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Aussies lose it over Coles' Vegemite roast chicken: 'What could possibly be wrong?'

Supermarket giant Coles has unleashed a Vegemite-infused roast chicken and Aussies are going wild.

Whether it is seen as a blessing or a curse, Coles' latest release is a combination of two classics: the iconic BBQ chook and that love-it-or-hate-it salty, malty food spread that has had a place in the Aussie kitchen since 1922.

Vegemite, which made the announcement via Twitter on Wednesday morning, posted a teaser image of the special edition roast with the caption: "Two Aussie Faves. One MITEY Delicious Meal! We've teamed up with @colessupermarkets so you can enjoy the favourite flavours of Australia in one convenient, ready-to-go bag."

Coles Vegemite roast chicken
For better or for worse - Australians around the country are going nuts over Coles' latest offering - the Vegemite BBQ Hot Roast RSPCA Hot Chicken. Credit: Supplied

Flavour combo divides Aussies

News of the seemingly odd combo is spreading like wildfire, with Reddit users already having a field day with the concoction.

"Coles scientists were so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn't stop to think if they should," a Redditor posted in the sub-Reddit r/Australia, along with a snap of the $13 hot roast.

"What could possible be wrong with Vegemite and cheese with chicken? Sounds pretty good to me," someone replied.

All about the stuffing?

Other Aussies were a bit more disturbed by other aspects of the new hot chook though.

"I can get behind Vegemite chicken but draw the line at cheese stuffing," one of the Redditors complained.

"If we could get some garlic bread in there as stuffing, I might actually give it a crack," another person commented, while someone else opined: "I don't know about stuffing it with cheese but slathering a roast chicken in Vegemite and butter before cooking is actually pretty tasty."

For better or for worse though, the special edition Vegemite BBQ Chicken will only be available for a limited time.

Coles Vegemite BBQ Hot Roast RSPCA Hot Chicken
Coles has added a Vegemite twist to it's ever-popular hot chicken. Source: Supplied

Match made in culinary heaven

Coles told Yahoo News Australia that the idea of creating the unexpected Vegemite BBQ chicken stems from Aussies using the yeast product in cooking.

"A little-known secret is that adding Vegemite to foods is a great way to enhance savoury flavours. This sparked the idea of combining much-loved Aussie Vegemite with hot roast chicken to create a subtle and moreish umami flavour," Coles told Yahoo News.

The release of the Vegemite Roast Chicken also comes off the back of the success of Coles’ cheesy Vegemite Hot Cross Buns, which sold out in just five weeks after launching in December of 2021, three weeks ahead of forecast.

"Coles Hot Roast Chickens are in the top three of the best-selling products in store, but we are always looking to make them more attractive to customers. We know our customers love our hot roast chickens, and we know how much they love Vegemite, so merging the two to create a delicious spin on a fan favourite was a must-do," Coles Product Developer for Seafood & Deli Tim Hickox said.

"We always want to delight our customers, giving them something they have never had before. We have spent many months ensuring we have nailed the perfect flavour profile so that our customers still get the taste of two iconic products they love, in an exciting new way."

Coles' Vegemite BBQ Hot Roast RSPCA Hot Chicken will be available from Friday 11 November in select stores nationwide.

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