chicken seasoned with bold Mexican spices, tossed in a crunchy tortilla chip coating, and dusted with bold, flavorful Diablo spice seasoning.

Zab’s Chicken Ranch Nacho Fries: Golden, crisp Nacho Fries topped with savory, slow-roasted chicken, Zab’s Datil Pepper Ranch sauce, warm Nacho Cheese sauce, a blend of mozzarella, pepper jack, and cheddar cheeses, and freshly prepared pico de gallo.

Taco Bell introduced its Crispy Chicken Nuggets in 2024, and they became a big hit because they are quite good (you can read my review of those at this link). Now, they are kicking them up with some spice, and they are even better!

The nuggets have some crunch but not too much, though that tortilla crust still has good texture, and it is heavily seasoned with the Diablo Dust. The meat is tender and flavorful, and each nugget is about two bites. They have a nice peppery kick, and the sweetness from the Bell sauce (which was my option for dipping since they were out of the Diablo Jalapeño Ranch) complements the nugget.

They did not seem to have too much of a kick at first bite, but that builds up pretty quickly. After just one nugget, my lips were burning, and I definitely felt the heat. I would put these above Medium on my scale and heading toward Hot, which is really good for the drive-thru.

As for the Zab’s Chicken Ranch Nacho Fries, those turned out to be somewhat of a disappointment. The sauce delivers some creaminess and a bit of tang, while the pico is fresh and a nice addition. The chicken is flavorful, though a bit sparse. And the fries are not crispy at all, but nicely seasoned and still have good taste.

As for the heat, there was very little of that, as the fries barely got to Mild on my scale. I have not tried Zab’s sauce in the past that I recall, but the datil pepper they use is close to habanero heat level, so I expected some kick. I knew that adding that to ranch would temper it some, but Taco Bell has successfully done some spicy versions of that condiment in the past. The Zab’s version had very little kick to it, though, and fell short of expectations.

Nutrition-wise, my chicken nugget and fries combo was on the high side (perhaps I need that consultation with a nutritionist). The five-piece order of nuggets came up to 340 calories, which isn’t too bad, but the sauce tacks on another 120 cals. Then the loaded fries add 490 cals to the tally, bringing me in just under a thousand. I picked this up for lunch that day and then decided to go with a small salad for dinner!

The Diablo-Dusted Crispy Chicken Nuggets were definitely a hit with me, and I would love it if they kept these around. The Zab’s Chicken Ranch Nacho Fries weren’t bad, but I would just as soon get a regular order of fries next time or a taco or two. Both of these new items are around for the dreaded limited time only, and at The Bell, that can be very limited. I certainly suggest trying their new spicy nuggets, and if the loaded fries sound good, you might grab those as well.