Chili’s Is Dropping Original Chicken Crispers from Its Menu

It’s always a sad day when menu classics get kicked off of some of our favorite restaurant selections.

In 2022, we commonly saw the fall and comeback of some of our favorite fast-food items. From the farewell to the popular McDonald’s McRib to Burger King’s salads and ice cream sundaes getting the boot, fans have sorrowfully watched some of their favorite go-tos come and go. However, these goodbyes did help the joy feel more pronounced with the return of some previously discontinued beloved menu items as well—like Taco Bell’s Enchirito and Mexican Pizza.

This time around, Chili’s is the next culprit to discontinue one of their all-time favorite menu items. And lots of fans are not thrilled about it.

What Item Is Chili’s Discontinuing?

If you haven’t heard the unfortunate news, the removal of this classic Chili’s chicken item may come as one of the first major upsets of 2023. Here it is: Chili’s officially announced that they will discontinue the Original Chicken Crispers from their menu. We’ll let that news marinate.

like this tweet if you’re going to miss original chicken crispers

— Chili’s Grill & Bar (@Chilis) October 25, 2022

The abrupt removal of the chain’s staple menu item—tempura-battered Original Chicken Crispers—left many fans in disbelief.  Following the original announcement, one fan tweeted: “Wow. This is the worst news I’ve heard all year.” And hordes of fans echoed the sentiment. Some have even sworn off eating at Chili’s again altogether.

Will the Original Chicken Crispers Ever Make a Comeback?

Unfortunately, it does not look promising for the Original Chicken Crispers. After all, the official Chili’s account did tweet “R.I.P. Original Chicken Crispers,” which seems to seal the fate of the beloved item.

While fans may not be able to enjoy the Original Chicken Crispers, Chili’s offers two consolations amidst the devastation: the Honey Chipotle Crispers and Crispy Chicken Crispers will still be available. Both choices of hand-battered Crispers “are made with 100% all-natural white meat.”

R.I.P to the Original Crispers, have you tried our crispy crispers or honey-chipotle crispers?

— Chili’s Grill & Bar (@Chilis) October 26, 2022

However, some fans are still not convinced. One even started a change.org petition called “Bring back Original Crispers Chili’s.” Currently, the petition has racked up close to 1,500 signatures and hundreds of comments from fans expressing their adoration for the crispers goodness.

With all the support for the original crispers, we’ll never say never in terms of the crispers hitting the menu again someday. Who knows, some of our discontinued menu-item favorites have made a victorious comeback in the past. But for now, we’ll be mourning the menu classic as we try out the Chipotle crispers and take a stab at some of these copycat Chili’s recipes.