KFC launch the Double Down Dog - a hot dog which has fried chicken INSTEAD of bread

The dish is also smothered in cheese sauce and despite health concerns the restaurant chain claim it has the same amount of calories as a cheeseburger.

It was first offered at select restaurants for only two days late last month in the Philippines - but is now a main part of the menu there.

KFC Philippines marketing director Errol Magdato said it took advantages of Filipinos' well-known love of hot dogs.

He said: "We know that Filipinos are very adventurous when it comes to food and we know how much we love hotdogs."

The locally-developed dish has already been subject to ridicule on social networking sites after pictures of it first emerged.

However, Mr Magdato shrugged off the ridicule surrounding it and said it had received good feedback from customers.

In terms of calories he said the Double Down Dog was "basically the same or slightly less than" a double cheeseburger.

Vegan cook Marie Gonzalez, who runs a gourmet food company in the Philippines capital Manila, described the Double Down Dog as "disgusting".

She said: "An all-meat sandwich is just feeding the illnesses, gout, diabetes and heart disease out there.

"It's sad that this is sort of a reflection of what the fast-food industry is."

There are currently no plans for KFC to market the Double Down Dog outside of the Philippines.

However, it has already gone viral on social networking sites with many users poking fun at the unconventional combination of different foods.