For Taco Bell fans fretting the recent departure of the Naked Chicken Chalupa, the Irvine-based chain is about to unleash a similar and equally risque meal: the Naked Breakfast Taco.

Using a fried egg as a shell, the taco is stuffed with diced potatoes, sausage crumbles or bacon, nacho cheese and shredded cheddar. It is one of three new food items Taco Bell is testing this month. Others include a Loaded Taco Burrito and a Mexican Crispy Chicken Pizza.

Taco Bell’s test kitchen in Irvine recently hosted a preview of some of the items.

Here’s the lowdown:

Naked Breakfast Taco: The new mashup is eye candy for die-hard fast food fans. Like the Naked Chicken taco, it uses a popular protein as a taco shell. It looks fake, but Taco Bell’s culinary team assures us everything is authentic. The flattened and fried egg is shaped like a taco shell and carries its ingredients quite well.

If you’re a modest eater, Taco Bell says you can order a “dressed” version by covering the naked egg shell with a warm Gordita flatbread. Available starting April 18 in Flint, Michigan. Price: $1.99 (sausage or bacon)

Thoughts: Forget the waffle and biscuit tacos. Five years after debuting breakfast, I think Taco Bell has finally found a wacky item that has lasting power. This is an unbelievably magical inside-out breakfast meal. Roll it out nationally now.

Mexican Crispy Chicken Pizza: This is a play on the iconic Mexican Pizza, Taco Bell’s popular menu item that is the lovechild of Mexican and Italian flavors. Taco Bell tweaks the fusion meal by topping the Mexican pizza shell with nacho cheese sauce, crispy fried chicken, Mexican pizza sauce, a three-cheese blend and pico de gallo. Available starting April 6 in Columbus, Ohio. Price: $3.49 or $3.99, depending on restaurant.

Thoughts: I’m not a cult-follower of the Mexican Pizza, but I can become one with this crunchy delight. There’s a double-crunch effect with the flattened fried chicken layered on top of the pizza shell. It’s like eating loaded nachos but in one tostada-pizza mashup bite.

Other items: Also rolling out Thursday, April 6, is a $3 breakfast meal deal and a Loaded Taco Burrito.

The meal deal includes a grilled breakfast burrito, a hashbrown, Cinnabon Delights and a new drink: Vanilla Iced Coffee. The morning grub deal is only a test in the Kansas City market.

The Loaded Taco Burrito, which was not previewed during my visit, is a “taco on the inside and a burrito on the outside,” Taco Bell said. A flour tortilla is filled with classic taco ingredients: seasoned beef, red strips, sour cream, avocado ranch sauce, lettuce, cheddar cheese and tomatoes. Available for a limited time at all restaurants nationwide for $1.49 starting April 6.

The test foods launching this month join others previously reported: Doritos Quesalupa Crunch, Chicken Enchilada Wrap and the Caesar Crunchwrap. Those items are still in test, according to Taco Bell representatives.

Talk to us: Which test item would you like to see go national? Send comments to Nancy Luna through her social channels. Use #TacoBellTest

Contact the writer: nluna@ocregister.com and follow the Fast Food Maven on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.