The Discontinued Chili's Menu Item That Fans Desperately Want Back

When passionate food fans want their discontinued chain items back, they're always more than vocal about it. (Take the Taco Bell Beefy Crunch Burrito fans, for example.) In this particular case of "please bring back our favorite," Chili's fans are hankering for something that hasn't actually been discontinued — they just want the original recipe to return. They're clamoring for the old version of the Chicken Crispers, which is Chili's version of chicken tenders.

As it stands, the current version (Crispy Chicken Crispers) is much like any typical fast food chicken chain's, with a crispy, craggly, Popeyes-like crust. The old version (Original Chicken Crispers) was much different, featuring a puffier battered crust, which was more akin to a tempura than a typical chicken tender breading.

The Original Chicken Crispers were available from the early 1990s until Chili's took the classic off the menu in 2022. Fans continue to plead for their return on social media avenues and even an online petition. One impassioned post on Reddit titled "Please Revive the Original Chicken Crispers!" says, "If anyone in leadership at Chili's would please consider bringing these back, it would make me and thousands of others very much appreciative. The Original Chicken Crispers were absolutely delicious. They were flaky, tender, juicy and when paired with the [Southwestern Eggrolls] or other options in the Triple Dipper, they were out of this world."

The Original Chicken Crispers were removed in an effort to streamline menu offerings. The underlying reason could simply be because they were less popular when compared to the Crispy Chicken Crispers, which were selling concurrently for some time. Having tried the Original Chicken Crispers at least once, I do remember that they were definitely unique but had the tendency to soften up if you didn't eat them quickly. According to some Chili's fans and employees, the original version was often inconsistent. As far as I can think of, no other major restaurant chain currently sells anything like Chili's Original Chicken Crispers, so there isn't an obvious replacement for them elsewhere.

But you never know; with enough noise, sometimes chains do revive certain items. For example, Chili's fan-favorite Awesome Blossom appetizer is back in one specific location near Scranton, Pennsylvania. Having to deal with a flood of customer complaints can also cause companies to reverse course, like the time Chick-fil-A announced it was dumping its side salad and then decided not to when customers got really upset about the decision. So far, it doesn't look like Chili's has any plans to bring back the old Chicken Crisper recipe anytime soon, but love is patient. Perhaps enough passionate Reddit threads on the subject might finally get someone over at Chili's to consider it.