The latest menu item earning buzz from Taco Bell’s test kitchen is a taco shell made from crispy chicken.

Dubbed the The Naked Crispy Chicken Taco, Taco Bell describes the menu item as “our first and only taco with its shell made from premium, all-white meat chicken and filled with shredded lettuce, cheddar cheese and fresh diced ripe tomatoes.”

The item is being tested in Bakersfield only, the Irvine-based company said.

The product “is our latest food innovation that delivers on our commitment to provide craveable, fun food you can only get at Taco Bell,” company spokesman Rob Poetsch said.

If the “small test” in Bakersfield is successful, the chain will roll out nationally, he added.

The Naked Crispy Chicken Taco joins a handful of wacky mashup menu items that have made Taco Bell a social media sensation over the years.

Other items that have earned viral attention include the waffle taco (now retired from the breakfast menu), the biscuit taco and Doritos Locos Taco. When the Doritos flavored taco shell debuted in 2012, the chain sold 100 million DLTs in 10 weeks. It became the largest and most successful product launch in Taco Bell’s history.

Contact the writer: nluna@ocregister.com