THE NEXT STEP IN TACO BELL'S CRISPY CHICKEN ERA: NEW MIKE'S HOT HONEY DIABLO SAUCE IS HERE

Taco Bell and Mike's Hot Honey ®, two fiery sauce icons, join forces to reimagine the hot honey flavor, delivering a new mouth-tingling dipping experience for fan-favorite Crispy Chicken Nuggets 

TLDR:  

• Taco Bell's crispy chicken era just got hotter (and sweeter) with the debut of Mike's Hot Honey Diablo Sauce, a first-ever collab with Mike's Hot Honey delivering irresistibly sweet and fiery flavors.
• Starting May 22, fans nationwide can enjoy the new sauce with Taco Bell's Crispy Chicken Nuggets and experience the kick of chili heat with every dip.
• Mike's Hot Honey Diablo is the latest chapter in Taco Bell's crispy chicken innovation journey that will ultimately lead to the fan-powered reveal of the crispy chicken icons permanently landing on menus in 2026.
• Mike's Hot Honey Diablo Sauce and Crispy Chicken Nuggets assets can be found here.

IRVINE, Calif., May 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Taco Bell's year of crispy chicken menu innovation continues with the fiery release of the new Mike's Hot Honey Diablo Sauce, bringing an irresistible, mouth-tingling kick to the Crispy Chicken Nuggets experience—an entirely new level of sweet heat.

A fusion of Taco Bell's bold and smoky Diablo Sauce with the silky-smooth richness of Mike's Hot Honey ®, a first-of-its-kind sauce innovation for Mike's Hot Honey ®, it challenges you to forget everything you thought you knew about hot honey. Delivering a devilishly sharp heat that's pleasantly intense, the Mike's Hot Honey Diablo Sauce is breaking new ground being the first time the beloved hot honey brand has ever collaborated to create a brand-new, unapologetically spicy take on the condiment sweeping the nation. For a limited time, it joins the elite Crispy Chicken Nugget sauce lineup as the fourth delicious sauce offering, bringing forward the best of both iconic sauce brands.

"We didn't just drop a new sauce, we unlocked a totally new way to experience nuggets with an entirely new take on hot honey," said Liz Matthews, Taco Bell's Global Chief Food Innovation Officer. "Our sauces spark obsession – fans collect them, remix them and make them part of who they are. Teaming up with Mike's Hot Honey, which has a passionate following of its own, felt like the ultimate way to build on our legacies of sauce innovation. Now we've got this delicious sweet-heat experience that transforms every dip, dunk, or drizzle into something fans have never tasted from us before."

An Unexpected Flavor Fusion to Create a Next-Level Hot Honey:

Mike's Hot Honey Diablo Sauce arrives at a moment of full-blown nugget obsession. Since their return in April, Taco Bell's Crispy Chicken Nuggets have become a fan-favorite among new proteins of the year, as fans rave that their go-to taco spot is now delivering bold, unexpected chicken options.

Available at participating Taco Bell locations nationwide, fans can add Mike's Hot Honey Diablo Sauce's complex, peppery kick of chili heat to any 5-piece nugget or 10-piece nugget order – or snag it a la carte for $.25* – while supplies last.

"Teaming up with Taco Bell let us explore the power of sweet heat in a way that has never been done before with a partner that values culinary creativity as much as we do," said Mike Kurtz, founder of Mike's Hot Honey ®. "Together, we've reimagined what hot honey can be, blending it with Diablo Sauce to create something totally new and unforgettable." 

Sport the Drip: Taco Bell X Mike's Hot Honey Jacket Tuesday Drop

To celebrate this launch, Taco Bell and Mike's Hot Honey ® are teaming up for a Tuesday Drop on May 27. Available exclusively in the Taco Bell app, Rewards Members will have the chance to claim a limited-edition Mike's Hot Honey Jacket so they can channel their sauce fandom in style wherever they go. The drop will be first come, first served for 500 Rewards Members on Tuesday, May 27 at 2 pm PST**.

