Taco Bell has created a crispy taco shell made of chicken

The shell has been spotted at some restaurants in the US

It’s unclear if the chicken taco will ever get past testing in a few stores. (Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images)

No sooner has the fast food world recovered from the shock of the McWhopper, than another chain comes up trumps with a new mutant menu item. That’s right: Taco Bell have come up with a taco shell made of fried chicken.

A hungry Reddit user has tracked down the Naked Crispy Chicken Taco in California, where it is selling in some restaurants for $2.49.

It’s unclear if the chicken taco will ever get past testing in a few stores.

The fast food mashup of Tex Mex and Kentucky Fried Chicken also looks uncannily like something that already exists on the KFC menu: a Double Down Dog, which features a hot dog wrapped in a cheese stuffed chicken breast.

Both of these items, and the McWhopper before them, are examples of the increasingly ridiculous ideas that fast food restaurants are coming up with to get social media attention. A strong public profile is becoming vital for fast food restaurants. The industry is increasingly saturated by new chains like Chipotle, which are taking a bite out of profits.

Even fast food chains themselves are getting weary of these tactics. After Burger King proposed the McWhopper to McDonald’s with an elaborate website and big social media splash, McDonald’s replied: “A simple phone call will do next time.”