The heart of Taco Bell’s operation is innovating the humble taco.

Over 54 years, the chain’s Mexican-inspired menu has evolved from fried-to-order taco shells to pillowy gorditas to Doritos Locos Tacos. This year brought the Quesalupa, a taco with melted cheese stuffed in a chalupa-style shell.

“Consumers expect the unexpected from us,” said Melissa Friebe, vice president of Taco Bell’s Insights Lab.

On Wednesday, Friebe announced plans for another unconventional taco: the Naked Chicken Chalupa. The taco with a shell made out of spicy fried chicken is being tested in Kansas City, Mo. The flattened fried chicken is shaped like a round flour tortilla, with a little bit of bend, so that it can fold into the shape of a taco shell, Friebe said. She expects it to debut nationwide next year.

The chicken shell is stuffed with shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, shredded cheese and avocado ranch sauce.

“It is in our wheelhouse of reinventing tacos,” Friebe said.

The Irvine-based fast-food chain also released the names of two other items it’s testing: a Cheetos Burrito and Walking Nachos. Both will be rolled out in mid-August.

Walking Nachos, slated to test in Charlotte, N.C., are nachos tossed in a foiled bag and served with a spoon.

Friebe said the item was developed as consumers demand more portability from their favorite Taco Bell items. The nachos, which will cost $2.99, feature seasoned mini-triangular chips. The chips (smaller than standard Taco Bell chips) are topped with seasoned ground beef, guacamole, sour cream and a melted three-cheese blend – not nacho cheese sauce.

As for the Cheetos Burrito, if it becomes a final menu item, Taco Bell fans can thank Canada.

The burrito, stuffed with crunchy Cheetos, buttery white rice, seasoned beef and nacho cheese, is an extension of the Cheetos Crunchwrap Slider, which rolled out this year in Taco Bell restaurants in Canada.

That product skyrocketed to popularity, prompting Taco Bell’s test kitchen to dream up a similar product for the U.S, said Shivram Vaideeswaran, Taco Bell’s international director. It will be tested in Cincinnati.

During a media presentation held at Taco Bell’s test kitchen in Irvine, Vaideeswaran said Taco Bell’s goal is to increase its 300 international locations to 1,000 by 2020. To ensure success in far-flung markets with distinct cultural tastes, Taco Bell’s international locations serve foods that match local flavor profiles, he said.

Many items are served on plates, not paper wrapped. “We try to make food Instagram-worthy,” Vaideeswaran said.

In the past year Taco Bell has rolled out a tikka masala burrito in India, a gordita layered with fries and tzatziki sauce in Cyprus, a kimchi quesadilla in South Korea, a shrimp and avocado burrito in Japan, and loaded seasoned fries in Japan and the United Kingdom. While Taco Bell doesn’t serve fries in the U.S., Vaideeswaran said they’re popular in international restaurants.

On the sweet side, Spain gets the Chocomarsh Wrap, a s’mores-style treat with pink and white marshmallows blended with chocolate and stuffed inside a mini flour tortilla folded like a Crunchwrap.

Each time Taco Bell conquers a global market, lessons are learned, Vaideeswaran said. Some markets, such as Asia, require taco tutoring as some people don’t know how to eat tacos. Those unfamiliar have been seen tackling a taco from the top, instead of using the standard “taco neck” position to bite from the side, he said.

In Korea, some people toss out the shell and eat the stuffing, he added.

Messiness is not tolerated in Japan. Nachos are served deconstructed, so customers dip each chip into toppings.

Taco Bell restaurants in Japan, which will reach four locations next week, also hand out wet wipes, he said.

Contact the writer: nluna@ocregister.com