Heating Up Crispy Chicken's Road to Permanence

This is just the latest step in the crispy chicken journey for Taco Bell, with more craveable, crash-out inducing flavor innovations and surprises ahead. Alongside the Mike's Hot Honey Diablo Sauce launch, Taco Bell is testing new Crispy Chicken Tacos and Burritos exclusively in participating locations in Charlotte, NC — giving fans the chance to try (and shape) what could become the next menu icon.

These limited-time offerings are all part of Taco Bell's build toward a permanent crispy chicken mainstay in 2026, with fans playing a central role in what makes the final cut.

Taco Bell x Terracycle

After dipping and dunking in their sauce of choice, fans can mail in their used, empty dipping cups to Taco Bell's Sauce Container US Recycling Program in partnership with TerraCycle®***. Since the program's launch, hundreds of thousands of used sauce packets and single-use sauce containers have been recycled through the program.

Stay looped in on the ridiculously delicious crispy chicken rollouts to come by following along on social.

About Taco Bell Corp.
For more than 62 years, Taco Bell has brought innovative, craveable Mexican-inspired food to the masses, and was recently recognized as one of Fast Company's World's Most Innovative Companies, one of TIME's Most Influential Companies, and Nation's Restaurant News' Brand Icon. For more information about Taco Bell, visit our website at www.TacoBell.com, our Newsroom at www.TacoBell.com/news, or check out www.TacoBell.com/popular-links. You can also stay up to date on all things Taco Bell by following us on LinkedIn, TikTok, X, Instagram, Facebook and by subscribing to our YouTube channel.

About Mike's Hot Honey
Mike's Hot Honey, America's original and leading brand of hot honey, has been elevating everyday eating experiences since 2010. Its first drizzle on a pizza at Paulie Gee's in Brooklyn sparked a word-of-mouth sensation, creating a new category of pizza topping. By popular demand, Mike started selling his small-batch, hand-labeled hot honey bottles to visitors of the pizzeria and other local businesses. Today, Mike's Hot Honey can be found in thousands of restaurants and retailers across the country. Using only 100% pure honey infused with real chili peppers, Mike's Hot Honey's sweet-then-heat flavor enhances any dish, from pepperoni pizza to chicken, cheese, charcuterie, ice cream, cocktails, and more. Mike's Hot Honey empowers chefs and eaters everywhere to customize, create, and share extraordinary meals. Happy drizzling!

* At participating locations for a limited time only, while supplies last.  Contact restaurant for prices, hours and participation, which vary. Taxes extra. Prices higher with delivery.

**No Purchase Necessary. Open only to the first 500 Taco Bell® Rewards Program Members who claim the offer on 5/27/25 starting at 2 PM PT. Limit one (1) Jacket per account holder. Subject to size availability on a first come first served basis. Void where prohibited. Allow 4-6 weeks for shipment. Jacket may only be shipped within the United States. Failure to provide shipping info before offer expiration constitutes forfeiture of any right to the merchandise. Unclaimed merchandise will not be fulfilled or awarded, except at Taco Bell's sole discretion. Offer is non-transferable and cannot be combined with any other offer. Any applicable taxes are recipient's responsibility. Taco Bell Rewards Program is available at participating U.S. Taco Bell® locations. Terms apply. Subject to Privacy Policy at: https://www.tacobell.com/legal/privacy-policy.

**US only. Enrollment limits apply. Earn 80 Bonus Reward points when you recycle your used, empty sauce packets, sauce dipping cups, 2 oz souffle cups/lids, and coffee creamer pods with TerraCycle from 4/1/2025 - 4/30/2025 through 11:59 PM PST. (Taco Bell and any other brands accepted). Rewards members must use their Taco Bell Rewards account email address when they recycle on the TerraCycle site in order to receive the bonus points. 80 Bonus Points will only be rewarded one time per Taco Bell Rewards account regardless of the quantity of packets being recycled. Bonus Points will be reflected in Taco Bell Rewards account around mid-May 2025. No cash value. Taco Bell Rewards program is available at participating US locations and subject to terms and conditions. https://www.tacobell.com/terracycle.

Ronald Quintero – Taco Bell Corp.  
[email protected]

Rosie Herzog – Edelman   
[email protected] 

SOURCE Taco Bell Corp.